English is filled with abbreviations or commonly called short forms. Not just that, previously the abbreviations used to exist only in the books, but nowadays people have started using those English abbreviations in their regular communication modes.
It is noticed that most people use abbreviations while communicating on online modes, and people who are unaware of those abbreviations are unable to understand them properly.
That’s the reason behind creating this post, as here we are going to talk about some of the most commonly used English abbreviations that you can learn easily. Hence can make your English communication more efficient.
List of most commonly used English abbreviations
Let us have a look at the most commonly used English abbreviations:
1- CTFU: The full form of CTFU is “Cracking The Fuck Up” It is one of the most used internet jargon and is specifically used when you find something super funny that cracks you up.
It is mostly used over social media platforms and over online communication methods such as WhatsApp and more.
2- BYOB – Don’t turn up to a party empty-handed when you’ve been told to BYOB, else the hosts and the other guests will be dry and unhappy indeed. BYOB stands for bring your own beer/bottle/booze. ‘Bottle’, of course, means a bottle of wine or spirits, and ‘booze’ is a slang term for alcohol.
3- DOA – dead on arrival. You might hear this abbreviation in hospital-based TV shows when the victim of an accident or a crime gives up the ghost before they reach ER. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it yourself. Oh, and BTW (see below), ER stands for Emergency Room, which is the US term. UK hospitals have A&E (Accident and Emergency) wards instead.
4- DOB – date of birth, one of the most common English abbreviations found on official forms and documents.
5- AD/BC – Not a tribute rock band. You’ll see these two used with dates. The first stands for the Latin phrase Anno Domini (In the Year of Our Lord) and refers to dates after the birth of Christ, while the latter, self-evidently enough, is used for dates Before Christ. Recently, however, the secular equivalents CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era) are becoming increasingly popular.
6- AKA – also known as. This is used when referring to people who have a pen name, a stage name, or some other type of aliases, such as Reginald Dwight (AKA Elton John), Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (AKA Lady Gaga), or Eric Arthur Blair (AKA George Orwell).
7- ASAP – as soon as possible, something your boss might add to the end of an email when she wants you to finish that report as quickly as you can.
8- AWOL – absent without leave. Originally a military abbreviation used for soldiers or marines who had gone off somewhere without permission, ‘to go AWOL’ is now used casually about friends who have temporarily gone missing. Here are Jack and Ben, in a club, talking about their friend Tom:
9- BO – body odor. This never means someone who smells like jasmine and roses. If someone has BO, you’ll be pinching your nose to avoid the smell.
10- BTW – by the way. This is a common online abbreviation. ‘By the way’ is used to introduce a topic to the conversation that is not directly related to what is being said but which the speaker has just remembered. A good synonym is ‘incidentally’.
11- DIY – do-it-yourself. This might sound like an order you might bark at someone, but in fact, it refers to decorating your home by yourself or doing your own refurbishments or repairs, rather than employing a professional.
12- EFL/ELT/ESL – Ask your English language teacher what these three related abbreviations mean. No points for guessing what the E and the L stand for.
13- BA, MA, BSC, MSC, Ph.D., etc. – these are all academic abbreviations that describe the type of degree one is taking or has acquired. Respectively, they stand for Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy. There are many others.
14- CC and BCC – These email abbreviations harken back to a time when copies of letters were made using carbon paper. CC means carbon copy and BCC means blind carbon copy.
15- ETA – estimated time of arrival, used to let people know when you think you’ll arrive.
16- FAQ – frequently asked questions. A common abbreviation on company websites, it’s cleaner than it sounds.
17- FYI – for your information. This is often used in work emails when forwarding information that does not require a response. However, it can also be used sarcastically.
18- IMO – in my opinion, another common internet abbreviation. You’ll also see IMHO, which can mean either in my honest or in my humble opinion.
19- LGBT – lesbian gay bisexual transgender. This rainbow-esque abbreviation often adds a Q for queer and an I for intersex, giving it as many letters as there are colors in the flag it’s associated with.
20- LOL – laugh(ing) out loud. These days, LOL is one of the best-known and most useful English abbreviations, both online and in text messaging and on social media, so much so in fact that it has entered the spoken language as both a verb and a noun.
You might hear someone with a GSOH (good sense of humor) say they ‘lolled’ at something funny, or even that they did something ‘just for the lulz’, meaning ‘just for the fun of it’. It can also mean lots of love.
21- YOLO – you only live once. Yolo someone to encourage them to carpe that diem and seize the day, otherwise, they might suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out), that disturbing aspect of the human condition that makes you feel that everyone is having a better time of it than you are.
Conclusion:
We can consider English abbreviations are the latest mode of communication and with the help of this post, you would be able to learn about all those trending English abbreviations and can carry forward English communication fluently.
