What Does … Mean in Text?

When you see … in a text message, … stands for a break in a conversation or a pause.  This can mean the person has no idea what to say back to something you said.

Another way to think of … is the text message equivalent of an awkward pause in a real life conversation.  An awkward moment of silence in a real life conversation would translate into … in a text message conversation.

 

What type of word is …?

… is considered an ellipse which is used when words are omitted from a quotation.  The … represents the missing words in a quotation.

Read on to find out when to use … in text messages and who uses it.  You can also learn whether you will get in trouble using … in a conversation.

 

Do you know what … means when you see it in a text?

The easiest way to understand when to use DTF in a text message is to see a few examples:

 

Text Example 1:

Person 1: I can’t believe you stole my bike!

Person 2: I didn’t steal your bike!

Person 1: I watched you do it on the condo’s video camera

Person 2: …

 

Translation:

The person accused of stealing a bike was caught in a lie.  Rather than lie further, the person just typed … to represent an awkward pause in the conversation.

 

When to Use … in a text message?

Use … if you are not sure what to say in a conversation.  You can also use … if you want to omit a few words in your conversation and you want the other person to know that you are omitting a few words.

 

 

Is … offensive to Use?

No, using … is not offensive to use in a text message.  It just symbolizes an awkward pause or that you are omitting a few words from the sentence.

 

Who Uses …?

… is used by people of all ages.

 

Common Places to see …

  • Text messages
  • Instagram
  • Snapchat
  • TikTok

 

 

Does … have a different meaning on Social Media?

Yes, … can mean different things on text message and social media.

 

 

Are there any other meanings for … ?

Yes, there are some other meanings for … .

  • … – Is an auto generated text message that symbolizes someone is actively responding to the text message you just sent them.

 

Other Related Abbreviations