Chat slang or netspeak is typing long words and phrases as short one-to-four letter words and is also used by people with trouble spelling. For example, instead of typing out “are,” someone may only type “r.” Although chat slang can be easier and faster for you to type, it’s difficult to read and causes people to ignore you. Below is an example of someone saying, “Are you smart because I need someone smart.”

r u smart bcoz i need some1 smart

If you’re looking for chat shorthand words, such as “cya,” “lol,” “ty,” etc., see the shorthand dictionary definition for a listing of these terms and their meanings. For a list of general computer slang, see our slang page.

Below is a listing of commonly used chat slang and typos and their proper English meaning.

When chatting or typing anything on the Internet, unless you’re talking to another user using chat slang, we recommend typing the full words and using proper capitalization and punctuation. Although this may take more time to type, it saves time for all the other users reading it. One exception to this rule is users using text messaging or any messaging services sent over cell phones or other devices that don’t have a keyboard.

Abbreviation, Bulletin board, Chat terms, Gramogram, Jargon, Leet speak, Lolspeak, Shorthand

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