GR8 CUL8R - WTF?!?! We understand the popular abbreviations in English

    Correspondence became fast. Online communication won and greatly simplified written and spoken English. People are increasingly using abbreviations, or even stickers. And not just teenagers. Serious adult professionals, whose time is expensive, also often respond to messages with an obscure set of letters. You can relate to this as you like, but you need to understand the abbreviations. We have analyzed for you the basic and most useful letter combinations so that you can talk on equal terms with a modern native speaker.



    Letters and numbers


    The names of some letters in English sound like frequently used words, and they use it.

    C - to see (
    U ) U - you (
    Y ) why ("why")
    K - ok ("good")
    R - are, conjugation of the verb to be

    The same applies to numbers: some numerals are consonant completely different words.

    2 - to (preposition "in", "on") or too ("too" or "too")
    4 - for, for
    8 - ate, the verb "is" in Past Simple



    Sometimes numbers replace whole pieces of individual words.
    For example,

    GR8 means Great, that is, "great,"
    2day - today,
    L8R- later, that is, "later."

    Thus, an abracadabra like GR8 CUL8R makes sense - this encryption only means "Great, see you later."

    Official abbreviations


    Phrases and phrases, which are very often used in correspondence, are usually reduced to a few letters - and many use abbreviations even in relatively formal correspondence. Here are the most common abbreviations.



    FAO - For the Attention Of, indicating the addressee if the letter is sent to the corporate address. For example, FAO Mr. Petrov means that the letter is intended specifically for the manager Petrov, and not for the accountant Ivanova.
    NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement. NDA sign up to protect trade secrets, and this is a fairly common practice.
    RSVP- Répondez S'il Vous Plait. This is not even English, but French. Literally - “answer please”, but in English correspondence it is used with the meaning “Please confirm your participation”. If at the end of the invitation is RSVP, they will definitely wait for a response.
    NRN - No Reply Necessary. That is, "answer is optional." This reduction can often be seen in newsletters, technical messages from various online services and simply in newsletters.
    We're meeting in Room 5A instead of 4C. NRN - means "We are going to office 5A instead of 4C. It’s not necessary to answer. ” This abbreviation is set so as not to litter the sender's box with answers like "I received the letter, thank you."



    Let- Leaving Early Today. It means "I'll leave early today." The reduction informs colleagues that in the evening you will not be in the office, even if they are not looking.
    Can't help clean up after the presentation - LET means "I can’t help cleaning after the presentation - I’m leaving early."

    FYI - For Your Information, “For Your Information”. Example: FYI: Next month, IT support will be upgrading everyone to Office 2016 - “For your information, in the next month IT specialists will upgrade Office to the 2016 version.”

    PRB - Please Reply By. That is, "Please respond by a certain date." This postscript can often be seen in letters where some hot questions or events tied to a specific date are discussed.
    Example:I need to know who can help out at the charity event this weekend. PRB Thursday 8/24 - “I need to know who can help with this weekend's charity event. Please answer before Thursday, August 24th. ”

    HTH - Hope That Helps - “Hope this helps.” A polite response to someone’s gratitude for the help or postscript to the message in which you offer someone a solution to the problem. Especially often, employees of the IT department use it. Try turning it off and then on again. HTH means “Try turning it off and on again. I hope this helps. ”

    WFH - Working From Home. This means "Today I work from home." For example,
    WFH today. Our meeting in room 24B will take place on Wednesday instead“Today I work from home. Our meeting at the 24V office is rescheduled for Wednesday. ”

    TLTR - Too Long To Read. “Too long to read” (or, as expressed at the beginning of the 2000s, “niasilil”). This means that your letter is too verbose and the respondent asks to highlight the essence in a brief squeeze.
    For example, TLTR. I'd love to help with this but I don't have the time to digest the full message right now. “Too long to read. I’d love to help, but now I don’t have time to delve into your message. ”

    Y / N - Yes or No? That is, “Yes or no?”. So the sender makes it clear that he does not need additional explanations and is waiting for a simple answer.
    Is the new internet restriction affecting your work? Y / N“Did the new restrictions on Internet use affect your work?” Answer yes or no. ”

    OOO - Out Of Office, "I am not in the office."
    I am OOO until Friday, August 25. Please direct all questions to Mark Simmons. “I will not be in the office until Friday, August 25th. All questions to Mark Simmons. ”

    LMK - Let Me Know, "Let Me Know." It is usually placed at the end of the letter and invites the recipient to share their opinion on the described case or to keep you up to date. LMK if you will be at the meeting tomorrow means "Let me know if you come to the meeting tomorrow."

    IMHO- In My Humble Opinion, "in my humble opinion, it seems to me." A polite way to express your point of view without pretending to be expert. For example, I MHO, Den's calculations are wrong - “In my opinion, Dan ’s calculations are wrong .”

    BTW - By The Way, "by the way, by the way." A nimble transition from one topic to another or the standard beginning for a letter to follow, when you have already sent a message and suddenly remembered that you forgot to discuss some important point.
    BTW, I forgot to mention that anyone who's willing to help with this will get lunch on me. “By the way, I forgot to mention that I am offering lunch to everyone who will help me with this matter.”

    IDK - I Don't Know, "I Don't Know." A relatively informal abbreviation, most often used in correspondence in messengers.



    FWIW - For What It's Worth, “ Anyway .” Another polite way to express your opinion and not look like a know-it-all or show that you do not intend to enter into a dispute. For example, FWIW he did a great job - “Be that as it may, he did an excellent job.”

    TYT - Take Your Time. "Do not hurry". Use when waiting for feedback, but not urgently. For example, Tell me what you think about this idea. TYT - “Tell me how you got this idea. Do not rush".

    Unofficial Correspondence


    BYOB / BYO - Bring Your Own Booze, Bring Your Own Bottle (“Bring your drink with you.” This is indicated in the invitation to the party if the host provides only snacks, but expects guests to come with their own alcohol.)
    IOU - I Owe You (“I owe you”)
    THX - Thanks (“thank you”)
    PLS - Please (“please”)
    OMG - Oh My God, Oh My Goodness or Oh My Gosh, in general, “Oh my God!”



    AFAIK - As Far As I Know ("as far as I know")
    F2F / FTF - Face To Face (
    NP ) - No Problem (
    ATM ) - At The Moment ("at the moment") . Outside the Internet there is an ATM (automatic teller machine).

    Chatiks and instant messengers


    BRB - Be Right Back (“I'll be right back”, “I’ll be absent for a while”). A useful shortcut if you need to get away from the computer for a moment, and you are chatting with someone.
    B2W - Back To Work (
    BBL ) BBL - Be Back Later (
    TOM ) TTYL - Talk To You Later (
    BFF ) BFF - Best Friend Forever ("best friend")
    EOD - End Of Debate (“end of discussion”, “stop arguing”).
    HAND - Have A Nice Day
    LMAO - Laughing My Ass Out (literally “ridiculed my ass”, in Russia in such situations they say “I laugh so hard”, in a decent version of the translation)
    LOL- Laughing Out Loud (“laughing loudly”, the same meaning as the previous reduction, but much more decent)
    TBH - To Be Honest (“honestly speaking”)
    NVM - Never Mind (“drove, it doesn't matter, don’t take in head ")

    Important nuance


    Все аббревиатуры в английском языке читаются по буквам (LED = «эл-и-ди»). Исключения есть (ASAP), но они допускают и побуквенное прочтение.

    Alas, abbreviations do not work in schools, but this is a very important part of the living language, and if you are not familiar with abbreviations, it will be difficult for you to communicate with native speakers. There are more abbreviations in English than in Russian - much more than we could fit into this text. In addition, the language is constantly changing, so you can not take and learn the abbreviations or slang once and for all. New ones will appear, you need to follow this: watch the latest series in the original, communicate with the media, surround yourself with a modern English-speaking environment.

    If you need such an environment, sign up for a free introductory lesson at Skyeng Online School. We help not only learn the rules, but also speak modern English. Among our teachers there are those who are oriented in both business and informal vocabulary, we prepared for an interview and sent many of our students to work and study abroad. Define your level, set goals, develop a program and begin to master modern English! All classes are held online, on a convenient multi-functional platform and in applications. Immerse yourself in the language environment! And do not forget to use the HABRA promo code : these are 2 classes as a gift for new students at the first payment. CUL8R!








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