What Does 3 Mean In Texting? (Answered!)

3 can have a variety of slang meanings in texting, depending on what goes before it. On its own, it can be a substitute for the letter E. When put after a less-than sign, “<3”, it means a love heart. It can also be spelled “<33”. It can also make up part of a certain emoji, such as “:3”.

So, 3 doesn’t really mean anything by itself other than the number 3, most of the time.

However, it can have a huge variety of meanings depending on what comes before or after it.

It is versatile as a number that looks like other things in a way most other numbers aren’t.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What does 3 stand for in texting?

There are a couple of likely things that 3 stands for in texting.

It really all depends on the context, and what comes before or after the 3.

It’s a symbol meant to physically represent a few different things in a pictographic way like any other emoji face.

One of the more common ways to use 3 in slang in texting is to use it as part of a emoji face.

It takes a few different forms: “:3” is the most common, though you’ll also see “=3” or “;3” as a winking face.

This emoji has been associated with certain subcultures over the years, particularly emo and scene kids.

So, it does have a certain kind of baggage when you use it, although it is still popularly used simply as a friendly emoji face.

The 3 represents the eyes, of course, looking very happy.

Other than that, it may also be used as part of an emoji love heart.

You have more than likely seen this somewhere.

It has to come after a less-than symbol to form the whole shape: “<3” is how it is used.

This is another very common way that the number 3 is used in texting and indeed on social media.

To really intensify the love that this expresses, another three can be added: “<33”. It’s just meant to look like a love heart.

To symbolize the opposite, a broken heart, it is also spelled “</3” to signify a crack going through the heart.

It may, finally, also be a stand-in for the letter E.

Using a 3 instead of an e is more of a gaming thing, for example “OMG this is sooooooo l33t!”

This is really not very common on the internet or in texting anymore, as it was really just a fashionable choice and didn’t save anyone any time.

Where did these different uses come from, then?

Where does <3 come from?

As best we can tell, this symbol started being used in the early days of the internet.

It was a quick, shorthand way of adding the sense of love to a message without having to type anything out.

The easiest way to think of it is as an early emoji.

Back in the earliest days of texting and the internet, phones and messaging services didn’t come with emojis—you had to make them yourself.

We can see that this symbol was already in use by the early 2000s, so we can assume it began to be used sometime in the 1990s.

Whether it started on the internet or in texting is a mystery, though we can see that it did get a great deal of use in the 1990s internet from surviving sites from the time.

In short, we don’t know precisely, but it gained traction very early on.

Where does :3 come from?

We do have a clearer idea of how this term got started. It is meant to represent the eyes of anime characters, which is a Japanese style of animation that’s very popular in the West, too.

Characters often make faces that look like this, with their mouth curling up in the middle.

Again, this one is quite old, and we can see that it was already in use by the early 2000s.

It probably got started in anime chat forums from the 1990s.

As I say, it’s heavily associated with certain kinds of subcultures now.

What does 3 mean on social media?

On social media, 3 is again likely to have one of the meanings we’ve discussed above.

It’s still very commonly used to represent a love heart, and though as I say the “:3” emoji has gone out of fashion in the past, it has been revived precisely because of this.

People use it out of a sense of nostalgia.

What it probably does not mean is a stand in for the letter E.

As I said, this was once very popular and trendy, to use numbers in place of letters.

But people really don’t do this anymore, except ironically.

So, on social media it probably means one of the same things that it means via texting. It’s part of a love heart, or it’s part of a smiling, anime emoji face.

It may just be a quick way of saying I love you!

So, 3 has a few meanings, and on its own it doesn’t really mean much at all.

Figuring out the intended meaning of 3 used in a strange place in texting is going to mean looking at its context.

It most likely either means a love heart, a certain kind of smiley face, or is a stand in for the letter E.

While replacing letters with numbers isn’t as fashionable as it once was, it is sometimes still used this way!

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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