Can You Decipher These Teen Text Codes? (2024)

Usually, there's so much going on in a day that it's almost impossible to keep everything afloat without a little tech help (Siri, nearest coffee shop, please). Unfortunately, updated gadgets and machinery also mean that our teens communicate way differently than we ever did. Is anything worthy of spelling out these days?! If you're baffled by your kid's shorthand texts, we hear ya. Here's the meaning behind some of the most popular teen phrase and number code definitions. Prepare to be enlightened!

If you see either one of these number patterns, it's definitely not a typo. 9 is code for parent watching and 99 means parent gone.

An acronym for "to be honest," it precedes how the sender is actually feeling.

There is TBH, and then there is this acronym, meaning "truth be told." Interestingly, it means the same exact thing.

Commonly used by banks and financial institutions, this ATM has nothing to do with money. It actually stands for "at the moment."

Unfortunately, this phrase has way less to do with movies than it would lead you to believe. Simply put, it's a euphemism for an encounter ranging from making-out to full-blown intercourse under the guise of inviting someone over to watch a movie.

When used to describe a person, place or thing, the adjective "lit" means truly exciting, cool or fun.

Similar to lit, this phrase is used to describe something as really awesome.

If you look closely, the letter three resembles an m when flipped on it's side — maybe that's why this numerical code means mom.

Gone are the days where cannabis is referred to as pot, these days kids are calling it "420."

At first glance, this number sequence seems innocuous, and it actually is. The numbers 4 and 3 combine to make a sideways heart and the code means "I love you."

Meant to resemble an ordinary address, 1174 precedes the location of a meeting place — often a party.

Though it may look like an odd pairing of letters at first, IKR stands for "I know, right."

For those times when you can't do it in real life, SMH is an acronym meaning "shaking my head."

One of the most alarming of the texts on the list, CU46 means "see you for sex."