Texting Abbreviations for Grandparents (Printable)

The texting abbreviations seniors most need are the dozen or so that grandchildren send every day: LOL ("laughing out loud," not "lots of love"), WYD ("what are you doing?"), HYD ("how are you doing?"), LMK ("let me know"), NGL ("not gonna lie"), FR ("for real"), TBH ("to be honest") and ILY ("I love you"). Below you will find each one in plain words with a reply you can copy, the look-alikes that cause the classic mix-ups, a short list of slang words that are not abbreviations at all, and a cheat sheet sized to print and keep by the phone.

Most grandparents are already texting. Pew Research Center's 2026 survey found that 79% of Americans aged 65 and older own a smartphone. The gap is not the phone. It is the shorthand, and the fact that a younger reader can hear a mood in a text that the sender never meant.

Start with these 12

If you learn nothing else, learn this table. It covers most of what a grandchild will send in a normal week. Capital letters do not matter: "lol" and "LOL" are the same, and younger people usually type in lowercase.

Two of these are questions in disguise. WYD and HYD both expect an answer, even a short one. Most of the others, like LOL and FR, are reactions and need no reply at all.

The next layer: what teens and twenty-somethings add

Once the first 12 feel familiar, these are the ones that turn up next in a grandchild's messages.

Greetings and check-ins

• WSG: "what's good?" A casual hello, the same as "what's up?" Reply with a quick update.
• WSP: "what's up?" Same idea.
• HBU or WBU: "how about you?" or "what about you?" They are asking you the question back.
• WYA: "where (are) you at?" They want to know where you are, often because they are on the way.
• NM: "not much," the usual answer to "what's up?"
• FT: FaceTime, the video-call app on iPhones. "Can we ft tonight?" is an invitation to a video call.

Honesty and emphasis

• ONG: "on God," meaning "I swear it's true."
• ISTG: "I swear to God." Used when someone is shocked, insisting, or fed up.
• IYKYK: "if you know, you know." It marks an inside joke. If you don't know, that is the point; asking is fine.
• ATP: "at this point," often a little worn out ("atp I'm just going to bed").

Plans and requests

• HMU: "hit me up," meaning get in touch. "Hmu when you're free" asks you to call or text.
• OMW: "on my way."
• GTG or G2G: "got to go."
• WYM: "what (do) you mean?" They did not follow your last message. Explain it a different way.
• NVM: "never mind." They answered their own question.

Feelings

• SMH: "shaking my head." Mild disappointment or disbelief, often at themselves or at the news.
• ILYSM: "I love you so much." The bigger version of ILY.
• TY or TYSM: "thank you" or "thank you so much."
• JK: "just kidding." The message before it was a joke.

For a fuller A-to-Z of more than 100 codes, see our main texting abbreviations list.

Look-alikes that cause mix-ups

Some abbreviations mean something different in a text from what they meant for most of your life. These are the usual troublemakers.

The LOL mix-up is the famous one, and it has history on its side. When the Oxford English Dictionary added LOL in March 2011, it noted that the letters had an earlier life starting in 1960 meaning "little old lady," according to PCWorld's report on the update. Dictionary.com dates the "laughing out loud" sense to the late 1980s. So LOL has never meant "lots of love" in a dictionary, but it is easy to see why someone might sign off a condolence note with it and mean well. If you want to send love, spell it out or use ILY.

OMG, for the record, is older than any phone. Guinness World Records cites a letter from Admiral John Fisher to Winston Churchill dated 9 September 1917 that uses "O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)" as the first known instance in print.

Slang words that aren't abbreviations

A lot of what puzzles grandparents is not letters at all. It is ordinary words used in new ways. These are the ones most likely to come up at a family dinner or in a birthday thank-you text.

If a grandchild calls you "unc," they are teasing, usually fondly. If a younger child says "6-7" and laughs, there is nothing to decode. Our Gen Alpha slang guide covers the words that children under about 14 are using.

How your texts read to a grandchild

Most misunderstandings between generations are not about vocabulary. They are about tone. Younger texters read small signals, and older texters often don't send them, so a perfectly warm message can land as cold.

The full stop

A 2015 study led by psychologist Celia Klin at Binghamton University gave 126 undergraduates short exchanges ending in one-word replies. Replies that ended with a period were judged less sincere than the same replies with no punctuation. The researchers suggested that in texting, punctuation carries some of the emotion that voice and facial expression would carry in person. "Sure." can sound clipped. "Sure" sounds easy.

The lone "k"

In a 2023 HuffPost article on texting grandchildren, therapists described how a short "k" can make a younger reader think the sender is upset or does not want to talk, and how a message without an exclamation point or emoji can read as curt. The same article gave the example of a grandmother whose short "K" came from poor eyesight, not irritation. Neither side is wrong. The habits are just different.

The thumbs-up

In 2022, coverage of a survey of 2,000 young people by Perspectus Global reported that respondents ranked the thumbs-up 👍 as the emoji most likely to make the sender look "officially old," ahead of the red heart. Some younger people read a lone thumbs-up as dismissive. Many others use it themselves. Treat it as a matter of taste, not a rule.

Emoji that don't mean what they look like

• 💀 (skull): "I'm dead," meaning "that's so funny." Emojipedia lists dying from laughter as one of its common uses. It is not about death.
• 😭 (loudly crying face): usually overwhelming emotion, very often laughter. "This video 😭😭" means it is hilarious.
• ❤️ (red heart): still means love. You can keep sending it.

Our emoji meanings guide goes through the rest.

"Liked" and "Loved" messages

If a text arrives reading something like Loved "see you Sunday", it is not a new message. Someone on an iPhone tapped a heart on your earlier text. Engadget reported in 2022 that Google's Messages app on Android began showing these reactions as emoji instead of text, so you will see them less often now, but they still turn up on some phones. No reply is needed.

Easy fixes, if you want them

• Leave the period off short replies. To a younger reader, "sounds good" with no period reads warmer than the same words with one.
• Add one friendly signal: an exclamation mark, "haha," or a heart.
• Write "Love you" in full when it matters. It never reads as cold.
• Say it plainly when your eyes or thumbs are tired: "Short replies today, my eyes are tired. Love you." Then nobody guesses.

Reply scripts you can copy

These cover the messages grandparents ask about most. Copy them as they are or change a word or two.

They text: "wyd"

• "Just finished lunch. What are you up to?"
• "Watching my show. Want to call later?"

They text: "hyd" or "how r u"

• "Doing well, thanks for asking. How about you? How was the test?"
• "A bit tired, but good. Tell me something good from your week."

They text: "lmk when you land"

• "Will do." Then, after landing: "Landed safe."

They text: "ily" or "ilysm"

• "I love you too. So proud of you."
• "Love you more."

They text: "ngl your cookies were bussin"

• "Thank you, I'll make another batch."
• "So that's a yes to cookies at Christmas?"

They text: "hmu this weekend"

• "I'm free Saturday afternoon. Call me then?"

They text something you don't understand

• "I'm learning the lingo. What does ___ mean?"
• "Translate for your grandma please :)"

Asking is usually the best move. You can also type a phrase into our Gen Z translator first if you would rather not ask.

You want to send news without causing alarm

• Start with the reason, then the details: "All fine, just an update: the doctor moved my appointment to Thursday."

Lead with "All fine" when it is. A grandchild who sees "Call me" with nothing else will often assume the worst.

Abbreviations you can use yourself

You do not have to use any shorthand. Full sentences are always understood. If you want a few that every grandchild will read correctly, these are safe:

• TY (thank you) and NP (no problem)
• LMK (let me know): "Lmk if you need a ride"
• OMW (on my way)
• ILY (I love you)
• HBD (happy birthday), though for a birthday, the full words feel warmer
• XOXO (hugs and kisses). Younger people will understand it, though it reads a little old-fashioned now
• GN and GM (good night, good morning)

Skip the ones that hide a swear word, such as ASL after a word, and anything you are not sure of. If a grandchild uses an abbreviation you have never seen, it is fine to answer in plain English.

About the "senior texting codes" joke list

If you search for texting abbreviations for seniors, you will run into a list of joke codes: BTW for "bring the wheelchair," BYOT for "bring your own teeth," CBM for "covered by Medicare," and a couple of dozen more. It has circulated by forwarded email and on forums since at least early 2011; Senior Correspondent ran a version in May of that year, and nobody has a confirmed author.

It is a good laugh, but none of those codes are real. Your grandchildren will read BTW as "by the way" and TTYL as "talk to you later." If you want to share the joke list with them, say it is a joke first.

Make texting easier on your eyes and hands

• Bigger letters on an iPhone: Apple's instructions are Settings, then Display & Brightness, then Text Size, and move the slider. For even larger text, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, then Larger Text.
• Bigger letters on Android: open Settings and look under Display for "Font size." The exact menu names differ by phone maker.
• Talk instead of typing: on most phones the keyboard has a microphone key. Tap it and speak your message, then check it before you send.
• Use a tapback: on iPhones you can press and hold a message to add a heart or a "ha ha." It is a quick way to say "I saw this" without typing.
• Ask for a call: "Can I call you instead?" is a fine reply to a confusing text. Most grandchildren will say yes.

Printable cheat sheet

Print this section and keep it by the phone or on the fridge. Capitals do not matter.

Questions that need an answer

• WYD = What are you doing?
• HYD = How are you doing?
• WSG / WSP = What's up? (a hello)
• HBU / WBU = How about you?
• WYA = Where are you?
• WYM = What do you mean?
• FT? = Can we video call?

Reactions (no reply needed)

• LOL = That's funny (NOT lots of love)
• OMG = Oh my God
• SMH = Shaking my head
• FR = For real / I agree
• NGL / TBH = Honestly...
• JK = Just kidding
• 💀 or 😭 = That's hilarious

Plans

• LMK = Let me know
• HMU = Get in touch
• OMW = On my way
• BRB = Be right back
• GTG = Got to go
• TTYL = Talk to you later

Love and thanks

• ILY = I love you
• ILYSM = I love you so much
• TY = Thank you
• NP = No problem

Look-alikes

• BC = because
• RN = right now
• GG = good game
• DM = private message

Words, not letters

• Bet = OK
• Slay = did great
• Bussin = delicious
• No cap = no lie
• Unc = teasing name for someone "old"

Want to see how much you already know? Try the slang age quiz. Parents and grandparents who look after a child's phone should also read teen text codes parents should know, which covers the few codes that are safety warnings rather than slang.

Key takeaways

• LOL means "laughing out loud." To send love, write "love you" or ILY.
• WYD and HYD are questions and expect an answer. LOL, FR and SMH are reactions and don't.
• Look-alikes cause most mix-ups: BC is "because," RN is "right now," GG is "good game."
• Tone matters to younger readers. A period on a one-word reply or a lone "k" can sound cooler than you mean.
• The "senior texting codes" list (bring the wheelchair, bring your own teeth) is a joke, not real usage.
• When in doubt, ask. Plain English is always understood.

FAQ

Does LOL mean "lots of love"?

No. In texting it means "laughing out loud," and in practice it often just makes a message sound friendly. The "lots of love" reading is a common mistake, and it can go wrong at sad moments, such as "So sorry to hear about your dog, LOL." Use "love you," "lots of love" in full, or ILY.

Why does my grandchild send a skull emoji?

The skull 💀 means "I'm dead," as in "I laughed so hard." It is one of the most common ways younger people say something is very funny. The loudly crying face 😭 is used the same way.

Is my grandchild upset if they reply "k"?

Usually not. Many people send "k" when they are busy or typing one-handed. If it follows something important, a gentle "All OK?" settles it. Keep in mind that younger people may read your short replies the same way.

Should grandparents use texting abbreviations?

Only if you want to. Full sentences are always clear. A few safe ones, such as TY, LMK, OMW and ILY, will be understood by anyone. Avoid codes you are unsure of, especially ones that might hide a swear word.

Why did my grandson call me "unc"?

"Unc" is short for "uncle," and in current slang it is a playful tease for someone who seems a step behind the trends, whatever their age. It is affectionate in most families. The word comes from African American Vernacular English, where it has long been a respectful name for an older man.

Where can I look up a new abbreviation?

Our texting abbreviations list covers more than 100 codes from A to Z, each with a reply. For whole phrases, paste them into the Gen Z translator.