These Are the Most Uniquely Popular Texting Acronyms in Every State
Updated: Jul. 27, 2023
From LOL to OMG, these are the texting acronyms Americans can't get enough of.
TBH, the list of texting abbreviations is endless. I mean, seriously, in an ever-changing world of the internet and social media, who can keep up with the infinitely growing list of texting acronyms?
There may be a way to keep track of the most common abbreviations you need to know. In fact, look no further than your home state. Depending on where you live, some texting acronyms are much more commonly used than others.
A study from the app WordTips analyzed more than 18 million tweets to find which texting acronyms are most commonly used in every U.S. state. And we’re about to break the findings down for you ASAP.
How were the most popular texting abbreviations determined?
To determine the most popular texting acronyms in each state, WordTips took to Twitter to do some digging. First, over 18 million geotagged tweets from every state and 50 of the largest U.S. cities were analyzed. From there, the average number of tweets (for every 100,000) that used common texting acronyms was determined. Finally, an analysis of the usage rate of those acronyms in each state in contrast to their use on a national average was conducted.
What are the top texting abbreviations in each state?
As the map shows, there are a number of acronyms most popularly adopted from coast to coast. The most common acronym in the nation, however? That title goes to everyone’s favorite laughable acronym—LOL. The acronym for “laugh out loud” is certainly beloved by Americans, with 1,411 uses per every 100,000 tweets.
TBH was used most frequently as the top acronym in multiple states. The acronym, which stands for “to be honest,” was the most popular in seven states—Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.
And while acronyms like “w/” (with), “idc” (I don’t care) and “ppl” (people) were used more often on the East Coast, “TBH,” “LOL” and “thx” (thanks) were more commonly used on the West Coast. The South has a wide variety of acronym usage, from “otw” (on the way) to “dm,” (direct message) “ppl,” “idc” and “bf” (boyfriend).
What are more of the study’s key findings?
Some other findings of this WordTips study include statistics like which state’s texting acronyms are used the most. In this category, Georgia swept the competition, with almost 6,000 acronyms used in every 100,000 tweets. In contrast, Idaho residents opted to use the least amount of acronyms out of all 50 states. The Gem State uses just 2,125 acronyms for every 100,000 tweets.
Additionally, Americans tend to love the acronyms “bc” (because), “idk” (I don’t know), “omg” (oh my God) and “ppl.” Those four follow LOL for the top five most common acronyms used in America. As for U.S. cities, WordTips finds that the abbreviations for LOL (the most popular in eight cities) and ppl (the most popular in six cities) were commonly used from coast to coast.
And if you need a refresh on some of the text abbreviations you should know and how to use them, we have you covered.
Sources:
- WordTips: “The Most Popular Textspeak Abbreviations in America”
