SMS texting shortcuts are abbreviations or acronyms that people use to send sms text messages easier and faster. It is not uncommon to receive a text message without a single English word in it. If you are new to text messaging or have been texting for quite some time, it is adviseable that you at least understand the most common SMS text message shortcuts to avoid potential misunderstanding and confusion with people you regularly exchange text messages.

To begin with, you have to recognize first the one-letter SMS shortcuts:

b - be
4 - for
c - see
d - the
i - I
2 - to
n - in or and
u - you
y - why

From the list above, you could form other meanings like CU for "see you" or 4U for "for you". The one-letter SMS shortcuts are universally used and it would be safe to assume that everyone who is texting understands its meanings.

With that out of the way, we now focus on two- and three-letter text messaging shortcuts:

add - address
asl - age, sex, location
b4 - before
b4n or bfn - bye for now
brb - be right back
btw - by the way
cr8 - create
cu - see you
cud - could
coz or cuz - because
cya - see ya
dat - that
d8 - date
dl - download
ez - easy
faq - frequently asked questions
fon - phone
fyi - for your information
g2g or gtg - got to go
gr8 - great
ic - I see
k - ok
l8r - later
lol - laughing out loud
msg - message
np - no problem
omg - oh my gosh
pls - please
ppl - people
thx or tnx - thanks
ty - thank you
u2 - you too
w8 - wait

There are common four- and five-letter SMS text shortcuts but as it gets longer, the chance of it being misunderstood also increases. Except for very common four- and five-letter shortcuts, I would refrain from using shortcuts longer than 4 letters. Some of most common longer shortcuts are:

asap - as soon as possible
imho - in my humble opinion
ruok - are you ok?
cul8r - see you later
2moro - tomorrow

I seldom send text message shortcuts that are 5 or 6 letters long. You maybe comfortable using longer text shortcuts but think also about your recipient, will he/she understand what you mean? It is better to stick with the shorter shortcuts so you won't be misunderstood. For example, don't use shortcuts like:

rotfwtime - rolling on the floow with tears in my eyes
dltbbb - don't let the bed bugs bite
nalopkt - not a lot of people know that (I certainly don't know that)

Keep in mind that using SMS shortcuts could result to misunderstanding and confusion if the receiver is not aware of the meaning of the shortcuts. You can avoid this risk by sticking to shorter shortcuts and using only shortcuts that make general sense to you. Heed this advise and you should be OK.