Wondering, ‘what does WYLL mean in texting?’
If someone used the abbreviation ‘WYLL’ in a text message to you or via a DM on social media, they’re asking you ‘What You Look Like’?
WYLL is pretty common online, it’s a way someone will try and find out more about the person they’re speaking to.
As I’ll explain in this post, how you respond is up to you!
What Does WYLL Mean in Texting?
In text messages, DMs, and conversational apps like WhatsApp, WYLL is a direct abbreviation for ‘What You Look Like’.
When someone asks you this they’re wanting to know, as the name suggests, what you look like in real life.
So, it’s not something someone you know is going to be asking you.
WYLL is most commonly used in online dating and meetup chats, but it can pop up just about anywhere.
What Does WYLL Mean on Social Media?
The same goes for social media.
If someone asks you WYLL on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, they want to see what you look like.
If you have a social media account where you don’t show your face, this is where you’re most likely to see this being asked.
If someone you know has typed WYLL, then they are either asking what you look like because you’ve done something different like you have a new hairstyle, or they mean something else.
Examples of WYLL in A Text Conversation
Here are some examples of how WYLL might be used in a conversation:
Person A: “Hey, I’m Tom, WYLL?”
Person B: “I’m about 5’6, blonde hair and glasses, you?”
Person A: “[name] gave me your number and said we’d hit it off, how are you doing?”
Person B: “Oh, did she? Well, WYLL?”
Person A: “We’ve been chatting for months online now and I don’t even know WYLL!”
Person B: “Yeah I know, well, what do you want to know exactly?”
As you can see, WYLL is a pretty direct way of asking someone what they look like.
How Do You Respond to WYLL?
Once you know what it means, it’s really up to you how you respond to WYLL.
You might be comfortable sending a picture of yourself, or you might not want to reveal what you look like just yet.
It’s really down to how well you know the person and how comfortable you are either describing or showing yourself.
You could simply say, “that’s something you’ll find out when we get to know each other a bit better!”
Or, of course, you could describe what you look like and ask that the other person does the same if you don’t know what they look like.
Some Text Abbreviations Similar to WYLL
If you don’t want to use WYLL but want to ask someone what they look like, you could simply say something like:
- What do you look like?
- What are you like?
- How would you describe yourself?
- Tell me some cool stuff about yourself
I’m sure you can figure out what’s best to say based on your individual situation and conversation!
Why Do Some People Use So Many Abbreviations When Texting?
Some people use more abbreviations and shortcuts for emojis than others.
It all comes down to personal preference, and how long someone has been texting.
If you’ve been texting for a long time, you might be more likely to use abbreviations like WYLL because it was more common when texting space was at a premium.
On the other hand, if you’re new to texting, you might not use as many abbreviations because you’re more likely to use predictive text or just not know about them.
Modern cell phones also do a great job of helping you type messages in full with predictive texting.
Nowadays I rarely use abbreviations and emojis because my phone helps me write with good grammar and spell difficult words, but I still like to keep on top of what’s trending!
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-young-handsome-bearded-man-texting
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.