What Does SN Mean In Texting? (Helpful Content!)

In texting, SN means “say nothing”. It is similar to the phrases “no worries” or “don’t mention it”—it’s a response to someone saying thank you. The idea is that you’re telling them helping them was your pleasure, and they don’t need to thank you. It can also be an order to shut up.

SN usually means say nothing, then, and it doesn’t have a lot of other meanings in the context of texting.

It is not the most commonly used slang term as it was once a lot more popular than it is today, but you will still see it from time to time.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What does SN stand for in texting?

SN in texting almost universally means “say nothing”.

The phrase is meant to be a way of responding to “thank you”, by telling the other person that they don’t need to thank you for what you said or did.

We have a great many very similar terms in spoken English, such as “don’t mention it”, “don’t worry about it,” or “it’s nothing”.

Interestingly, it’s also very similar to the Spanish de nada, a common response to thank you which literally means “it’s nothing.”

“Thanks so much for coming to see me tonight!” “SN, I had a great time!” for example.

It’s a friendly and personal but also short way of responding to someone saying thank you.

It’s perhaps not as common as other ways of responding to thank you, and has fallen out of fashion in recent years and replaced by other, similar abbreviations such as “NW!” meaning “no worries”.

It can have one other sense, though, in certain contexts, though it’s a lot less common to use it this way.

If someone says “SN” to you as a response, they might be saying “say nothing” more in the sense of “shut up, don’t talk about this”.

It’s a way of silencing someone if you don’t want to talk about a particular topic.

It could also be a warning. “When we’re at the party tonight, SN to Abi about what I told you!” for example.

It’s a warning not to bring up a particular topic.

So, it certainly can have a couple of different meanings, depending on the context.

However, for the most part, it’s used to mean “don’t worry about it” when someone thanks you for something.

Do we know where this term originated?

Where did SN come from?

Though we don’t know exactly when SN became a standard slang expression in text speech, it’s pretty clear that it’s quite an old one.

It was in use in early chatrooms and during the earliest part of text slang, in the 1990s.

We just don’t know who coined it or when.

At that time, texting produced shortened versions of countless expressions simply because texting on an alphanumeric keyboard was a tedious process.

It was popularized by both texting and online chatrooms, though.

It was used in both contexts, though it definitely originated as a more convenient version of typing out “say nothing” in cellular text messaging.

In terms of its other meanings, as in “don’t talk about that” or “shut up”, these seem to have arisen after it was initially used just to mean “no worries”, though not too much longer after. All senses of it have been in use since at least the early 2000s.

Does SN mean anything else on social media?

What does SN mean on social media?

Social media still borrows a lot of its contemporary slang from old internet and text slang, and this is largely the case with SN on social media.

It usually still has that same meaning, of saying “no worries” to someone when they thank you.

Otherwise, of course, it can mean not to mention something.

But SN can have a couple of meanings over social media that you’re less likely to see in texting.

It can also mean “screen name”, which means the name someone uses on a social media site or an online game.

This is, naturally, different from their ordinary name, and say you might talk about your “screen name” as opposed to your actual name.

“That’s just my SN—I won’t tell you my real name!” for example.

This meaning, though, is naturally a lot less common and not something you would use as often as “say nothing”.

What else does SN mean?

Does this term have any other meanings, then?

There are one or two which are used, but aren’t really texting jargon or abbreviations in any concrete sense.

Perhaps the most common phrase which is shortened to “SN” is serial number.

In certain professional settings there might be plenty of reason to shorten serial number, since some professionals might use this phrase a great deal.

It becomes easier, therefore, to shorten it to SN.

Other than that, some claim it means “sike nah”—indicating something you just said was a joke and not true.

But this one is very uncommon, as “sike” itself is really not even commonly used anymore.

So, in different contexts, SN can have a couple of different meanings.

However, when it comes to texting, “say nothing” is really the only broadly used sense of the abbreviation.

It’s a quick, snappy, but still personal way of telling someone they are welcome for whatever you did for them, and they don’t need to worry about repaying you.

Don’t worry about it—say nothing!

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!