In today’s digital world, the number of text abbreviations seems to be growing endlessly. Here’s one you might have seen: TTYL. Maybe you got it in a text, or you read it online somewhere—but what does TTYL mean?
Along with ICYMI and FWIW, there are countless common acronyms used in text messaging that aren’t always intuitive.
TTYL stands for “talk to you later.” Effectively, it’s the same as “goodbye,” or “see you later.” It’s used in texting or chatting to denote the fact that the sender is leaving the conversation, but you’ll talk to them again soon.
In general, it’s a casual, informal way to say goodbye for now—like BRB (be right back) or AFK (away from keyboard). You might send it to a friend or an acquaintance.
Now that you know what TTYL means, it’s important to know how to use it correctly.
You can use it as a stand-alone or somewhere in the middle or end of another message, and it can be all-capitalized or lowercase.
* I have to get to sleep early for my morning meeting. TTYL!
* Gotta run, the kids are calling. TTYL!
* TTYL, my tea is boiling over.
* I’ll have to ttyl, the plane’s about to board.
I – Word Understanding
ICYMI – in case you missed it
FWIW – for what it’s worth
Acronym – an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and
pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA ).
II – Have Your Say
1, Are you fond of using acronyms, initialisms and abbreviations? What are the most commonly used in your country?
2, Let’s have fun with acronyms. Can you guess what they mean?
a, ASAP – as soon as possible
b, BOGO – buy one take one
c, FOMO – fear of missing out
d, P.S. – postscript
e, PIN – personal identification number
f, SNAFU – situation normal, all fouled up
g, SOS – save our ship
h, VIN – vehicle identification number
i, YOLO – you only live once
j, GIF – graphics interchange format
k, AWOL – absent without leave
l, FLOTUS – first lady of the United States
m, NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
n, COVID-19 – Coronavirus disease of 2019
o, ICU – intensive care unit
p, YAHOO – Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle
q, POTUS – President of the US
