Wondering; ‘what does NKW mean in texting speak?’
If someone used the abbreviation ‘NKW’ during a text message to you or on social media I can tell you exactly what it means!
NKW most commonly means “Not Known Where” and is used on social media and in text messages when someone is telling you they don’t know where something or someone is.
What Does NKW Mean in Texting?
NKW is an abbreviation for ‘Not Known Where’, which isn’t the most grammatically correct phrasing for saying you don’t know where something is, but it’s common text-speak.
NKW also basically means, ‘I don’t know where it is’, or ‘I’ve never known where that is’, etc.
I’ve seen this text abbreviation used a number of times in texts and on WhatsApp, although I don’t use it myself personally.
I think it actually comes from some official government documentation, so I’m not sure how it ended up being used so commonly in short-hand text use!
So, if someone asks you a question and you don’t know where a particular person, thing, place, or anything else is, simply reply with “NKW”.
What Does NKW Mean on Social Media?
The term “NKW” is also used a lot on social media for exactly the same meaning.
When you see “NKW” on social media it simply means that the person writing it doesn’t know where something is.
They might be saying it directly to someone commenting on their social media or in DMs, or it might just be a statement on one of their own posts.
I’ve seen NKW used a few times on Reddit when people are asking for help finding something, but can’t seem to find it anywhere.
In these cases, people will often say “NKW” to mean “Not Known Where”, as in they have no idea where to find what they’re looking for.
Examples of NKW in A Text Conversation
Some examples of how NKW is used in texting conversations are:
Sender: “Have you seen [name] recently, do you know where he’s living?”
Receiver: “Sorry NKW.”
Sender: “Wanna grab a drink at [bar] later?”
Receiver: “I do, but NKW that is.”
Sender: “Hey, we should take a trip to [place], what do you think?”
Receiver: “I’m sure it would be fun, but NKW.”
Other Rare Meanings of NKW in Texting
As with most acronyms, there are some other possible meanings that might crop up from time to time.
Some of the other means of NKW I’ve seen online, albeit they’re very rare, are:
- North Korea Won – Yes, I’ve seen this used a couple of times when referencing sporting events.
- Never Known Why – Similar to Not Known Where, NKW can also mean Never Known Why sometimes.
Why Do Some People Use So Many Abbreviations When Texting?
If you’ve ever wondered why some people use so many abbreviations when texting, it’s actually for a few reasons.
For one, it’s quicker to type out a shorter abbreviation than it is to spell out an entire word or phrase.
This is especially true on mobile devices where typing can be a bit more challenging.
Although, this is more of a historical thing. Cell phones used to be a lot harder to type on than they are today.
In fact, it’s often quicker to type words out in their entirety on modern cell phones as they have very clever predictive texting tech.
Another reason is that it just feels fun to a lot of people, and you can have your own kind of communication that works well for you.
It’s also a way to save character space, which was important a long time ago when it would literally cost more to send longer text messages.
This is no longer the case with modern contracts, although it still makes sense to save characters on some social media platforms where you’re limited to a certain number of characters.
I used to use a lot of text abbreviations, but nowadays I tend to write out my texts in full.
But either way, as long as I know what someone is saying I don’t mind if someone uses text speak or not – as long as they’re not dry texting!
What to learn about more common text abbreviations and slang?
Here is a list of the other posts I’ve written up, just click one of the links below to jump to the explanation:
Image credits – depositphotos.com/stock-photo-girl-typing-phone-message-on
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.