How to Text in French

Learning French is one thing, but French on the internet — in chatrooms, forums, text messaging (SMS), and email can seem like a completely different language. Fortunately, help is at hand. Here are some common French abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols to help you communicate via text, followed by some helpful tips and pointers.

French Texting Rules

The basic rule of texting is to express yourself with the fewest number of characters possible. This is done in three ways:

• Using abbreviations, like TLM for Tout Le Monde
• Using letters that are pronounced like the desired sounds, like OQP for occupé (O - CCU - PÉ)
• Dropping silent letters, especially at the end of a word, like parl for parle

Patterns

• 1 replaces UN, EN, or IN
• 2 replaces DE
• C replaces C'EST, S'EST, SAIS, etc.
• É replaces AI, AIS, and other spellings of similar sounds
• K can replace QU (e.g., koi) or CA (kdo)
• O replaces AU, EAU, AUX, etc.
• T replaces T'ES and other spellings of the same sound

Tip

• If all else fails, try reading the symbol out loud.