Chatspeak

Last Wednesday we talked about some abbreviations and acronyms, which can be tricky to guess the meaning of. Below are a few common ones, but if you ever encounter one you don't understand I recommend you just type it into Google and usually the first result that will come up is Urban Dictionary, a fantastic resource where users submit definitions for slang and colloquial phrases.

Some common chat/texting abbreviations are:
lol - laughing out loud (although people use it often just to acknowledge something a little funny or ironic)
ttyl - talk to you later
brb - be right back
btw - by the way
jk - just kidding
omg - oh my god (associated with teenagers)

LOL and OMG have actually even been accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary!

Some common acronyms (less associated with young people) that people actually use in speech or even professional emails:
fyi - for your information (ex. fyi, the party's going to start a little late)
asap - as soon as possible (let me know asap)
aka - also known as (Michael Jackson aka the King of Pop)