SMH – Decoding 2025’s Most-Searched Acronyms
You ever have one of those moments where you see an acronym online and realize you have absolutely no idea what it means?
And instead of admitting defeat, you try to decipher it yourself, staring at it like it’s an ancient rune, only to give up and Google it—where you then discover that everyone under the age of 25 already knows?
Yeah, me too. And every time it happens, I feel like I should be watching Lawrence Welk reruns while sucking on a Werther’s Original.
But the good news? Apparently, I’m not alone!
According to Google Trends, a lot of people have been frantically searching up acronyms in 2025.
Which means there’s safety in numbers. If we all don’t know what these mean, then technically, none of us are out of touch—we’re just collectively confused. Solidarity, my friends.
So, what are the most-searched acronyms of 2025? Buckle up, because if you thought “LOL” and “BRB” were cutting-edge, prepare to feel ancient.
- FAFO – Short for “[eff] around and find out.” Translation: A warning disguised as an invitation to make bad decisions. This is by far the most-searched acronym, which tells me that a lot of people are either getting called out or trying to decode threats from teenagers.
- SMH – “Shaking my head.” Because typing “I disapprove of this” takes too long, apparently.
- PMO – Either “pisses me off” or “put me on” (as in, hook me up). Love that we have a single acronym that can express both rage and networking.
- OTP – “One true pairing.” Used when discussing fictional or real-life couples that people irrationally obsess over. If you’re over 30, just think of Ross and Rachel. Or Mulder and Scully. (And if you had to Google “Mulder and Scully,” I don’t want to talk about it.)
- WYLL – “What you look like?” A modern-day way to ask for a selfie. Let’s just agree right now that if anyone ever texts this to me, they’re getting a picture of a confused cat in return.
The list goes on—TBH (“to be honest”), ASL (“age, sex, location” or “as hell,” because clarity is overrated), and WSG (“what’s good?”), among others. But at this point (or should I say ATP?), I think we get the picture: The English language is being reduced to a cryptic game of Scrabble, and I, for one, am struggling to keep up.
But hey, at least now we know. And knowledge is power—until the next wave of abbreviations makes us feel like dinosaurs all over again. SMH.
