If you think that texting “GR8” and “M8” will get you down with the kids, think again. Youngsters are shunning old forms of “text speak” for a new arsenal of incomprehensible code words.
Fleek — which means looking good — is now the most popular word to baffle parents, researchers have found. The conundrums that are FOMO (fear of missing out) and Bae (a romantic term of endearment) also feature highly. Falling into obscurity, meanwhile, are TXT (text), GR8 (great) and M8 (mate). Classics such as BRB (be right back), ROFL (roll on the floor laughing) and L8RZ (laters, or see you later) are also on the wane.
Old forms of text speak were often born of necessity, because a character limit on text messages