What Does WTW Mean In Texting? (Find Out!)

WTW usually means “what’s the word” in texting, which is a common form of greeting in some parts of the world. It can also mean “what the what”, intended as a more polite form of “WTF”. However, it’s more often just used as a way of checking up on people, and saying hi.

It’s rather similar to saying “what’s up”, then, in that sense.

It’s mostly just used as a greeting. Even if you aren’t familiar with the phrase “what’s the word,” you can just understand it as being equivalent even to something as simple as “hi”.

Let’s find out more.

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What does WTW stand for in texting?

WTW most commonly stands for “what’s the word” in texting.

This is a reasonably old slang phrase which is essentially just a means of greeting another person.

Depending on the context and the usage, it may have a slightly different sense.

Either way, it likely is a greeting, it’s just whether it’s simply a greeting or if it’s an active question, too.

Take, for instance, the more common greeting “what’s up?”

Most American English speakers tend to know what this means, and the most you might get in terms of response is simply “not much”.

This is because, while the greeting is grammatically a question, most know that it is usually meant as a rhetorical question.

It depends on how it’s used.

This is mostly the same with “what’s the word”, whether it’s being said face to face or via text.

On the one hand, it is most likely simply a greeting.

It’s equivalent to something as simple as “hi” in that sense.

However, it may also be a genuine invitation to talk about what you’ve been up to or how you’ve been feeling.

It could also be a way of asking if there’s any big news you might want to talk about. “WTW with your dad, he was in hospital right?”

Here, it’s really not functioning as a greeting, but rather as a way of asking for news.

Do we know where this term comes from, then?

Where does WTW come from?

The truth is we aren’t completely sure where WTW comes from.

As a greeting, it plainly predates texting by several decades. It was established in use in many areas of the U.S. long before commercial cell phones were available.

It was used exclusively in the U.S. and not by any other English speaking nation.

So, we can be sure it originated in America somewhere in the 20^th Century, most likely.

In terms of how it made its way into texting, it was quite natural to find shortcuts for expression like this in the early days of texting.

All phones back then had alphanumeric, instead of QWERTY keyboards, and typing out anything of length was a laborious process.

Thus, these kinds of abbreviations were born and made their way quickly over to the internet, too.

So, even though we don’t know precisely where it came from, we can have a pretty good idea.

Another common question about this one, from those who aren’t that familiar with it, is how to use it.

Let’s find out.

How do you respond to WTW?

How to respond to WTW depends a bit on the context.

For the most part, though, as I’ve said, you should simply see it as a greeting and not much more than that.

Respond to it in the way you would respond to any other greeting. Return the greeting in your own way.

On the other hand, though, the person could indeed be actively asking what’s up, how you’re doing, or what’s going on, if anything.

Again, how you respond to this is really up to you. You might simply want to say “nothing much”.

Alternatively, if there is something on your mind, it may be a good time to mention it.

Unfortunately, it really depends. A good rule of thumb is to consider how familiar you are with the person.

If you know them very well, there’s a greater chance they’re actually asking if you have anything to tell them.

If not, it’s safer to bet they’re just saying hi.

What does WTW mean on social media?

WTW generally means the same thing on social media that it means via text.

The only difference, as I’ll get into shortly, is that when it stands on its own it may be a stand in for WTF.

A way of expressing confusion and asking a question about something.

What else does WTW mean?

There are one or two other things that WTW means.

As I mentioned, the most common of these is “what the what”, which is supposed to be a more polite version of “what the f***”. You’re still saying you are utterly confused about something and want clarification, or simply to express your confusion.

However, you don’t want to go all the way with it. Perhaps you’re talking to an adult or a relative.

Other than that, there really isn’t a great deal of other meanings for this acronym.

So, while it can mean one or two other things, by far the most likely meaning of WTW is just “what’s the word”.

This is simply a way of greeting someone, perhaps asking what’s up and what’s going on in your life, rather than just saying hi.

At the same time, it could stand alone as a greeting.

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.

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