In 2024, UK searches for “Gen Z slang” skyrocketed by more than 900%, propelled by the influence of TikTok and social media. This surge signals a keen fascination with the evolving language of younger generations and its growing impact on how we communicate and connect in the digital age.
Intrigued by this, business admin experts Vera set out to identify the abbreviations that confuse Brits the most. They extracted UK search volume data from online analytics tool Ahrefs for 114 different abbreviations, with variations including ‘XX meaning’, ”What does XX mean’, ‘XX definition’.
- SMH (shake my head) tops the list of the most searched-for text abbreviations, with 61,050 average UK monthly searches.
- In second position is POV (point of view) in second position with 40,430 average UK monthly searches.
- Short-form content has shrunk our attention spans, making TLDR (Too long; didn’t read) the 5th most searched term (15,810 average UK monthly searches).
- Work related abbreviations, such as IIRC (If I recall correctly) holds the ninth spot with 12,910 average UK monthly searches.
Top 20 Most Googled Text Abbreviations in the UK
Rank Text Abbreviation Average UK Monthly Search Volumes 1 SMH 61,050 2 POV 40,430 3 NSFW 20,150 4 FOMO 16,110 5 TLDR 15,810 6 IYKYK 15,110 7 OFC 14,260 8 IMO 14,110 9 IIRC 12,910 10 HMU 12,630 11 LMAO 11,510 12 AFK 11,310 13 NGL 11,120 14 OOTD 10,810 15 TBH 10,530 16 TTYL 10,410 17 DM 10,310 18 YOLO 9,910 19 FWIW 8,210 20 TBD 8,210
SMH (shake my head) secured the top spot with a staggering 61,050 average UK 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 40,430 average UK 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 UK.
In third place is NSFW with 20,150 average UK 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.
Despite reports that YOLO (You only live once) is now considered old-fashioned, it still ranks 18th with 9,910 average UK monthly searches, indicating that it retains intrigue for some. TBD (To be determined) rounds out the top 20 abbreviations with 8,210 average UK monthly searches, which is commonly used in event planning when details have not been finalised.
