Tone is a key component of verbal and nonverbal communication. It’s hard to grasp the true meaning of someone’s words without understanding the tone. In longer-form written pieces, tone is conveyed with syntax strategies. In verbal communication, tone is more obvious with pitches, body language, or facial expressions. However, it’s much harder to understand in casual text conversations. This is where tone indicators, also called tone tags, come into play.
In this article, we’ll dive into what you need to know about tone indicators. You’ll also get a full list of tone tags commonly used in conversations today on platforms like Reddit, Discord, TikTok, and more.
Jump right to:
- What are tone indicators?
- A brief history of tone tags
- Full tone indicator list
- Best practices for using tone tags
<h2 id="What">What are tone indicators?</h2>
A tone indicator is a symbol or shorthand word used to convey the tone of any text-based message. This includes SMS messages, social media posts, online forums, and emails.
Tone indicators are also commonly called tone tags. They are helpful for neurodivergent people, such as those with autism or dyslexia, who may struggle to understand the tone of written content. Tone tags are most commonly used on social platforms where miscommunication and misinterpretation are high. Tone indicators are never used as a joke; they’re only used to convey the real intent and tone of the message author.
Many tone indicators are used today to clarify different meanings, from sarcasm to excitement. The list of tone indicators is also growing. Tone indicators come at the end of the sentence and use a forward slash “/” followed by an abbreviation. Alternatively, a more detailed phrase can be used. For example, you could use: / very upset, very frustrated.
<h2 id="History">Brief history of tone tags</h2>
Tone indicators have existed for centuries, but they gained popularity on platforms like Discord, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), Tumblr, and TikTok. Here’s a brief history of tone tags.
- 1580 – The first use of a tone indicator came from Henry Denham. He sought a better way to help readers understand ironic phrases in print media. The first proposed tone indicator was the percontation point, or a backwards question mark. Usage of the symbol died out in the 1700s.
- 1688 – The next tone indicator was proposed by John Wilkins. He proposed the irony mark, or an inverted exclamation point. It never gained gained widespread usage.
- 1982 – The smiley and frowning emoticon became the symbol to denote a joke or serious statement.
- Modern usage – Internet users began using a tag modeled after HTML coding: <sarcasm>. Over time, Internet users dropped the brackets and began abbreviating it to “/s”. This usage evolved into modern day tone indicators.
<h2 id="Tone">Full tone indicator list</h2>
Here’s a comprehensive list of tone tags, including example phrases that show them in action.
/a — affectionate
I’m thinking of you. /a
/ay — at you
We need to be more kind. /ay
/bj — bad joke
What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. /bj
/br — bragging
My cousin’s an olympian. /br
/calm – calm
The race results are almost in. /calm
/c — copypasta (A chunk of text that gets repeatedly copied and pasted over and over in internet chats.)
Imagine going to an online chat and spamming it with brainless text for no reason. /c
/cb — clickbait
You’ll never believe what’s inside this $20M home! /cb
/cel — celebrate
That’s a huge milestone. /cel
/cr — cringey
That’s not a selfie opportunity. /cr
/cur — curious
Do you believe them? /cur
/co – comforting
This too shall pass. /co
/cwh — coping with humor
Good morning (mourning), I guess. /cwh
/dkm — don’t kill me
I messed up your design. /dkm
/dr — don’t reply
Well, that argument was fun. /dr
/e — excited
It’s National Ice Cream Day. /e
/ex — exaggeration
The bug bite covers my entire arm. /ex
/f — fake
Look at this real-life unicorn. /f
/fam — familial
I love the people in this thread. /fam
/fl — flirting
I would marry you all over again. /fl
/fx — flex
I just bought a new car. /fx
/gen or /g — genuine
You’re such a great person. /gen
/genq — genuine question
Why should you use tone indicators? /genq
/hj — half joking
I mean, I’m usually right. /hj
/hlh — half light-hearted
🫠 My most used emoji this week. /hlh
/hs — half sarcastic
I’m in the wrong timeline. /hs
/hsrs — half serious
Kindle books just aren’t the same. /hsrs
/hyp — hyperbole
I have 10,000 things to do today. /hyp
/i — ironic
The snowman loves summer. /i
/ij — inside joke
There’s just something about those beach fries. /ij
/info — information
The first text message sent was “Merry Christmas.” /info
/irre — irrelevant
I prefer trains as public transit. /irre
/j — joking
I’m basically the queen of Tumblr 👑 /j
/jbt — joking but true
I can’t skip leg day. /jbt
/js — just saying
That was not a classy move. /js
/jw — just wondering
Do you like it in California? /jw
/l or /ly or /lyr — lyrics
Now I'm down bad, cryin' at the gym. /ly
/lh — light-hearted
I think you misspelled mosey. /lh
/li — literal
The rat we saw was the size of a small dog. /li
/lu — little upset
Our top client won’t be renewing. /lu
/m — metaphorical
His fingers were icicles after shoveling for so long! /m
/ma — messing around
You can’t be serious!? /ma
/mhly — misheard lyrics
It’s gonna be May. /mhly
/mj — mainly/mostly joking
Work is life. /ms
/ms — mostly sarcastic
That’s so iconic. /ms
/msrs — mostly series
AI is ruining creativity. /msrs
/nav or /nv — not a vent
Work has been so busy. /nav
/nabr — not a brag
I finally got a new car. /nabr
/nao – not an order
Can you make it sharable? /nao
/naq – not a question
Does it look like a read minds? /naq
/nay — not at you
We need to be more kind. /nay
/nbh — nobody here (no one in this conversation)
I’m really feeling down because of someone. /nbh
/nbr — not being rude
Well it’s a little late now. /nbr
/nc or /neg or /ng — negative connotation
Oh my gosh. I’m going to cry. /neg
/neu — neutral connotation
The dog needs to go outside. /neu
/nf — not forced
Do you want to hang out today? /nf
/nfl – not flirting
I love your eyes. /nfl
/nh — not hostile
I don’t like what you just said. /nh
/nm — not mad
Did you leave the iron on this morning? /nm
/non — nonsense
You need work experience for an entry level job. /non
/npa — not passive aggressive
Busy! I’ll call you later. /npa
/nsb — not subtweeting (not referring to anyone)
I hate when people don’t say things to your face. /nsb
/nsrs — non-serious
I just bruised my leg, but I’m okay. /nsrs
/nsx or /nx — non-sexual intent
You look so good. /nx
/ny — not yelling
I DON’T understand. /ny
/ot — off topic
Koalas really do sleep all day, huh. /ot
/p or /pl — platonic
I’d love to give you a hug. /p
/pa — passive aggressive
That didn’t stop you? /pa
/para — paraphrase
She said she didn’t enjoy the show. /para
/pf — playful
You should get a medal. /pf
/pos or /pc — positive connotation
Oh my gosh! I’m going to cry. /pos
/q — quote
“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going.” /q
/r — romantic
I can’t wait to do life with you. /r
/ref — reference
It’s exactly like the gold or blue dress debacle. /ref
/rh or /rt — rhetorical
I still can’t figure out the issue. How can I be so stupid? /rh
/s or /sarc — sarcastic
This is just what I needed on a Monday. /s
/sbtw — subtweet
I hate when people don’t say things to your face. /sbtw
/srs — serious
I really like working with you. /srs
/st — still thinking
We could go to a movie. /st
/state – statement
Violence is never the answer. /state
/sx or /x — sexual intent
You look so good. /x
/t — teasing
Oh really? Guess we have to be best friends now. /t
/tan — tangent
Gifs are really just free therapy. /tan
/th — threat
I will block you if you don’t stop. /th
/ui — unironic
I love cooking. /ui
/unin — unintentional
The transition was bumpy. /unin
/unre — unrelated
I need to eat food. /unre
/vu — very upset
I really don’t think you should say things like that online. /vu
/w — warm or warmth
Enjoy the holiday season. /w
Here's a full visual chart of tone tags you can save for quick reference.
<h2 id="Best">6 best practices for using tone indicators</h2>
There are several best practices to keep in mind when using tone tags.
1. Never use tone indicators as a joke
The goal of a tone indicator is to prevent miscommunication and ensure everyone knows the intent behind a text-based message. Using tone indicators as a joke defeats their purpose. It would make them useless for the people who need them most, and it would remove the ability to have a safe space for every person online.
For example, you’d never want to use the “/srs” tone indicator for something that is a joke.
2. Don’t overuse tone indicators
Use just one or two tone tags at a maximum. Using more than this makes the tone confusing and can be condescending.
For example, take the following phrase:
✅ Please use tone indicators, they really help me! /pos /gen
❌ Please use tone indicators, they really help me! /pos /nm /gen /srs /nf
In the first sentence, the message intent is clear. Using too many tone indicators adds confusion.
3. Respect people’s preferences
If you’re not sure if someone prefers to communicate with tone indicators or not, just ask! It is easy to start using them once you know this preference.
Some people may also have their preferences stated explicitly somewhere, like their bio on a social media platform.
4. Use them across platforms
Tone indicators can be used anywhere in text-based conversations. This includes texting, social media posts, social comment sections, Discord threads, emails, and more. You can use them on any of these platforms to clarify your tone, especially when your tone may be ambiguous.
It is also important to note that tone indicators can be used in business communication as well as casual non-work communication. Consider using them in Slack, especially if you have a colleague who appreciates them.
5. Place them at the end of a sentence
Tone tags are attached to the end of a message. Put tone tags after your thought. This ensures that people immediately understand what your intent was behind the message.
For example, you’ll see how to use them properly with the following examples:
✅ This is a helpful guide on tone tags. /srs
❌ /srs This is a helpful guide on tone tags.
❌ This is a helpful /srs guide on tone tags.
6. Ask for clarification
No one expects you to know the entire list of tone indicators. That’s why guides like this exist. You should also always ask for someone online to clarify what a tone indicator means if you’re unsure. After all, tone indicators were made to help people understand the intent of messages.
The bottom line
The tone of text-based conversations can be tricky to grasp online or via text. However, making sure your audience understands your tone is an important part of effective communication.
To ensure your thought, sentence, or message doesn’t get lost in translation, consider using a tone indicator.
Curious to learn more about crafting effective messages? Read our blog on writing the perfect text.
