Is Txtspk Alienating Your Conversations?

Illustration by Yan Wu/The Washington Post

Txtspk, or text speak, can create misunderstandings. A recent incident involving a misinterpretation of ‘LOL’ serves as a potent example. A parent, while responding to a Facebook post about a pet’s death, wrote ‘lol’ instead of ‘lots of love’. This mishap highlights the disconnect between intended and perceived meanings.

‘LOL’, meaning ‘laughing out loud’, first appeared in 1989 in the FidoNews newsletter. It gained formal recognition from the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011. However, a staggering number of people still misinterpret such acronyms.

Each month, 16,800 users in the U.S. search variations of ‘LOL’. This data comes from Unscramblerer.com, reflecting widespread confusion even in 2026.

Beyond ‘LOL’, many abbreviations are unclear. Text abbreviations are Googled extensively; ‘TBH’ (‘to be honest’) is searched 85,500 times monthly. These acronyms traverse mobile screens and social platforms, often puzzling recipients.

The intention behind these acronyms is usually lightheartedness. Yet, a large number of recipients view them as off-putting. Instead of the desired casualness, their use can signal insincerity. Acronyms often convey low effort, which affects perceived sincerity and message quality.

Research supports this notion. Stanford and University of Toronto researchers examined over 200,000 Tinder conversations from 686 users. Acronyms in messages linked to reduced engagement. Senders often appear less genuine, resulting in fewer responses and diminished interaction.

Notably, this effect persisted irrespective of familiarity between parties or message length. Researchers discovered that 84% of senders assumed recipients did not object to abbreviations. Even on Discord, where internet-savvy users dominate, abbreviations often reduced reply likelihood.

The advent of artificial intelligence might shift communication habits. AI tools facilitate full-length responses. Abbreviations might instead signal a human touch, but doubts persist. Eileen Zhang, a Stanford researcher, suggests that if typing becomes effortless, shortcuts might stand out even more.

Have doubts about txtspk’s impact? Take our quiz and see how many abbreviations leave you SYH (‘shaking your head’).

You received the message below. Determine what the sender means.

• 1 of 10: What is your OTP? What do you think the sender means?
• 2 of 10: Sorry, we can’t invite you to dinner. What do you think the sender means?
• 3 of 10: We are all celebrating! WYD. What do you think the sender means?
• 4 of 10: I told my friend about you… WYLL? What do you think the sender means?
• 5 of 10: We’ve been talking all day… WYF. What do you think the sender means?
• 6 of 10: HMU when you get home. What do you think the sender means?
• 7 of 10: I didn’t expect that, ICL. What do you think the sender means?
• 8 of 10: My cat is LOML. What do you think the sender means?
• 9 of 10: IIRC, the meeting is at 3 p.m. What do you think the sender means?
• 10 of 10: He is DTM. What do you think the sender means?

Your score: 0 of 10. You need to answer every question to see your result.

Methodology: Unscramblerer.com used Google Trends to identify top texting acronyms. Ahrefs provided monthly search data, capturing 100 variations of texting acronyms.