Snapchat has developed its own language of sorts. It has friend emojis, chat notification, not to mention user lingo! If you too feel overwhelmed with this trove of information, we got your covered. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about Snapchat jargon (terms, emojis, icons, etc.) to set you on your way to ace the app.

Friend emojis

Snapchat assigns different emojis depending on your interaction with specific users. These emojis appear next to the contacts name. A recent update now lets you customize these emojis to your heart’s content! However, in this article, we will explain what the default friend emojis mean.

Snapstreak ?

If you see a flame emoji appear next to a user’s name, this means that you have started a ‘Snapstreak’ with the user. A similar emoji will appear next to your name in the user’s contacts. To begin a Snapstreak with a user, both you and the other person must snap each other for three days consecutively.

Snapstreaks do not count messages; so it has to be snaps. The number that appears next to the flame emoji corresponds to the number of days you and your friend have consecutively sent snaps to each other.

Note: If you miss a single day, the Snapstreak will reset to zero.

Related: How to never lose your Streak in Snapchat with these tips (Snapstreaks)

Hourglass ⌛

The hourglass emoji appears if your Snapstreak is about to expire. A Snapstreak will expire if two users do not send each other a snap within 24 hours. If you see this emoji next to your friend’s name, quickly send them a snap. When the snap is delivered, the hourglass emoji will disappear.

Mutual BF’s ?

Characterized by the emoji with sunglasses, this appears next to a user’s name if both you and the user, have a best friend in common. The emoji will also appear next to your name on the user’s account.

Mutual Besties ?

This awkward emoji perfectly represents the situation you are in. Mutual Besties indicates that both you and the other user have the best #1 best friend. This means that both you and the user have been sending snaps to the same person.

BFs ?

This smiling emoji indicates that the user is one of your best friends. Snapchat uses a simple algorithm to determine who you communicate with the most (only snaps). ‘BFs’ doesn’t mean that the person is your #1 best friend, but they are sure someone who you communicate with a lot.

The emoji does not necessarily appear next to your name on the other user’s account.

Besties ?

This yellow heart emoji is a nice thing to notice next to one of your contacts names. It means that both you and the user are each other’s #1 best friends. You send the most snaps to this user, and vice versa.

This emoji appears beside your name on your friend’s account too.

BFF ❤️

If you have continued to send each other snaps for two weeks in a row, your yellow heart emoji will be upped to a red heart. This indicates that you have been each other’s #1 Best friend for two weeks.

This emoji appears beside your name on your friend’s account too.

Super BFF ?

This is the highest honor of Snapchat friends. ‘Super BFF’ appears when you have been each other #1 best friend for 2 months straight! You deserve the double hearts because that takes dedication.

This emoji will appear beside your name on your friend’s account too.

Snapchat Lingo and Terms

If you’re having a hard time keeping track of all the new Snapchat lingo, this guide is for you. The acronyms are not limited to use on Snapchat only, and pop up quite frequently on other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc.

WCW

Women Crush Wednesday: This acronym is generally used as a hashtag accompanying an image of a woman that the user admires. It could be a friend, a celebrity, a sportswoman, etc. As the name suggests, WCW is usually used on a Wednesday.

SFS

Shoutout For Shoutout: Originating on Snapchat itself, SFS is used to tell another user that you would like to be mentioned in their snap, as well as mention them back in your own snap. This is usually used for promotions so that you can increase your visibility.

SS

Screen Shot: This common acronym is now freely used on most platforms. However, because of Snapchats distinguished feature of disappearing snaps, SS is used to request a screenshot of a picture that you cannot view.

SB

Snap Back: A snap back is when a user replies to your snap with another snap. The interaction by snaps is called a snap back. SB can also be used to request another user to send you a snap (especially if you believe your Snapstreak is about to break).

wtv

Whatever: Used quite freely while texting, ‘wtv’ is an abbreviation indicating that the user does not care about the matter. For example, ‘Do you want to go to the park?’ ‘Yeah, wtv’.

BLM

Black Lives Matter: A strong and powerful hashtag currently trending on most social outlets, BLM shows support for people of color and takes a stand against unjust offenses against the same.

iykyk

If you know, you know: This abbreviation is used to stir up mystery as well as remind others who were with you. It basically means if you were there with me, you know what I’m talking about. It can also be used to check if people are on the same page as you.

FTC

Favorite, Thumbs up, Comment: While generally used on video streaming sites like YouTube, FTC has come to mean ‘subscribe’. When used out of context, it can mean, ‘stay tuned for more such content.’

DWU

Don’t wait up: DWU is used to tell another person not to worry about you. It can also be used more literally to tell a person not to wait up for you to return, as it could be late.

idm

I don’t mind: This one is quite straight forward. It is used to indicate that the person is ok with whatever the other person is conveying.

idek

I don’t even know: This acronym is used to express confusion on the user’s part. For example, ‘Do you think we’ll be going camping with this weather?’ ‘Honestly, idek!’

BBG

Better be going: If you have trouble ending a conversation, BBG can come to your rescue. You can use BBG when you want to politely let the other person know that you are ending the conversation.

nvm

Nevermind: Quite self-explanatory, this one. It can also be used to express disappointment. For example, ‘I thought the Mayor was going to turn the town around….#nvm’.

RDH

Rate/Date/Hate: RDH is used to get an honest opinion of a third party. Usually accompanied by a picture of the person in question, RDH is used to understand what other people think of that person. For example, ‘Sending you a pic. What do you think? RDH?’

FW

F*ck with: This acronym has gained a lot of popularity recently. While it sounds aggressive, most of the time, it is used to indicate a close liking for something. For example, ‘Deadmaus is dope. I’d FW that for sure.’

fytb

F*ck you talking bout: This is used to indicate disdain or sometimes surprise about what another person is saying. It is a shortened form of the sentence ‘what the f*ck are you talking about!’ If used more literally, it can also indicate that you actually do not know what the other person is talking about. For example, ‘What smoke? I just got home, fytb?’

lmao

Laughing my a*s off: This old-but-gold acronym is still used today to express laughing at a humorous situation. You may have encountered the same acronym being used with repeating letters (lmaaao/lmaooo). All of these mean the same thing.

js

Just saying: Js is generally used to soften a harsh sentence. It is added at the end of a sentence to portray that the user is just being honest. For example, ‘I don’t think that color suits you, js.’

ts

Tough sh*t: This acronym can be used to show pity or understanding of another person’s problems. It can be compared to the term ‘that sucks!’

imy

I miss you: Imy can be used both, in sentences, as well as with a hashtag. It expresses that the user misses the person that they are texting. When used as a hashtag accompanying a picture, it may refer to the person in the picture.

GC

Group Chat: GC just means group chat. It refers to a chat with more than two people in it. It can be referring to different platforms like WhatsApp, texting, etc.

Snapchat Notifications

Snapchat has its own indicators to let a user know what’s going on in their account. Use this guide below to better understand what different indicators mean.

Grey arrow / pending

The grey arrow appears when you send a snap to a person, and it hasn’t gone through yet. If you have a fast internet connection, you may not even see the grey arrow, as the snap will be sent immediately. However, if you have slower/bad internet, the grey arrow will remain, until the snap has successfully gone through.

It could also mean that the person you are sending the snap to has not added you as a friend yet, or has unfriended you.

Red square / full arrow / empty arrow

The red arrow appears when you have sent a snap (picture/video) without audio to another user. This indicates that the snap has been successfully sent. The red square appears when you receive a snap (picture/video) that does not contain audio. This helps the user know if they need to mute their speakers or not.

The red empty arrow indicates that the snap has been viewed by the person.

Purple square / full arrow / empty arrow

Similarly, when you send a video with audio you receive a purple arrow when it goes through. The purple square appears when you receive a snap that contains audio. This helps the user know if they need to mute their speakers or not.

The empty purple arrow indicates that the snap has been viewed by the person.

Blue square / full arrow / empty arrow

Blue indicates text (not video or picture). A blue arrow appears when you send a text message to a user. The blue square appears when you receive a text message from a person.

When the user opens the message to read it, the arrow will turn empty.

We hope this article has helped you better understand Snapchat and what goes on in the app. If you have any queries, feel free to reach out in the comments below.