What Does NKW Mean In Texting? (Revealed!)

NKW is an abbreviation in texting which means “not known where”. It’s actually more commonly used in legal documents to indicate someone or something’s location is unknown, but has spread to texting as well. It is not the most common slang phrase but certainly is used in texting.

NKW is kind of an impersonal way of saying you don’t know where something is.

While it is certainly used in texting to mean this, this is far less common than most other texting slang terms.

It can have a couple of other meanings in certain specific contexts, though these are even less common still.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What does NKW stand for in texting?

NKW is most likely to mean “not known where” when used in texting.

The sense is that you are saying you don’t know where someone or something is, most commonly after being asked where said thing is.

“Have you seen the dog anywhere? We can’t find her!” “I’m sorry, NKW!” for example.

Now, the problem with this phrase is that, grammatically, it doesn’t really fit as a response to the question.

While this never stops slang, it does mean that it’s less favored.

Most feel that it’s very impersonal, doesn’t have any emotion attached to it, and seems distant and uncaring.

I’ll get into why this is shortly, since the origin of this phrase in text speech is so well known.

For this reason, it might more often be used in professional text speech, rather than in slang.

It’s thought of as being official and more serious, even though it’s an abbreviation widely used by texting teens and others.

“Where will the meeting be held?” “It’s NKW right now, but we’ll let you know as soon as we have that information,” for example.

It seems professional and more like something an employee might say to their superior.

Today, it is certainly more commonly used in this kind of context that among friends or family.

A more likely exchange about where something is among friends is likely to go more like this.

“Where is my black dress?” “IDK, I haven’t seen it,” for example.

Here, “IDK” means “I don’t know”, and is much more commonly used.

Naturally, it’s also made its way into other areas of life such as social media.

It has definitely taken on a life of its own by this point, but what’s very clear is that this abbreviation originated in a much more formal and serious area of life.

Where did it come from, then?

Where did NKW come from?

NKW was originally a term used in legal documents which had the same meaning of “not known where”.

There are a whole variety of instances in legal jurisdiction when it might be prudent to use this abbreviation.

It is, of course, mostly used on written documentation rather than between texting lawyers or anything like that.

Let’s take the example of legal paperwork around a criminal investigation.

If the police were looking for a particular piece of evidence, such as a murder weapon, they might put in this term on the documentation if they haven’t found it yet.

It could also be used to specify that a person of interest cannot be found.

“Location: NKW” for example.

It’s a very simple way of marking paperwork to indicate something that everyone in that profession will understand.

This has been in use for rather a long time, being entered on legal documents at least as early as the 1950s.

It is somewhat surprising that this one made its way to text speech as it did.

Obviously, impersonality doesn’t matter on legal documents, but it’s rather hard to give this phrase much emotion when using it with a friend.

Does it mean anything else on social media?

What does NKW mean on social media?

NKW usually has the same meaning on social media that we’ve discussed so far.

People use it to say that they don’t know where something is.

On social media, the sense and tone may be jokier, as it is often the case that internet slang is used to feign a very serious tone.

It makes things seem official in a jokey way. “I did something so stupid today. My brain: NKW!” for example.

The way of taking a legal term and applying it to mundane areas of your life is a very common social media trend.

It’s usually not something you should take all that seriously.

But it does still simply mean not known where. That’s the overwhelmingly most likely meaning.

Are there any others, though?

What else does NKW mean?

There are a couple of things which NKW might mean.

In the US, National Knowledge Week is rather a big deal in schools and colleges, so this annual event does get rather a lot of attention! NKW can sometimes refer to this event, then, although you’ll usually be able to figure that out from context.

Other than that, it really doesn’t have any meanings which are commonly used, whether in text speech or just general speech.

Not known where is the likely meaning!

So, NKW can have a couple of meanings, but by far the most likely is not known where.

Even then, as I’ve said, this is far from the most common texting slang term used, so you’d be forgiven for being a bit confused by it!

Nonetheless, some do certainly use it to say that they don’t know where someone or something is.

More in Texting Meanings

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.

Was this article helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!