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What does SMH mean? All the Reddit slang terms explained

Feb 19 2018
Written by Rebecca Flood

Reddit, the front page of the internet, is crammed full of acronyms and slang terms but what do they mean?

From AFAIK, As Far As I Know, to WIP, Work in Progress, novice Redditors can school themselves here with the list of phrases spelt out.

In every subreddit and topic on the website, from streams to cryptocurrency bitcoin, abbreviations and initialisms are used in all posts.

The confusing jargon, mixed with GIFs, made-up words and shorthand, is constantly changing and evolving as fast as new threads are posted.

Resembling a secret language between users, look no further for help on the lingo of the internet without resorting to Google.

A

Starting at the beginning of the alphabet, AMA is a classic phrase, Ask Me Anything.

B

BAE often means your boyfriend or girlfriend, in the world of Reddit it means Before Anyone Else.

D-E

Frequently used on social media site Twitter, DM means the same, Direct Message.

Punctuation also creeps into some phrases with DM;HS translating into Doesn’t Matter; Had Sex.

Insults and put downs have also been given a makeover, with DIAF meaning Die In A Fire.

Popular terms such as Does Anyone Else have been shortened down to DAE, as do some lesser used phrases including ELE, Everybody Love Everybody.

Numbers, as well as letters, are used for speed and efficiency, with ELI5 meaning Explain Like I’m 5.

F-G

FWIW, For What It’s Worth, makes the grade, as does commonly-used soundbite FTW, For The Win. A helpful, and probably frequently used trio is FTA – From The Article.

Swearwords are not exempt from the Reddit makeover with FSS Fucking Super Sweet, and referencing the comradery of the online forum, FTFY means Fixed That For You.

For some, constantly typing long words is a waste of time, where this next time-saver comes into its own GPOY, or Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself.

I-L

Confusingly, IAMA is capped up despite it spelling what it means, I Am A.

Another one which has seeped into popular culture is IRL, or In Real Life, which appears throughout the website.

A plea to fellow Redditors, ISO means In Search Of, while ITAP is code for I Took A Picture.

Swearwords are back, with IDGAF I Don’t Give A Fuck, with an optional added F for Flying.

ICYMI is probably easily guessed as In Case You Missed It, and IMHO is In My Honest Opinion, honestly.

IANAL is one of the more risque abbreviations, but in fact, means I Am Not a Lawyer.

Back to basics, ITT is In This Thread, while IIRC is short for If I Recall Correctly.

Commonly used on social media, IKR, or I Know Right, makes an appearance, while the mouthful LMGTFY is Let Me Google That For You.

Before there was ROFL, Rolling On Floor Laughing, now there is LQTM or Laughing Quietly To Myself.

N-O

Now all over the internet, the cheeky warning NSFW, or Not Safe For Work, also pops up, as does NSFL, Not Safe For Life.

A sound in its own right, OOMF, in fact, means One Of My Followers, or Friends, while OOTD is Outfit Of The Day.

OP and OC refer to Original Poster and Original Content, while OTL, in fact, means Upset, with the O a head hanging down, the T limp arms, and the L representing kneeling down.

P-R

Heard across tannoys, in print and online PSA is a Public Service Announcement, followed by QFT, or Quoted For Truth.

For the hardcore Redditors out there, RES is the Reddit Enhancement Suite, which leads on to SRS, Shit Reddit Says.

S-T

SMH is Shake My Head while SWIM has nothing to do with water, rather Someone Who Isn’t Me.

Another set of initials in everyday use, SO is your Significant Other, and in keeping with the romantic theme TFW is That Feel When.

A throwback to the classroom, TIL is Today I Learned, and at the other end of the spectrum – with a return to punctuation – TL;Dr is Too Long; Didn’t Read.

Something everyone can relate to, TIFU is Today I Fucked Up, which goes hand in hand with WIP, Work In Progress.