Snapchat launched in 2011, allowing people to send pictures to one another and seeing more than a billion sent by the November of 2012. It soon developed to allow videos to be sent, with as many as six billion such videos being sent a day by the end of 2015. Over the years that followed, Snapchat grew and developed to become a social media platform with ‘Snaps’ as the main method of communicating, but the use of text also possible. With text comes slang, especially when users are trying to express themselves in the quickest and most succinct way possible, but if you don’t know what the slang stands for then you’ll struggle to understand your messages.
Looking out for Acronyms
The majority of slang terms used on Snapchat are expressed as acronyms, meaning that you have to work out what each of the letters stands for and react accordingly. Some of them will be acronyms that are used on other social media platforms, whilst others will be unique to Snapchat and therefore present their own difficulties if you’re not all that familiar with it as a social media site.
SU – Swipe Up
When people send Snaps, they will sometimes include a link that you need to click on. SU stands for ‘Swipe Up’ and is encouraging you to ensure that you’ve seen the full story or to send them a Direct Message in reply to what they’ve sent you.
TTM – Talk To Me
When a Snapchat user writes TTM, it means ‘Talk To Me’ and is a signal that they are keen to engage in conversation. Sometimes this will be sent in a Direct Message, such as when people are discussing something with a friend and feel as though the other person needs some encouragement to talk about a particular topic, whilst other times it will be used in a Snapchat Story. In that instance, it is a suggestion to those watching that they should get involved in the conversation, which drives up engagement.
LMR – Like My Recent
As with all social media platforms, Snapchat is one that thrives on engagement. As a result, people will often refer to other posts that they’ve sent in order to keep the engagement of them live. If someone types ‘LMR’ it means ‘Like My Recent’ and is a reference to a recent post that they’ve sent. It is not uncommon for them to include a screenshot of said ‘recent’ post, encouraging you to go and look at it and engage with it.
ESB – Everyone Snap Back
Continuing the trend of getting people to engage with social media posts, ESB means ‘Everyone Snap Back’ and is an encouragement to reply to the post with your own picture or video. It can be used in group posts as well as individual ones, although when it occurs in the latter it is usually because someone has sent the same Snap to a large group of people individually.
PU – Pop Up
Anyone who has used the internet for a while will know what a pop-up is, with the annoying adverts that you get on countless sites enough to drive you away from use the web. On Snapchat, however, it means something different, with someone saying PU meaning that they want you to ‘Pop Up’, or send them a message or start a conversation. This is most often used in stories.
NRS/NR – No Replies
As something of a converse to PU, NRS stands for ‘No Replies’ and means that the poster is unlikely to be responding to messages for a while. This might be because they have no access to the internet, or it might be because they just need some time away and don’t want to hear from anyone. It can also be abbreviated as ‘NR’, but the meaning is the same.
SR – Slow Replies
As an alternative to NRS, SR means ‘Slow Replies’ and is a way of letting people know that they might not be able to get back to you quickly for one reason or another. Perhaps they are at work and therefore don’t have access to their phone, or maybe they are in an area with poor internet reception and know that their ability to reply will be intermittent. Whatever the reason, they’re not going to get back to you as quickly as you might expect.
WYLL – What You Look Like
WYLL is an acronym that isn’t exclusive to Snapchat, standing for ‘What You Look Like’. It is typically sent between people that don’t know each other in real life and is a way of asking for an imagine of their real selves, as opposed to hiding behind a filter or any sort of character.
ISTG – I Swear To God
When people are trying to make a point, whether it be exasperation or simply a declaration that they’re telling the truth, they might add ISTG to their post. It stands for ‘I Swear To God’ and is their way of emphasising a point. They might say ‘ISTG I can’t take her anywhere’, for example, before posting a video of their girlfriend, sister or female friend doing something ridiculous in a public setting.
SMH – Shake My Head
Another slang term that is common on numerous social media platforms, SMH stands for either ‘Shake My Head’ or ‘Shaking My Head’ depending on the context. It is a sense that the person is disappointed, either in themselves, someone else or in response to a Snap that they’ve seen.
SFS – Snap For Snap
When someone says SFS in one of their Snaps, they are typically saying that they are looking for some co-promotion. It means ‘Snap For Snap’, although can also means ‘Shoutout For Shoutout’, with the two things essentially being interchangeable. It is a way of saying that they will scratch your back if you scratch theirs, so you promote their content and they will promote some content by you, which is mutually beneficial.
MB – My Bad
Users on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook might not be used to other users admitting culpability, but on Snapchat that happens courtesy of the acronym MB. It stands for ‘My Bad’ and is a way of admitting that they’ve made an error. Typically used to make the situation lighter, it is the other person holding up their hands and saying that the mistake is on them.
OTP – On The Phone
If someone on Snapchat declares that they are OTP, it means that they are ‘On The Phone’ and is typically seen in Direct Messages. It is a way of saying that the person typing it is busy, letting you know that they are on their phone rather than just being rude. It might also be a way of someone stopping you from calling them by saying that they’re already engaged in a phone call.
IGH – Alright
The first of our terms that looks like an acronym but actually isn’t, IGH is an abbreviation of ‘Alright’. It is used across casual conversations in order to either let people know that the sender is in agreement with someone or to acknowledge that they understand what’s been said.
AMOS – Add Me On Snapchat
Standing for ‘Add Me On Snapchat’, this abbreviation will often be seen away from Snapchat, given that most people communicating via Snapchat will often have added each other already. That isn’t always the case, though, so it’s worth adding it here.
ASL – Age, Sex, Location
ASL has been around on social media platforms since before Snapchat even existed, asking you to give someone personal information about yourself in the form of your ‘Age, Sex and Location’. It is highly recommended not to do so unless you are certain the person you’re communicating with is who they say that they are and you trust them.
FFF – Follow For Follow
Follower counts matter on pretty much all social media platforms and Snapchat is no different. FFF stands for ‘Follow For Follow’ and is saying to someone that you’ll follow them back if they follow you.
HMU – Hit Me Up
In its simplest form, HMU means ‘Hit Me Up’ and is just a way of saying that you should get in touch with the sender at some point. They might be more specific, saying something like ‘HMU Tomorrow’, meaning that you should get in touch with them the following day.
HRU – How Are You
Arguably the easiest of the acronyms to understand, HRU means ‘How Are You’ and is usually just asking how you’re doing. It isn’t exclusive to Snapchat by any means.
ION – In Other News
ION is often used as a way of changing the conversation, moving whatever is being discussed onto something else by saying ‘In Other News’. For example, a sender could say, “ION, we got a puppy!” It is typically seen in Direct Messages but can be used in stories.
LMS – Like My Status
Whilst LMS could mean either ‘Last Man Standing’ or ‘Let Me See’, it tends to use ‘Like My Status’ on Snapchat and is a way of trying to drive engagement.
MK – Mmm Ok
MK is one of those acronyms that can be used in different ways depending on the circumstance. When you say it as a word it sounds like ‘Mmm Kay’, which means OK. It can be used as an agreement, but it can also express a feeling of doubt or scepticism.
SBS – Snap Back for Streak
One of the ways in which Snapchat drives engagement is by encouraging users to have Snap Streaks, whereby they have been regularly sending messages back forth. SBS means ‘Snap Back for Streak’, encouraging the other person to continue the Snap Streak or to get one started.
SMO – Serious Mode On
SMO is an acronym that could have two meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Generally speaking, it stands for ‘Serious Mode On’ and is a way of turning the conversation from one that is jokey and fun to one that allows the people in the conversation to deal with a serious topic. It could also mean ‘Shout Me Out’, but you’ll know which one the user is going for based on the context of your conversation.
WTM – What’s The Move
You might receive a Snap from someone saying ‘WTM tonight?’, which would mean ‘What’s The Move’ tonight, as in what are your plans.
SNR – Streaks & Recents
SNR trends to refer to the sender’s ‘Streaks & Recents’, which is a list of the people that they have been communicating with most recently on Snapchat and have the best Streaks with.
KLM – Calm
As with MK, KLM isn’t an acronym so much as a term that means something when you say it. It stands for ‘calm’ and is saying that everything is ok.
DP – Display Picture
It isn’t uncommon for a Snapchat user to say something like ‘Love your DP’, meaning Display Picture.
IDEK – I Don’t Even Know
IDEK is an acronym standing for ‘I Don’t Even Know’ and means that the other person is either expressing ignorance or confusion about a situation.
SCB – Snapchat Bestie
When someone declares that another user is their SCB, it means that they are their Snapchat Bestie, or their favourite other user on the app.
OTP – One True Pairing
Another acronym that is used on social media sites other than just Snapchat, OTP stands for ‘One True Pairing’ and is often used to describe celebrities or fictional characters. In discussing Game of Thrones, for example, someone could say ‘Man, Daenerys and Drogo are my OTP’, expressing that they think the characters truly belong together.