In the world of internet and social media, the way of conversations with people has changed quite a bit. Previously, the method of online texting or talking with the help of messages was considered to be quite annoying by a lot of persons. However, at present, the condition has changed completely. Nowadays, most of the persons are more comfortable with textual communication or online conversations than face to face talk or via phones. Therefore, the way of texting and talking to other people has changed quite a bit since the advent of online texting.
Even with the evolving online conversation, users have introduced the usage of various phrases, abbreviations, and short terms in the regular texts to make communication faster, easier, and more convenient. These short terms or abbreviations are often termed as internet slang or slang words, even though these phrases are not directed to offend anyone. These terms are used to make a conversation shorter and more comfortable. At present, many such short terms are being used daily by the people, and some don’t even realize it. All of these terms have become quite popular and are seen quite frequently in use in various online social media platforms.
One of the most common abbreviations and phrases that are being used in the online platform at present is “IDK” by people of all ages. Even though it is used so widely, it has been seen in a survey that many people have been unable to tell the meaning or the significance of its usage in their texts, even if they use it regularly. Among the older generation, who had a little bit of a tough time to adjust to the modern tech and the new way of online and textual conversation, it is harder for them to look at a sentence containing these and understand the whole meaning instantly. Hence, it is quite evident for them to try and know about the implications of such abbreviations, such as IDK.
Actual Meaning of IDK
So naturally, the question comes to your mind – what does IDK stand for? What is its real meaning? IDK is one of those commonly used abbreviations that some of the people, who are slightly unfamiliar with the internet world, might not be able to understand immediately. This can pose a problem during any online conversation.
In normal usage, IDK full form is “I don’t know,” which is used to denote that you are unaware regarding an incident or situation. Suppose someone asks you something, the answer to which is either not known to you or you are unwilling to say it to that particular person, whatever the reason may be. In such cases, you can use the abbreviation IDK to denote that you are not aware of the answer, and the opposing person will not be able to get the required information from you.
Usually, the usage of the term IDK is entirely informal; that is, it is used in casual and light-hearted conversations among friends and acquaintances. You cannot use such phrases or short forms when you are having a formal conversation or meeting. Supposedly, you are talking with your boss or answering in a job interview. It is not recommended at all to say IDK in such situations even if you do not know the answer to their question. You should always say I don’t know in full term in such conditions.
So, the commonly used phrase I don’t know is being denoted by the popular abbreviation IDK. Among text messaging, IDK was one of the very first abbreviations or short terms that were used. Various types of other short terms started to develop after this. All of these abbreviations were aimed at making the online conversation and texting experience to be even more smooth and fast, making it convenient to type, especially on the previous QWERTY keypad devices. Even now, IDK is one of the most widely used abbreviations in online conversations. Since it is mainly used in informal conversations, younger generations are starting to learn how to use IDK much faster than the previous generations, as they are continually learning from their friends.
The usage of IDK is mainly used in all formats and types. There is generally no rule about the usage of capital and small letters while typing IDK in a text message. However, in over 90 percent of the time, the first letter is kept capital, and the following letters are in lowercase. Otherwise, all letters in lowercase and all letter in uppercase is also used. Generally, the term is written in all caps when a person is trying to strongly describe that they do not know the answer to the question asked, and they have no clue either about what might be the answer. It is like expressing the unawareness a bit more firmly.
Most people have the option of autocorrect enabled in their mobile devices nowadays. Autocorrect helps in the correction of grammar and spelling by an AI. It is not always correct, but it tries to rectify the mistakes as much as possible. At present, IDK is a standardized term in autocorrect as well; that is, it does not try to correct the usage of IDK in a sentence.
As previously stated, the IDK meaning in the text denotes I don’t know, and it is used to say your unawareness regarding something which you convey to the other person in the short term. This is how a long conversation can be made short and fun, and the users do not even need to text long words to convey their feeling.
The usage of short forms in SMS is nothing new. It has been quite long since the usage of such short terms or abbreviations were started to be used by the first holders of the online accounts or the first mobile gadgets. Even without the internet being a household item for usage, the texts via mobile networks on the mobile phone have been going on for quite a long time. Instant messages via the online social media platforms were the next thing to hit the young generation. As a result, the usage of these short forms and abbreviations increased even more than they used to be. However, it is not a new thing. If we see the records, the usage of the term IDK was done back in 2002, and it was adopted as a common usage term soon after.
IDK – How to use it properly
The usage of the term IDK is straightforward in a sentence. For starters, you can think it to be used in the same and exact place where you were going to type “I don’t know” to show that you do not know the answer to the question asked, whatever it may be.
Once again, the usage of IDK is strictly in informal conversations. Such short terms were generally started to be used among friends so that it is even easier to communicate with each other. Therefore, such short terms are mainly used in a light and fun conversation. The capitalization of the words is not necessarily required. If used in all caps, IDK generally denotes how intensely you are trying to say it. Otherwise, writing IDK in all caps, all lowercase letters, or in a mixed format is also accepted in any informal conversations. There is no particular consistency of how it can be used. It can be used as per the choice of the user entirely.
For example, you can use IDK in sentences like-
- IDK when I can complete the math assignment.
- I need to eat something soon but IDK if any restaurant is still open by now.
- I could not complete the task yesterday as IDK what you meant on the phone.
So, by now, you should know what IDK means. This famous acronym or abbreviation is being used widely by people of all ages in online conversations at present. With any chance of using it, people are putting up IDK to express their sentences more shortly and compactly.
At present, IDK is so popularly used that it is not only restricted to text messaging and online conversations. You can even see the usage of the term IDK in social media posts, tweets, hashtags, the caption of a photo, and also on stories and statuses.
The discussion of the meaning of IDK and what does it means is done in plenty above. If you are still in doubt about how to use the term IDK, given below is a detailed usage of IDK explained with proper examples to help you understand better.
Usage of IDK
If you are unaware about a topic or situation that you have been asked about, or you are not able to understand something, or you do not really care to know about something, or you are doubtful and uncertain over a particular topic, you can simply use IDK to express that you do not know the answer to that specific question, topic, or situation. Simply typing IDK instead of “I don’t know” saves time, is easy to type and makes the conversation much playful and easier.
When talking face to face, you often use the phrase “I don’t know” to say that you are unaware of something. The usage of IDK in texts and online conversation is done in the same way. Basically, for describing anything unknown through a text, you can use the term IDK.
Real-life examples of IDK in usage
1st example
Person 1: “Hey, when are all of us meeting tomorrow in the park?”
Person 2: “IDK, no one called me or texted me anything.”
This is just a standard example to show how to use IDK in real-life to denote that you do not have the answer to a question. If you are unaware of a solution, then you don’t know about it.
2nd example
Person 1: “We have our final term exams coming up next month. Have you started studying anything?”
Person 2: “Not at all, IDK what I have been doing for so long. I still have a lot to cover!”
In this particular example, we can see that the second person is using IDK to denote that he or she does not know how the time went away without doing anything. Generally, IDK can be used with all of the five Ws of interrogation; where, what, who, why, and when, and even how.
3rd example
After taking a photo on Instagram, the caption can be written as “IDK how else I can describe this picture other than brilliant!”
In this example, you can see that IDK is used in a regular statement, and not just in any reply of a conversation. As a result, the term IDK can be seen a lot in stories, status updates, and different posts in online social media platforms.
Other abbreviations similar to IDK
Some of the other popular short terms and acronym used in social media platforms like IDK are-
- IK – I Know
This is the opposite of I don’t know or used in oppose to IDK. When used in the internet or texts, IK can be used in the places where you want to say that you know about a situation or are aware of a question that is being asked to you.
- IDW – I Don’t Want
This short form is used to denote that you are not in favor of receiving something. This term is used to say something is unwanted.
- IDTS – I Don’t Think So
This particular acronym is used to express your doubt over anything. It is not necessarily a confirmation from your side that you are not aware of something, but it is more like a guess where you are not sure what the outcome or result of something might be. Generally, IDTS is used as a sign of disagreement.
- IDC – I Don’t Care
This term is a more specific form of the term IDK. In IDK, you are expressing uncertainty, while in IDC, you are expressing indifference.
Common Internet Abbreviations:
LOL | Laughing Out Loud |
ROFL | Rolling on the Floor Laughing |
SMH | Shake My Head |
TBT | Throwback Thursday |
All of these words are aimed at using the informal conversations in a more fun and light-hearted way.