Do you experience #FOMO when you come across acronyms like S2G and NGL? Our guide to Internet acronyms is here to save the day.

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Photos: Urban Dictionary unless stated otherwise

You trying to decipher new Internet terms online

The Internet shouldn’t be a difficult place to navigate. If you find Internet acronyms get in the way, our Straat Smart Guide to the 18 most commonly used ones on social media and forums will come in handy.

1. S2G
Short for “swear to god”. According to Urban Dictionary, the term has been floating around since 2006 and is often used to express that a statement or claim is true.

2. Fr
An acronym for “for real”. The term dates back to 2003 but has recently gained popularity on sites like Reddit.

3. NGL
A common acronym for “not gonna lie”. The term is often used to reassure someone else that a sentence is truthful.

Alternatively, the term can be used either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence to qualify what is about to be said/was said as truth.

4. IMHO
Short for “in my humble opinion” or “in my honest opinion” depending on the user. The acronym is used as a disclaimer often before an offensive sentence.

A shorter form of the term is “imo”, which means “in my opinion.”

5. JS
Short for “just saying”. Not to be confused with “j’s”, a common acronym used online that refers to Jordan Brand shoes.

6. SMH
An Internet acronym widely read as “shake my head”. According to Urban Dictionary user JollyK (image below), however, the acronym originally stood for “so much hate”. Either way, SMH is often used to convey disappointment or disapproval. 

7. TBF
Short for “to be fair”.

8. Stan
An obsessed fan. The term originated from Eminem’s song “Stan” – the lyrics to which tell a story about a character, Stan, who’s obsessed with Eminem. Stan has made it to the Oxford Dictionary.

9. Suss
A shortened version of the word “suspicious”.

10. LOML
An acronym for “love of my life”.

11. AF
Short for “as fuck”. The term is often used as a form of emphasis, and sometimes can be used to replace the word “very”.

12. TF
Like “AF”, the word “TF” is short for “the fuck”. The term is often used as a shorter version of “wtf”. 

13. RN
Short for “right now”. 

14. #FOMO
Fear of missing out. Commonly used on social media to convey the fear of missing out on something eventful like a party or a sneaker drop.

15. FTFY
Short for “fixed that for you”. FTFY is often used sarcastically.

16. OTL
Remember “RFLMAO” (“rolling on the floor laughing my ass off”)? OTL is a term used to express a situation where you are so upset you fall onto the floor on your hands and knees. Check out the image below for a clearer example:

Read More: Straatopedia – A Sneaker Terminology Guide