Gen Z is revolutionizing digital communication, leaving many of us puzzled and turning to the internet to decode their abbreviations.
Inspired by this, business admin experts Vera set out to identify the abbreviations that confuse Americans the most. They extracted US search volume data from online analytics tool Ahrefs for 114 different abbreviations, with variations including ‘X meaning’, ”What does XX mean’, ‘XX definition’.
SMH (shake my head) tops the list of the most searched-for text abbreviations, with 231,450 average US monthly searches.
In second position is POV (point of view) in second position with 155,800 average US monthly searches.
All the abbreviations in the data have amassed more than 3 million average US monthly searches.
Top 20 Most Googled Text Abbreviations in the US
Rank
Text Abbreviation
Average US Monthly Search Volumes
1
SMH (Shake my head)
231,450
2
POV (Point of view)
155,800
3
NSFW (Not safe for work)
126,800
4
FOMO (Fear of missing out)
121,600
5
TLDR (Too long; didn’t read)
118,600
6
IYKYK (If you know you know)
98,500
7
OFC (Of course)
96,300
8
IMO (In my opinion)
75,100
9
IIRC (If I recall correctly)
65,900
10
HMU (Hit me up)
64,300
11
LMAO (Laughing my ass off)
63,700
12
AFK (Away from keyboard)
59,250
13
NGL (Not gonna lie)
59,100
14
OOTD (Outfit of the day)
55,800
15
IG (I guess)
53,500
16
TBH (To be honest)
51,350
17
TTYL (Talk to you later)
51,150
18
DM (Direct message)
46,800
19
YOLO (You only live once)
46,800
20
FWIW (For what it’s worth)
44,400
SMH (shake my head) secured the top spot with a 231,450 average U.S. monthly searches asking for its meaning. It was added to the Urban Dictionary back in 2004, defining it as a response to situations one finds ridiculous or stupid, which has garnered over 25,000 upvotes since then.
The second most confusing abbreviation is POV (point of view) with 155,800 average US monthly searches. POV has become a popular tag in digital content, where creators craft videos that immerse viewers in various scenarios, from everyday moments to imaginative scenes. Its dual role as both a technical term in traditional media and a trendy format in social media has made it one of the most searched-for abbreviations in the US.
In third place is NSFW with 126,800 average US monthly searches. NSFW stands for ‘Not Safe For Work,’ indicating that a post may contain content that is inappropriate to view during work hours or on a work computer.
With the rise of short-form content on platforms like TikTok, attention spans are shorter than ever, making it no surprise that TLDR (too long; didn’t read) ranks 5th with 118,600 average US monthly searches. Despite reports that YOLO is now considered old-fashioned, it still ranks 19th with 46,800 average US monthly searches, indicating that it retains intrigue for some.
Check out more information about the study here: https://www.hirevera.com/
