84 words, emoji and terms

Texting Dictionary: Slang, Emoji and Dating Terms Explained

What does a text really mean? Our texting dictionary explains slang, emoji and dating terms in plain words, and what they mean from a guy or a girl.

Texting slang

BetBet meaningBet means "okay", "deal" or "for sure". People send it to agree to a plan or to say "I'm in" in one quick word.FRFR meaningFR means "for real". People use it to agree strongly, to show they are serious, or to ask "are you serious?".GNGN meaningGN means "good night". People send it to end a chat before sleep, sometimes with a heart or a sweet word.HeyyHeyy meaningHeyy is "hey" with extra letters. The more y's, the warmer and more playful it usually feels, and it is often a little flirty.HmmHmm meaningHmm is the sound of thinking. In a text it can mean "let me think", doubt, a playful tease, or a dry reply with nothing to say.HMUHMU meaningHMU means "hit me up". It is a casual way to say "text me", "call me" or "let me know when you are free".HRUHRU meaningHRU means "how are you?". It is a quick, polite way to check in on someone and start a conversation over text.IDCIDC meaningIDC means "I don't care". It can mean "I'm easy, you choose" or, in a cold tone, that someone is not interested.IDKIDK meaningIDK means "I don't know". It can be a real answer, a shy way to avoid a question, or a low-effort reply.ILYILY meaningILY means "I love you". It is a short, casual way to say it in a text, used with partners, family and close friends.ILYSMILYSM meaningILYSM means "I love you so much". It is a stronger, more emotional version of ILY, used with partners and close friends.IMYIMY meaningIMY means "I miss you". It tells someone you have been thinking about them and want them around.ISTGISTG meaningISTG means "I swear to God". People use it to promise something is true, or to show they are annoyed, shocked or very serious.IYKYKIYKYK meaningIYKYK means "if you know, you know". It points to an inside joke or a shared memory that only some people will understand.KK meaningK means "okay". Sent alone, the one-letter "k" often sounds cold, annoyed or uninterested, even when the sender did not mean it that way.LMKLMK meaningLMK means "let me know". People use it to ask for an answer, an update or a decision, now or later.LowkeyLowkey meaningLowkey means "a little", "kind of" or "secretly". People add it to admit something softly, like "I lowkey miss you".MBMB meaningMB means "my bad". It is a quick, casual way to say "sorry, my mistake", usually for something small.NGLNGL meaningNGL means "not gonna lie". People add it before an honest opinion, a compliment or a small confession.NVMNVM meaningNVM means "never mind". It can mean "forget it, I solved it" or, with a cold tone, "forget it, you don't care".OFCOFC meaningOFC means "of course". It is a quick, happy yes, and it can also sound sarcastic when the tone is cold.OMWOMW meaningOMW means "on my way". People send it to say they are coming to meet you, or are about to leave.ONGONG meaningONG means "on God". People use it to swear something is true or to agree very strongly, like saying "I swear".PookiePookie meaningPookie is a cute, silly nickname for someone you love, like "babe" or "cutie". People use it for partners, crushes, best friends and pets.RNRN meaningRN means "right now". People use it to say what they are doing or feeling at this moment, like "busy rn" or "so tired rn".SMHSMH meaningSMH means "shaking my head". People use it to show disappointment, disbelief or fake shock, often in a playful way.SupSup meaningSup means "what's up?". It is a very casual hello that asks how you are or what you are doing.TBHTBH meaningTBH means "to be honest". People use it before an honest opinion, a compliment or something a little hard to say.TTYLTTYL meaningTTYL means "talk to you later". It is a quick, friendly way to end a conversation for now.U UpU Up meaningU up means "are you awake?". Sent late at night, it is usually a booty call, a sign they want to hook up tonight, not plan a date.WBUWBU meaningWBU means "what about you?" and HBU means "how about you?". Both send the question back so the other person can share too.WDYMWDYM meaningWDYM means "what do you mean?". People send it when they are confused, surprised, or a little defensive about what you said.WSGWSG meaningWSG means "what's good?". It is a relaxed way to say "hey, what's up?" and start a conversation. WSP ("what's up") works the same way.WYAWYA meaningWYA means "where you at?" or "where are you?". People use it to ask where you are, often because they want to meet up.WYDWYD meaningWYD means "what (are) you doing?". It is a casual way to start a chat or check in on someone without needing a reason.XOXOXOXO meaningXOXO means "hugs and kisses". X is a kiss and O is a hug, and people use it to sign off a message with love.

Emoji meanings

🖤Black heart emojiThe black heart 🖤 means love with a darker or cooler style, dark humor, an all-black aesthetic, or sometimes sadness and grief.😊Blushing emojiThe blushing emoji 😊 is a happy face with smiling eyes and pink cheeks that means "I'm happy", "thank you" or "you made me shy".🙄Eye roll emojiThe eye roll emoji 🙄 means "ugh", "whatever" or "you're so annoying (but I like you)". It can be real annoyance or playful teasing.👀Eyes emojiThe eyes emoji 👀 means "I'm looking", so it can mean curious, "tell me more", "I saw that" or checking someone out.🔥Fire emojiThe fire emoji 🔥 means "hot", "amazing" or "lit", and it is also the streak symbol on apps like Snapchat.😳Flushed emojiThe flushed emoji 😳 is a red-cheeked face with wide eyes that means "I'm embarrassed", "I'm shocked" or "you made me blush".🤭Hand over mouth emojiThe hand over mouth emoji 🤭 is a giggling face that means "hehe", "oops, I said that" or a shy, cheeky tease.😍Heart eyes emojiThe heart eyes emoji 😍 means "I love this", "wow, you look amazing" or "I'm obsessed". It shows big, excited love or admiration.🫶Heart hands emojiThe heart hands emoji 🫶 shows two hands making a heart and means "love this", "thank you" or "I care about you".😘Kissing face emojiThe kissing face emoji 😘 is a face blowing a kiss with a little heart, used to say "love you", "kisses, bye" or to flirt.😭Loudly crying emojiThe loudly crying emoji 😭 can mean real sadness, but in texts it usually means laughing hard, "this is so cute" or being dramatic.🫠Melting face emojiThe melting face 🫠 means "I'm embarrassed", "I'm overwhelmed" or "I'm melting because that was so sweet". It is a quiet kind of falling apart.🫣Peeking emojiThe peeking emoji 🫣 is a face looking through its fingers that means "I'm shy", "I'm nervous" or "I can't look, but I want to".🥺Pleading face emojiThe pleading face 🥺 shows big puppy-dog eyes and means "please", "aww, that's so cute" or "I feel soft and a little shy".❤️Red heart emojiThe red heart ❤️ is the classic love emoji and means love, deep care or "I really like this", from romance to friendship.😌Relieved face emojiThe relieved face 😌 means calm, peaceful or content, and in chats it often means a proud, slightly smug "yes, I know".💀Skull emojiThe skull emoji 💀 usually means "I'm dead" from laughing so hard, or dying of embarrassment, not real death.🙂Slightly smiling face emojiThe slightly smiling face 🙂 is a small, calm smile that can mean "that's nice" or a fake, annoyed "I'm fine".😈Smiling devil emojiThe smiling devil 😈 means "I'm up to something". People use it for mischief, playful teasing, or flirting with a cheeky, spicy edge.🥰Smiling face with hearts emojiThe smiling face with hearts 🥰 means love, adoration or feeling warm and happy because of someone.😏Smirk emojiThe smirk emoji 😏 is a sly half-smile that means "I'm flirting", "I'm teasing you" or "I know something you don't".💕Two hearts emojiThe two hearts emoji 💕 means love and affection in a soft, cute way. People send it to partners, crushes and close friends.🙃Upside-down face emojiThe upside-down face 🙃 means sarcasm, silliness, awkwardness or "everything is fine" when it is clearly not.🤍White heart emojiThe white heart 🤍 means soft, calm love, support or friendship, and it is also popular as a clean, minimal aesthetic.😉Wink emojiThe wink emoji 😉 means "just kidding", "you know what I mean" or a light, flirty hint.🥴Woozy face emojiThe woozy face 🥴 means "I'm dizzy", "I'm tipsy", "this is weird" or "you make me feel a bit silly". It shows a messy, wobbly mood.

Dating terms

Beige FlagBeige Flag meaningA beige flag is a harmless but odd habit in someone you date: not good, not bad, just a little strange.BenchingBenching meaningBenching is when someone keeps you as a backup option, texting just enough to keep you around while they focus on someone else.BreadcrumbingBreadcrumbing meaningBreadcrumbing is when someone sends you small, flirty messages to keep you interested, but never makes real plans or commits.CatfishingCatfishing meaningCatfishing is when someone uses a fake identity online, with fake photos or a made-up life story, to start a relationship with you.Cuffing SeasonCuffing Season meaningCuffing season is the cold part of the year when single people look for a partner to stay in with, often only until spring.CushioningCushioning meaningCushioning is when someone in a relationship keeps flirting with other people as backups, so they have a soft landing if things end.DeluluDelulu meaningDelulu is short for delusional and means believing something unrealistic, usually about a crush, in a fun and self-aware way.DTRDTR meaningDTR stands for "define the relationship", the talk where two people decide what they are to each other.GaslightingGaslighting meaningGaslighting is when someone makes you doubt your own memory, feelings or reality, again and again, so they can stay in control.Green FlagGreen Flag meaningA green flag is a sign that someone is kind, honest and healthy to date, the opposite of a red flag.HardballingHardballing meaningHardballing is being fully upfront about what you want from dating, like marriage, kids or just something casual, right from the start.KittenfishingKittenfishing meaningKittenfishing is when someone shows a too-flattering version of themselves on a dating profile, with old photos, heavy filters or small lies.Micro-CheatingMicro-Cheating meaningMicro-cheating is small, secret actions that cross an emotional line with someone outside the relationship, without being full cheating.OrbitingOrbiting meaningOrbiting is when someone stops talking to you but keeps watching your stories, liking your posts and staying close online.PocketingPocketing meaningPocketing is when someone you are dating keeps you hidden from their friends, family and social media, as if you live in their pocket.RizzRizz meaningRizz means charm or flirting skill, especially the ability to attract someone with the way you talk or text.RoachingRoaching meaningRoaching is when someone hides that they are dating lots of other people, then says you were never exclusive when you find out.Slow FadeSlow Fade meaningThe slow fade is when someone ends things by slowly texting less and less, instead of saying it is over.Soft LaunchSoft Launch meaningA soft launch is hinting at a new relationship online, like posting a hand or a second coffee, without showing the person's face or name.StashingStashing meaningStashing is when someone you are dating hides you from their friends, family and social media, so almost nobody knows you exist.The IckThe Ick meaningThe ick is a sudden feeling of cringe or turn-off toward someone you liked, often caused by one small thing they did or said.ZombieingZombieing meaningZombieing is when someone who ghosted you comes back from the dead and texts you again, often as if nothing happened.

Short answer: Most texting slang has a simple meaning, but what a message really means depends on who sent it, when they sent it and how they usually text. Use this texting dictionary to look up slang like WYD or NGL, emoji like 🥺 or 💀, and dating terms like breadcrumbing. Then read the message in context, because the pattern says more than one word.

How to read a text

  1. Context. Look at what came right before. "k" after a long, sweet chat feels different from "k" after you said something risky.
  2. Timing. "wyd" at 2 p.m. is small talk. "wyd" at 1 a.m. often means something else. See WYD and u up.
  3. Their normal. Compare the message with how they usually text. A 🙂 from someone who never uses emoji is just a smile. From someone who sends ten hearts a day, it can feel cold. See the 🙂 meaning.
  4. One message vs the pattern. One dry reply is a bad day. A month of dry replies is a pattern.
  5. Who texts first. Interest shows in who starts conversations more than in any single word. Our guide on who texts first explains why.

Why the same word means different things

A word or emoji doesn't have one fixed meaning. It changes with:

  • Age. For a lot of younger people, 💀 means "I'm dying of laughter" and 🙂 can feel passive aggressive. For many older people, 🙂 is just friendly.
  • Personality. Some people text short with everyone. Others write paragraphs to their dentist.
  • Your relationship. "ily" from a best friend and "ily" from a crush are not the same message.
  • The person, more than the gender. People search for "emoji meaning from a guy" and "from a girl", and our entries cover both. But a guy who sends 😘 to everyone means less by it than a guy who never sends it.
  • Place and group. Slang moves fast and changes between countries and friend groups. A word that sounds flirty in one chat can be totally normal in another.

What's in the dictionary

  • Texting slang and abbreviations: WYD, HMU, NGL, FR, LMK, TTYL, IMY and more, with what they mean from a crush.
  • Emoji meanings: from 🥺 and 😏 to 💀 and 🫶, including what they mean when a guy or a girl sends them.
  • Dating terms: breadcrumbing, benching, orbiting, the ick, delulu and other words for modern dating.

If a word isn't in the dictionary yet, use the same checks: context, timing, their normal and the pattern over time.

One text is a clue. Your chat is the pattern.

The dictionary helps you decode one message. Your WhatsApp chat shows the whole story. The Cringe shows who texts first, average reply times, each person's top words and how many messages were deleted. The AI report adds an interest level for each person, so you can stop reading into every single emoji.

FAQ

What does it mean when a guy texts you first?

It usually means you're on his mind. One first text is nice, but texting first often, over weeks, is a much clearer sign of interest.

How do I know what a text really means?

Look at context, timing and how the person usually texts. One message can mean many things. The pattern over days and weeks tells you much more.

Do emoji mean different things from guys and girls?

Sometimes, but the person matters more than the gender. Compare the emoji with how they usually text you.

What are common texting abbreviations?

Common ones include WYD (what are you doing), HMU (hit me up), NGL (not gonna lie), FR (for real), LMK (let me know) and TTYL (talk to you later).