Culture   //   March 21, 2025

‘OMG, IDK what that means!’ Text slang is reshaping business communications — but your coworkers might be left saying WTH?

By Tony Case

Using an economy of words is usually commendable. But what if nobody knows WTF you’re talking about?

In a digital-first world, text abbreviations have become the code language of efficient communications. But while WFH and PTO and OMG might be commonly understood acronyms, many of us still find ourselves Googling our way through an alphabet soup of terms to understand exactly what you meant in that text or Slack exchange.

A recent analysis of internet search data by mobile gaming app Unscramblerer reveals fascinating insights into America’s most-searched text slang, with implications for how we communicate — or fail to communicate — in a business setting. Among the most popular abbreviations, several have particular relevance in a work context, among them WFH and ETA. (Meanwhile, the single most searched term of all — FAFO (“f*** around and find out”) — is one you’ll probably want to skip in that business talk.)

A spokesperson for Unscramblerer, whose team analyzed Google Trends data from Jan. 1 through March 5 to arrive at the rankings, offers this general word of caution: “It is best to draw a line for professional conversations. Context matters.”

So, before hitting send, consider that you might be forcing someone to stop everything in that moment to go searching for the meaning of HMU. (That would be “hit me up.”)

In other words, when in doubt, spell it out. After all, clear business communications never go out of style. But that’s just our POV.

The most-searched text slang terms in the U.S., by number of searches:

  1. FAFO (“f*** around and find out”) — 254,000
  2. SMH (“shaking my head”) — 166,000
  3. PMO (“putting me on” or “pisses me off”) — 101,000
  4. OTP (“one true pairing” or “one-time password”) — 95,000
  5. TBH (“to be honest”) — 93,000
  6. ATP (“at this point”) — 85,000
  7. TS (“talk soon”) — 79,000
  8. WYF (“where are you from”) — 76,000
  9. NFS (“new friends”) — 75,000
  10. ASL (“as hell”) — 65,000