Individuals use acronyms to avoid wasting time writing, however generally these verbal shortcuts waste readers’ time by forcing them to lookup their that means.
A brand new examine by social media training firm How Sociable analyzed Google searches for widespread web acronyms to find essentially the most bewildering ones. To do that essential work, they analyzed the variety of searches for every standalone acronym mixed with search phrases reminiscent of “what does the acronym imply,” “acronym that means,” and “what does the acronym stand for.”
The outcomes: SMH precipitated the most-head scratching — or head shaking.
SMH, “shaking my head,” is often utilized in chats, texts, and different boards when somebody is upset or annoyed with the dialog, a state of affairs, or one other particular person. The official definition by Merriam-Webster dictionary says that SMH “is used to impart a way of bemused incredulity.”
The phrase is commonly accompanied or changed with a palm-in-the-face emoji. Variations of SMH embrace “scratching my head” and the much less kid-friendly SMDH (“shaking my rattling head”).
The examine discovered that SMH precipitated 802,858 searches monthly on common, or 9.6 million searches a yr.
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The highest 10 most complicated acronyms
Proper behind SMH on essentially the most complicated acronyms checklist was ‘TBH,’ with 306,085 searches monthly throughout America. TBH stands for “to be sincere” and is often used to precise frankness or honesty.
The third most looked for acronym is POV, which is googled round 284,475 instances monthly within the US. Content material creators have been utilizing this time period for years to explain the “perspective” of the digicam. POV movies are shot from the first-person viewer’s perspective.
However on TikTok and different social media platforms, POV has been utilized by some creators to consult with any skit centering round an individual in an uncomfortable or awkward state of affairs. An instance is likely to be an unlucky encounter at Pressing Care or the promenade.
@caroline_easom #pov #fyp #doctorsoftiktok #comedy #parody #satire #comic #skit #sketchcomedy #actor #physician ♬ authentic sound – Caroline
Here’s a have a look at the highest 20:
Courtesy of How Sociable
“With new acronyms popping up on a regular basis, it will likely be fascinating to see which of them stand the check of time and which of them fall out of style,” mentioned a spokesperson for How Sociable.