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Popular Text Abbreviations: Reduce SMS Character Count with Abbreviations

Updated Dec 4th, 2024 - 10 mins
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Send Biz MSGs with Txt Abbrevs

Sending SMS online to customers is a powerful way to communicate quickly and directly. However, standard SMS messages have a 160-character limit, which can be challenging when trying to convey detailed information. Although Notifyre enables businesses to combine multiple message parts to send long text messages, reducing character count is still beneficial for faster and more concise messaging. One of the best ways to achieve this is by using abbreviatios.

In this post, we'll explore some useful abbreviations that businesses in different industries can use to cut down on character counts while keeping messages clear and professional. 

100+ Text Abbreviations For SMS Messaging

When communicating via SMS, keeping messages concise is crucial to get the point across quickly. This is especially important when considering the 160-character limit for standard SMS messages. Exceeding this limit may split the message into multiple parts, which can increase costs and reduce readability. By using carefully chosen abbreviations, businesses can fit more information into fewer characters, saving money while reaching their customers. 

Retail & eCommerce Text Abbreviations

For retail and eCommerce businesses, SMS messages often include promotions, order updates, and delivery information. These text abbreviations can save space while keeping customers updated with their orders or new products and promotions like Black Friday.

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

ETA 

Estimated Time of Arrival 

BOGO 

Buy One Get One 

OOS 

Out of Stock 

Lmtd 

Limited 

Qty 

Quantity 

Tx 

Transaction 

Disc 

Discount 

Cust 

Customer 

Pymt 

Payment 

Wrnty 

Warranty 

Rtn 

Return 

Req 

Required 

Exp 

Expires 

Inv 

Invoice 

Dlvry 

Delivery 

Apprvd 

Approved 

Shpd 

Shipped 

Crdt 

Credit 

Ord 

Order 

Pls 

Please 

Promo 

Promotion 

Svc 

Service 

Acct 

Account 

Info 

Information 

Msg 

Message 

Ship Est 

Shipping Estimate 

Conf 

Confirmation 

Recd 

Received 

Rfnd 

Refund 

Subscr 

Subscription 

FrstTime 

First Time 

Example SMS Messages Using eCommerce Text Abbreviations 

  • Order Confirmation: “Ord #12345 confirmed! We’ll send a Shpd update soon. Tx for shopping with us!”
  • Shipping Notification: “Your order is Shpd and on its way! ETA: 12/5. Track via link.”
  • Discount Reminder: “Final day for 20% Disc on select items! Shop now, promo ends soon.”
  • Out of Stock Alert: “The item you wanted is OOS. Pls check back later or sign up for back-in-stock alerts.”
  • Return Confirmation: “Rtn processed for Ord #12345. Crdt will be applied within 3-5 biz days.” 

Financial Services Text Abbreviations

Financial services often need to send secure and clear messages about transactions, account updates, or payment reminders.

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

Acct 

Account 

Bal 

Balance 

Dep 

Deposit 

Pymt 

Payment 

Auth 

Authorisation 

Chg 

Charge 

Cred 

Credit 

Ver 

Verify 

Doc 

Document 

ATM 

Automated Teller Machine 

Example SMS Messages Using Financial Services Text Abbreviations

Account Balance Update: “Acct ending in 6789: Bal $2,350. Txn on 11/14. Check recent activity online.”

Payment Reminder: “Reminder: Pymt of $150 Due by 11/30. Avoid late fees. Log in for details.”

Transaction Alert: “Alert! Tx $500 at ATM on 11/15. If unauth, reply ‘FREEZE’ to freeze Acct.”

Low Balance Warning: “Acct low Bal alert: $20. Pls Dep funds to avoid overdraft fees.”

Deposit Confirmation: “Direct Dep of $1,200 Rcvd on 11/15. Check Acct for details.”

Security Verification: “Unusual Txn detected. Pls Ver recent Acct activity or call Cust Svc immediately.” 

Healthcare Text Abbreviations

SMS notifications are often used for appointment reminders, prescription updates, and test result notifications. Here are some common abbreviations that healthcare providers can use to to shorten text messages. 

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

Appt 

Appointment 

Rx 

Prescription 

Med 

Medication 

Conf 

Confirmation 

Dr 

Doctor 

Hosp 

Hospital 

Lab 

Laboratory 

Diag 

Diagnosis 

Svc 

Service 

Ins 

Insurance 

Recd 

Received 

Dept 

Department 

Proc 

Procedure 

Ref 

Referral 

Reqd 

Required 

Resch 

Reschedule 

Info 

Information 

Cnfrm 

Confirm 

Test 

Testing 

Vacc 

Vaccination 

Prep 

Preparation 

F/U 

Follow-Up 

Msg 

Message 

RxRef 

Prescription Refill 

Addl 

Additional 

Bld 

Blood 

Spec 

Specialist 

Min 

Minute(s) 

Srvc 

Service 

Care Coord 

Care Coordinator 

D/C 

Discharge 

Imm 

Immunisation 

Example SMS Messages Using Healthcare Abbreviations 

Appointment Reminder: “Appt with Dr. Smith on 11/20 at 3 PM. Pls Cnfrm or Resch by replying YES or NO.”

Prescription Refill Notification: “Reminder: RxRef for Med due. Pls contact Pharm for refill.”

Lab Test Results Ready: “Lab results Recd. Contact our Dept for Info or schedule a F/U Appt.”

Insurance Approval: “Ins approval Recd for Proc on 11/21. Call our Care Coord for Prep steps.”

Vaccination Reminder: “Your Vacc is due on 11/25. Call to book an appt or reply for Stop to opt out.”

Health Checkup Reminder: “Annual checkup due. Book Appt with Dr. for preventative care.” 

Real Estate Text Abbreviations

Real Estate businesses often send property updates, viewing reminders, and client communications. Real Estate text message marketing can drive sales and create hype and connect with potential buyers. 

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

Apt 

Apartment 

Rm 

Room 

Sq Ft 

Square Feet 

Bdrm 

Bedroom 

Fmly 

Family 

Prop 

Property 

Mkt 

Market 

Appl 

Application 

Avail 

Available 

Hm 

Home 

HOA 

Homeowners Association 

Tour 

Property Tour 

Appv 

Approval 

Doc 

Document 

Refi 

Refinance 

Est 

Estimate 

Sale Pr 

Sale Price 

Pymt 

Payment 

T/C 

Terms and Conditions 

Loc 

Location 

Yr Built 

Year Built 

Cont 

Contact 

Priv 

Private 

Open Hse 

Open House 

List 

Listing 

Det 

Detached 

Subdiv 

Subdivision 

Bal 

Balance 

Offer Exp 

Offer Expiration 

Cust 

Customer 

Realtr 

Realtor 

Mgt 

Management 

HOA Fee 

Homeowners Association Fee 

Example SMS Messages Using Real Estate Abbreviations 

Viewing Reminder: “Reminder: Open Hse at 123 Maple St on 11/20, 10 AM–2 PM. Reply to Cnfrm.”

New Listing Notification: “New Listing! 2 Bdrm Apt Avail in downtown Loc. Contact Realtr for Tour.”

Application Status Update: “Appl update: Your rental Appl is under review. Doc may be Req’d. We’ll update soon.”

Price Change Notification: “Price drop! Prop on Elm St now $350K. Schedule a Tour for details.”

Offer Expiration Alert: “Offer Exp on 11/25. Act now to secure 3 Bdrm Hm in Subdiv.”

HOA Reminder: “HOA Fee Bal due by 11/30. Avoid late fees; reply for Pymt options.” 

Hospitality Text Abbreviations 

The hospitality industry relies on SMS for booking confirmations, reminders, and special offers. These abbreviations allow hospitality businesses to provide prompt, clear updates while enhancing the guest experiences.

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

Rsv 

Reservation 

Chk-in 

Check-in 

Chk-out 

Check-out 

Rm 

Room 

Conf 

Confirmation 

Upgrd 

Upgrade 

Avail 

Available 

Resv Dept 

Reservation Department 

Comp 

Complimentary 

Grp 

Group 

Cxl 

Cancel 

Info 

Information 

Hskpng 

Housekeeping 

Amen 

Amenities 

Wifi 

Wireless Internet 

Bal 

Balance 

Promo 

Promotion 

Early Chk-in 

Early Check-in 

Late Chk-out 

Late Check-out 

F&B 

Food and Beverage 

Concierge 

Concierge Service 

Loc 

Location 

Mbr 

Member 

T&C 

Terms and Conditions 

Exp 

Expires 

Conf# 

Confirmation Number 

Gstrm 

Guest Room 

Extnd Stay 

Extended Stay 

Spa Svcs 

Spa Services 

Example SMS Messages Using Hospitality Abbreviations

Reservation Confirmation: “Rsv Conf# 5678. Pls Chk-in at 3 PM on 11/20. Reply if you need Early Chk-in.”

Room Upgrade Offer: “Exciting news! Upgrd to ocean-view Rm for only $50/night. Reply YES to accept.”

Check-Out Reminder: “Reminder: Chk-out is at 11 AM tomorrow. Late Chk-out Avail on request.”

Housekeeping Service: “Need extra Hskpng or fresh towels? Txt our Resv Dept at any time during your stay.”

Promo Notification: “Exclusive offer! 20% off F&B at our onsite restaurant. Promo Exp 11/30.”

Amenity Information: “Enjoy Comp Wifi and Pool access. Spa Svcs Avail by Appt only.” 

Education Text Abbreviations 

SMS for Educational institutions can be used for announcements, exam results, school reminders, and event updates, keeping  parents, students and teachers informed. 

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

Sch 

School 

Grad 

Graduation 

Exam 

Examination 

Enrl 

Enroll 

Subj 

Subject 

Sem 

Semester 

Prj 

Project 

FYI 

For Your Information 

Fld Trip 

Field Trip 

Tchr 

Teacher 

Logistics & Delivery Text Abbreviations 

For logistics and transportation, SMS for delivery tracking, scheduling, and delivery status updates are a useful way to keep customers or clients informed of their order. 

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

PU 

Pickup 

DL 

Delivery 

BOL 

Bill of Lading 

ETA 

Estimated Time of Arrival 

Cnfrm 

Confirm 

Cust 

Customer 

Det 

Detour 

EOD 

End of Day 

Tran 

Transport 

Reqd 

Required 

Alerts and Notifications Text Abbreviations

SMS alerts and notifications are incredible helpful when sending time-sensitive updates or emergency weather alerts

Abbreviation 

Meaning 

URG 

Urgent 

FYI 

For Your Information 

Msg 

Message 

Pls 

Please 

NTFY 

Notify 

Appt 

Appointment 

Conf 

Confirmation 

Rem 

Reminder 

Exp 

Expires 

Pwd 

Password 

Sub 

Subscription 

Ver 

Verify 

T&C 

Terms and Conditions 

ETA 

Estimated Time of Arrival 

Cnfrm 

Confirm 

Sts 

Status 

Updt 

Update 

Reqd 

Required 

Chg 

Charge 

Xfer 

Transfer 

Del 

Delivery 

Acct 

Account 

Auth 

Authorisation 

Tx 

Transaction 

Pymnt 

Payment 

Info 

Information 

Cmpl 

Complete 

Hold 

Hold 

Recd 

Received 

RTN 

Return 

SL 

Service Level 

Qrtly 

Quarterly 

Yrly 

Yearly 

Msg 

Message 

Alert 

Alert 

Cxl 

Cancel 

Tips for Using Abbreviations in Business Texts

While abbreviations are helpful, businesses should use them thoughtfully to avoid confusing or unprofessional messages. Here are some tips:

  • Match Tone with Audience: Abbreviations may be great for casual and quick messages but might not suit highly formal communications.
  • Avoid Overuse: Too many abbreviations can make a message unclear. Aim for brevity but prioritise readability.
  • Explain Unfamiliar Terms: If an abbreviation isn’t widely known, introduce it in a previous communication or use it sparingly.
  • Use Industry-Standard Terms: Stick to commonly accepted abbreviations to ensure the highest understanding. 
  • Leverage SMS Keywords with Abbreviations: Combining SMS keywords with abbreviations can optimise character count while still delivering clear and engaging messages.

Notifyre Can Help with Long Text Messages 

When messages need to be longer than 160 characters, Notifyre combines multiple message parts to ensure seamless delivery to the recipient as a single, extended SMS. If a longer message (multi-part message) is sent, each message has a maximum of 153 characters due to seven characters being needed to facilitate re-joining of the message on delivery. For longer messages sent, the SMS is split into two or more messages that may be reassembled on delivery, so they are a single message (or, on some handsets, may be delivered as a series of separate SMS). This feature is ideal for businesses that have to convey detailed information in long SMS messages. Notifyre users can also set a SMS character limit for their account - this way a sender cant send overly long messages and costs can be controlled. Learn more about Notifyre's SMS character limits

160 Characters not enough? Send long SMS messages with Notifyre!

With Notifyre’s support for multi-part messages, you have the flexibility to communicate effectively—no matter the length of your message.

SMS Templates

Use our free text message templates to connect with your customers!

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