OMG, most of today’s new slang goes unspoken

May 28, 2026 — 12:00pm

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OMG – our talk is shrinking. Psychologists at UMKC found most of us speak less than the year before, dropping some 338 words per day, measured over a 20-year study. Give or take, that’s 120K fewer spoken words per person.

Humans being humans, OC, we’re still communicating. Just in different ways. Where Romeo and Juliet once uttered pledges on the QT, serenading in shadows, the modern Romeo is as likely to slide into Juliet’s DMs to declare his Capulet bae is no FWB, but his BFF.

OK, let’s pull it up. Your patience has been pushed far enough. Nine abbreviations across 90 words: another symptom of written chat usurping oral. Some you knew, like OMG or 120K. Younger readers will know most, from OC (of course) to FWB (friends with benefits),........

© The Sydney Morning Herald