While some of the words you will see are “just for fun,” others are used daily to help people communicate effectively on the platform. Once you have spent a little time on the platform, you will have a strong idea of what you should typically use.
This post will go over several of the terms, slang, and lingo that is used on the Twitter platform.
List of Twitter Terms, Slang, and Lingo
While some of the following terms are used across several social media platforms, text messages, and more, others are specifically Twitter abbreviations or slang. We have combined a list of several terms that make up the Twitter dictionary so that you can understand what is happening on the platform from time to time.
You should always remember that trends, like anything, go in and out of style. Some of these terms are used more commonly than others, and many other terms will be added in the coming years.
We have organized them by their first letter or the character they start with.
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Twitter Terms Starting with Numbers or Characters
- @Mention – People use the @ symbol when they reply to other Twitter users or when they want to mention someone in their own tweet. To do this yourself, you will want to use the @ symbol immediately followed by the Twitter username you wish to mention. If you see a period (.) before the @ symbol, the tweeter ensures that all their followers will be able to see the tweet. Otherwise, it would only appear in people who follow both accounts’ feeds.
- ^ – This symbol is often used when clubs or organizations have people posting on their behalf. When multiple users use the same Twitter account, they will often use this symbol followed by their initials so that others will know who in the organization they are communicating with.
- # – Without a doubt, this symbol is the most commonly used symbol on Twitter (as well as many other social media sites). People use the pound symbol before a word or term in order to create a hashtag. People can then click on these tags or search for them to learn more about a term or phrase that Twitter is currently using.
- $ – Twitter users who follow multiple stock Twitter accounts will recognize that using the $ symbol followed by the ticker symbol will create clickable text for others to follow information about popular stocks. It works similarly to the hashtag (pound) symbol.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter A
- Ab or Abt – There are many shortened terms that you’ll see on Twitter due to the limited number of characters you can use on a tweet. Ab or Abt is short for the word “about.”
- Adventuritter – This term is used for globe-trotting Twitter users and those enthusiastically exploring new hobbies and ideas. The term is a hybrid of the words “Adventurer” and “Twitter.”
- AFAIK – This abbreviation stands for “As Far As I Know” and is used to allow people to save space when creating their tweets.
- Anti – You may have upset someone in your community if they type “Anti” on your original tweet or in a direct message. This term is typically used when people are against what someone else has said. Not only is it used on Twitter, but it is also used across social media platforms.
- ATM or ATP – Used on several platforms, “ATM” is short for “At The Moment” and states what is happening in the present tense when the person created the Tweet. ATP is short for “At The Present” and is used similarly.
- Attwaction – If two Twitter users seem to be flirting a lot or enjoying each other’s company, they may be Attwacted to each other. Attwaction is the Twitterized term for “attraction.”
- Attwicted – As you may have noticed, many words have been changed slightly to fit within the Twitterverse. If you find yourself glued to the platform, you may be attwicted (addicted).
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter B
- Beetweet – If you stumble on a highly-trending topic and tweet out a fantastic message, other Twitter users may beetweet it (retweet). The term is used for a trending tweet about a hot topic that is frequently retweeted.
- Bird of Mouth – Personally, this is my favorite Twitterism. It is the Twitter term for “Word of Mouth,” but could also be used to replace, “A little birth told me…”
- BFN – If you are signing out of the Twitter app for a while, you may use the acronym “BFN” which stands for “Bye, for now.”
- Bots – Bots is a term used for fake Twitter accounts or accounts that people deem to be “less than” what they would appreciate seeing on the social media platform.
- BR – This acronym stands for “Best Regards,” and is used in the same way the term is used.
- Bulltwit – Using “Bulltwit” on Twitter is the equivalent of saying “Bullsh*t” anywhere else. It is used when people don’t believe what someone else has said in a tweet or direct message on the platform.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter C
- Canceled – The term “Canceled” is often used to describe celebrities, notable figures, or social media personalities who have fallen out of public favor. Typically, they may receive less than kind tweets or even outright threats. They may also receive a boycott of their products or services.
- Celebrity Syndrome – Celebrity Syndrome or “Celebrity Worship Syndrome” is the term used when people become obsessed with particular celebrities or well-known businesses. People can follow and somewhat interact with celebrities and brands in ways they haven’t been able to do previously, and some go a little overboard.
- Co-Twitterer – Many couples share a single account. This would make each a co-Twitterer of the other. It is simply used for people who share a single handle.
- Crank Tweet – A crank Tweet is a prank that some people may play on another. If you receive tweets that don’t make a lot of sense, someone may be playing a trick on you! The term comes from “Crank Call.”
- Cuttweet – We all have a lot to say at one point or another, and with Twitter’s character limit, you may have to cut things back. Cuttweet is the term used when you have shortened what you or another user has said in a retweet. It can also be aggrieved as CT or called “partial retweet.”
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter D
- Daily Twitamin – Occasionally, you may find the perfect tweet that gives you valuable information you can carry with you throughout the day. This is your “daily twitamin.”
- Deets – Deets is slang for “details” and is typically used when someone is tweeting about a real-life event to their followers and wants to share every moment with them.
- Detweet – Twitter users don’t “delete a tweet.” They “detweet.”
- DM – DM stands for “Direct Message,” which is the term used for a private message sent specifically to a single Twitter user. Private messages are ways to communicate with others without letting the whole world know what you are saying.
- Drive Thru Tweet – If you post an image of Taco Bell while you are sitting in line, you will have posted a Drive Thru tweet.
- DrunkTwittering (and Dweet) – While we all know that it would be safer to not have your smartphone nearby when you’re drinking, we have all ignored the rules at one point or another. If you are drunk in real life and send out Tweets, you would be DrunkTwittering. In this instance, your tweets would also be called “Dweets.”
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter E
- Eavestweeting – If you are stalking someone else’s particular tweet and their conversation with another person, you would be “eavestweeeting.” It is the Twitterized term for “eavesdropping.”
- Egotwistical – As with many of the terms on this list, “Egotwistical” is exactly what you think it is. The Twitterized version of “Egotistical.” It is typically used when people show off too much of their ego on the platform.
- EM, EMA, EML – Occasionally, someone will post their email address. In this instance, they may use one of the acronyms, which are all short for “Email Address.”
- EmergaTweet – Amazingly enough, some Twitter users will turn to social media instead of contacting the authorities in a proper emergency. These people will post an EmergaTweet detailing what is happening, whether it be an accident or another catastrophe.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter F
- F4F – This term stands for “Follow for Follow,” which is a practice some Twitter users try to grow on the social network. This practice is discouraged, and many users look down on those who engage with the method.
- Fail Whale – Occasionally, Twitter will face technical difficulties. If you hop into a time machine and go back in time to after Twitter was created, but before mid-2013, you might be able to spot an image of a whale that is being carried by little orange birds when the platform crashes. This was known as the “Fail Whale.” The term was first used in 2007 and 2008 and remained the name of the graphic even after it was discontinued.
- Feed – Your feed is the list of all the tweets that people you follow have posted since the last time you have been on the app. You can find this on your Twitter homepage.
- #FF or Follow Friday – On “Follow Friday,” some users will recommend another Twitter username whose content they personally enjoy. They will use this term not only for networking but also to show appreciation to other people on the network. Occasionally, their followers will go follow the other accounts as well.
- Follower/Following – Following someone on Twitter means subscribing to their content. When you follow someone, you will have their tweets show up in your feed. People will also refer to “their following” as those who follow them.
- FOMO – FOMO is slang for “Fear Of Missing Out.” It is often used in crypto and NFT spaces in the Twittersphere and many other online sites.
- FTW – FTW is an acronym that stands for “For The Win.” It is often used in competitions or in gaming.
- Fub Free – Fub stands for “follow, unfollow, block.” Some people use this Twitter slang in their bios to let people know that they don’t mind if you unfollow or block them. They won’t cause drama or go after you.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter H
- HAND – People are not trying to show you what they type with. Instead, they are telling you to “Have A Nice Day!”
- Handle – Your Twitter handle is the username that is used when other Twitter users @ you. It is completely unique to your Twitter profile, and nobody else will be able to claim it.
- HT – This acronym is slang for “Hat tip,” with a not-so-subtle nod to past generations when it was considered a sign of general respect to tip (or remove) your hat. While it isn’t always common on Twitter, it is used on social media sites and the broader internet.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter I
- ICYMI – This is another one of the common phrases that you will find both on Twitter and off. It stands for “In Case You Missed It.”
- IDK – To save space and time, you can use this acronym to let someone else know that you don’t know. It stands for “I don’t know.”
- IFYKYK or IYKYK -While I considered not explaining this one because IYKYK, I also recognize my duty to explain the various lingo that has made it into the Twitter dictionary. This acronym is for “If You Know, You Know.”
- IJS – IJS is Twitter slang for “I’m just saying” and is used the same way the phrase is typically used.
- IMO or IMHO – These acronyms are short for “In My Opinion” and “In My Humble Opinion,” respectively. They are used for speed and to save space.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter K
- KK – KK is often used as “short” for “Okay” or… “K.” It is a term used when expressing that you understand what someone else has said or as an agreement to a term.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter L
- LFG – LFG stands for “Let’s F*cking Go!” or “Let’s Freaking Go!” It is used when people are excited about a trip, or event, or when they are congratulating a friend.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter M
- Microfunding – This is a term that is often associated with crowdfunding, whether it be for a Kickstarter project or looking for charity donations. People often turn to Twitter and other accounts to earn a little extra cash for their cause.
- Mistweet -A mistweet is an accidental tweet, or one that you regret and wish had been accidental in the future.
- MT or Modified Tweet – If you have changed a tweet or retweeted and modified the original message somehow, this is an MT. This term isn’t regularly used as many people would confuse it for “mistweet.”
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter N
- Neweeter -If someone calls you this name, just remember that we were all Neweeters at one point or another. This is a term used for someone who has just joined the platform and is sending out tweets.
- NTS – NTS is used as an acronym for “Note to Self,” even when it is on a public tweet that can be seen by anyone else in the world.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter N
- OH -OH simply stands for the term “Overheard,” though technically, you don’t have to “hear” someone. It is often used when telling people what someone has seen elsewhere on the internet or talking about someone else’s tweet without tapping the retweet button.
- OOMF – Used both on Twitter and off, this acronym is short for “Oh My F-ing God.” Others will use OMG for “Oh My God.”
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter P
- PM – You can use the Twitter abbreviations DM and PM interchangeably. PM stands for “Private message.”
- PRT -PRT has two definitions, so you will need to read the full tweet for content. It can mean both “Partial retweet” and “Please retweet,” respectively.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter Q
- QFG – While originally used to talk about a computer game, some people have used “Quest for Glory” in talking about their day-to-day activities. Often, their quest will be for something that the rest of us see as mundane, but that’s their business.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter R
- RE or Reply – “RE” is typically placed at the beginning of a tweet when someone is tweeting in response to another post. Users will likely mention the other account name if they don’t re-tweet the original message.
- RT or Retweet – If you share someone else’s tweet, this is called a retweet. It is very common on the platform and often allows public posts to go viral.
- RTF or RTFM – These little nuggets stand for “Read the FAQ” or “Read the F-ing Manual.” It is typically used when people ask questions that seem to have obvious answers or don’t understand how Twitter works.
- RTHX – This term is slang for “Retweet, thanks!” or “Thanks for the retweet.” It is used when someone has retweeted your original tweet, and you want to thank them.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter S
- Selfie – A selfie is an image that you take of yourself that is often posted online.
- SMH – This slang goes beyond Twitter and is used on every major network and in direct messages everywhere. This acronym means “Shake my head” or “Shaking my head.” There are other variations of this as well, such as SMDH “shake my d*mn head” or SMFH, which means “Shake my f*ng head.”
- SNS – SNS is an acronym for “Social Network Site.” Twitter is one of these sites, but others include Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat.
- SP – If a Twitter user has been sponsored to create a post, they may use SP before the tweet so that people know it is paid. Other users may use the word “ad.”
- Stan – This term is often used by people who don’t like a fandom. If they see people who are over-exuberant about a celebrity, niche, or show, they will call those people “stans” of that following. A stan is basically a super-fan.
- Subtweet – Subtweet is Twitter slang for a tweet that is either a complaint or gossip behind someone else’s back. As Twitter is public, these tweets will still likely get back to the other Twitter user.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter T
- TBT or Throwback Thursday – This term isn’t always used on a Thursday, but it is essentially used for “Back in my day…” or “Back in the good ol’ days…” It is commonly used to referee past events, both about Twitter and otherwise.
- TBH or TBQH – These acronyms are “To Be Honest” or “To Be Quite Honest,” respectively. They are used when someone expresses their true thoughts and opinions about the topic.
- TFTF – This acronym is short for “Thanks for the follow” and might be used by a community manager to engage with new people following an account.
- TMB – TMB is Twitter slang for “Tweet me back,” and is used in the same way as “write me back,” or “engage with me.”
- Trashtweeter – A Trashtweeter is a “trash talker” who uses the platform to spread their trash comments. You will find these social media personalities across all platforms.
- Trends or Trending Topic – A trending topic on Twitter are typically keywords or hashtags that have been used extensively on the platform by multiple users. These topics typically relate to current events covered in the media.
- Trolls – Trolls are people who comment in chat rooms or on Twitter threads and deliberately try to cause drama. You will typically find them in political threads where they take a very strange take. More often than not, they choose to tweet to get reactions.
- Twabstinence – People who have decided to take a break from the social media platform may start practicing “twabstinence” by not checking their profile page extensively. It is Twitter slang for “abstinence.”
- Twabulous – If you carefully checked every word before tapping that Tweet button, you may have crafted a Twabulous tweet. The term is the Twitterized term for “fabulous.”
- Twalking – While you should never tweet and drive, “twalking” (tweeting while walking) is okay. Just be sure to check where you are stepping so that you don’t fall into a hole.
- Tweeps or Tweeple – Twitter slang for “peeps” or “people,” generally refers to friends, followers, or even other users on the platform.
- Tweet – A tweet is one of the short messages (280 characters or less) sent on the platform daily. There are many forms of tweets (including promoted tweets, retweets, and others), but they all fall under the same term.
- Tweetaholic – If you are Attwicted to Twitter, you are likely a Tweetaholic. This is someone who has become addicted to the platform and is likely tweeting information that should remain private.
- Tweetorial – Any tweet that explains how Twitter is used or points people in the direction of letting them know how the platform is used.
- Twettiquette – Twitter slang for “etiquette.” This means you moderate your own comments and ensure you are being polite (or as polite as you can be on Twitter).
- Twitterverse or Twitosphere – The universe of Twitter. It doesn’t necessarily only mean the platform, but anything related to the culture.
- Twis – If you look down (or speak down) to a person on Twitter, you Twis them. It is slang for “dis” and is used similarly.
- Twitterapps – Twitter-apps is a term often used to talk about how people can use Twitter, whether through the app itself or through tools made by internet technologies.
- Twitterage – Twitter-RAGE is something you feel when you come across other tweets that make you angry. This mostly happens to people who are attwicted to the platform.
- Twitterati – The Twittered-version of “Glitterati,” the Twitterati are people who are often looked up to, such as celebrities. You will generally find verified accounts when looking at this group.
- Twitterfly – A Twitterfly is someone on the platform which easily makes friends and frequently mentions them in their tweets.
- Twitterpated – This term has two meanings. The first is for those who remember the Disney movie Bambi and know that it means “to be in love.” Others will use this term when they feel overwhelmed by the Twitter app.
- Twitworking – As with many other Twitterisms, “Twitworking” is simply a term used when people are social networking on the platform.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter U
- U – Due to the character limit on the platform, many Twitter users have chosen to replace the word “you” with the letter “u.” Many others refuse to trade their dignity for two letters.
- Unfollow – If someone no longer enjoys your tweets (perhaps you use too much Twitter lingo), they may unfollow you. This means they will no longer see your tweets show up in their daily feed.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter V
- Verified Account -Many people want to have a verified account on Twitter. Simply put, getting the blue checkmark badge means that you have proven to the platform that you are who you say you are and are also noteworthy in your field.
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter W
- WCW – If you have a crush on a woman, you might choose to post an image of her on a Wednesday to celebrate WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday). This is “celebrated” on Twitter and other social sites.
- WOZ -Proof that some people on Twitter don’t know how to spell the word “was.” Or they were trying to be edgy, idk.
- WTF or WTH – These acronyms are often used for “What the F*ck” or “What the Hell,” respectively.
- WTV or W/E – WTV or W/E are terms used to save space. Each is representative of the word “Whatever.”
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter Y
- YKYAT – If you’re attwicted to the platform, someone may use this acronym when speaking to you. It means “You know you’re addicted to…” and it can be used to describe anything, not just Twitter.
- YMMV – This term stands for “Your mileage may vary.” It isn’t used when speaking about travel or vehicles. In fact, it is used to express a difference in thought or opinion about any topic.
- YOLO – If you see this in a Twitter post, the user is likely about to do something dangerous and exciting (or they just want extra ice cream). It stands for “You Only Live Once.”
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Twitter Terms Starting with the Letter Z
- Ztwitt – Some Twitter users have lightning-speed fingers, which may make this term apply to them. It means to “tweet very fast.”