Phone Chat Words

Teaching phone chat words (like BRB, LOL, TTYL, etc.) is a fun and useful way to help ESL students engage with informal, real-world English—especially in digital communication like texting, chatting, or messaging apps. Here’s a short guide for ESL teachers on how to effectively introduce these expressions in the classroom.

GET FREE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SONGS AND WORKSHEETS HERE

📱 Why Teach Phone Chat Words?

Phone chat words (also called text speak, chat acronyms, or internet slang) help students:

  • Understand real messages from peers or online platforms

  • Communicate quickly and casually in English

  • Build cultural awareness of informal language use

Many ESL learners see these acronyms but don’t always know what they mean or when they’re appropriate to use.

 

🧑‍🏫 How to Teach Phone Chat Words

1. Introduce the Concept

Start by explaining that chat words are short forms used in informal digital conversations. They save time and are mostly used between friends.

Give examples on the board:

  • LOL = Laugh Out Loud

  • BRB = Be Right Back

  • IDK = I Don’t Know

  • TTYL = Talk To You Later

  • OMG = Oh My God/Goodness

  • BTW = By The Way

✅ Ask: “Which of these have you seen before? Do you use any of them in your language?”

2. Use Matching Activities

Provide a list of acronyms and their meanings. Have students match them. For example:

  • GTG — Got To Go

  • THX — Thanks

  • CU — See You

  • IMO — In My Opinion

✅ Add emojis to show tone or feeling and help with understanding.

3. Practice in Context

Give example chats with missing words or acronyms and have students fill them in. Then let them create their own short conversations using 3–5 chat words.

✅ Activity idea: “Fake Texting” — students pair up and write a short text conversation using acronyms, then read it aloud.

4. Discuss Formal vs Informal Use

It’s important students know these expressions are:

  • ❌ Not appropriate in formal emails or exams

  • ✅ Fine in messages to friends, social media, or casual online chat

Use side-by-side examples:

  • ❌ IDK what to write in the report.

  • ✅ IDK what movie to watch tonight.

✅ Discussion: “When would you NOT use chat words?”

5. Play Games

  • Chat Word Bingo: Students listen for meanings and mark the acronyms

  • Acronym Race: Teams compete to write meanings of chat acronyms quickly

  • Guess the Chat: Give a sentence in chat form, and students “translate” it

GET FREE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SONGS AND WORKSHEETS HERE

✍️ Teaching Tips

  • Include a visual glossary on the wall or in student notebooks

  • Make sure students pronounce the full forms (not just the acronyms)

  • Encourage students to share slang/acronyms from their own languages

I learnt a few here myself. 🙂

Acronyms are abbreviations formed from the first letters of words in a phrase.

GET FREE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SONGS AND WORKSHEETS HERE

The most popular here would be ASAP, BTW, ETA, FYI, LOL, OMG, PM, ppl, thx, XOXO

Image from http://facebook.com/EFLpractice

Worksheet: Phone Chat Words & Acronyms

🔌 Part A: Match the Chat Word to Its Meaning

Match each acronym with the correct full form.

  1. LOL

  2. BRB

  3. IDK

  4. TTYL

  5. OMG

  6. BTW

  7. GTG

  8. CU

  9. THX

  10. IMO

A. By the way
B. Talk to you later
C. Be right back
D. I don’t know
E. Thanks
F. Got to go
G. Laugh out loud
H. Oh my God
I. In my opinion
J. See you

🔊 Part B: Complete the Chat

Fill in the blanks with the correct phone chat word from the list. (Use: LOL, BRB, IDK, GTG, OMG, TTYL, THX, CU)

  1. A: Hey! I just saw your dance video!
    B: __________! Did you like it?

  2. A: Can you help me with math homework?
    B: Hmm… __________. Ask Maria!

  3. A: I’ll call you after class.
    B: Cool! __________!

  4. A: __________, I forgot my keys at school!

  5. A: __________, I need to go eat dinner. Be back soon!

  6. A: Thanks for the help today.
    B: No problem! __________!

📝 Part C: Translate to Full English

Write the full sentence using regular words (not chat acronyms).

  1. IDK what to do tonight.

  2. BRB! My phone is ringing.

  3. OMG! That was amazing!

  4. TTYL, I have class now.

  5. BTW, your jacket looks nice.

🧣 Part D: Write Your Own

Write a short phone chat (3–5 lines) using at least 3 chat acronyms. Example:

A: Hey! Wanna hang out later?
B: Sure! GTG now, TTYL!
A: OK, CU!

Teacher Tip: Review answers together, and invite students to act out their chat conversation or read it in pairs.