Written by: cyril.junior.dim

If you are curious about the meaning of the acronym “WYD”, chances are that you came across it in a texting exchange, either yours or that of someone else.

Put plainly, the acronym expands to “what you doing”. This on itself tells you a lot but here are a few more things you might need to understand to have a more wholesome understanding of the acronym.

The sense of the acronym depends much on whether it is used as a question or as a statement.

 

WYD meaning

Let’s briefly discuss the acronym in the sense of the former.

As a question, “WYD” would most correctly be understood as meaning “what are you doing?”.

Explicitly, this is an inquiry into your current activity, leading to conversations which could look something like this:

Sarah: Hie Jane. Thanks for today. I got home safe

Jane: You’re most welcome, we should meet again soon. WYD?

Sarah: I’m unpacking. After this I need a long nap  …

Above, it’s quite straight-forward. “WYD” is met with a brief description of the interlocutor’s ongoing activities and possibly what they plan on doing in the not so distant future.

The question “WYD” can also carry implicit meaning. Most commonly, it can be a precursor to an offer or an invitation. This is because the acronym “WYD” is also used to investigate whether or not one is busy. A proposal can afterwards be made depending on how one responds. It is unsurprising therefore to find exchanges that look as follows:

Devin: What’s good bro?

Tristan: All good this end, you good?

Devin: All good here too. WYD?

Tristan: Nothing much. Why?

Devin: I was hoping we could play some ball today  …

Above, it is evident that Tristan expects a plan or proposal from Devin. He has really not disclosed the specifics of his activity but much rather provided simple confirmation that he is somewhat free. Tristan ignored the denotative meaning of the question and paid attention to its connotative meaning in the context of their discussion. So it may be that “WYD” can be used to probe someone to find out if they can accommodate you in their schedule.

On the flip side, the acronym “WYD”, when used as a statement, can plainly expand to “what you are doing”. In this case, it directly refers to an interlocutor’s actions or behaviour. Before further elaboration, consider the following exchange:

Brady: Get out here right now!

Tom: But I’m really busy bro, I have to draw up the final report

Brady: I don’t care wyd man, you have to see this. Hurry Up!!!

Tom: Ugh, fine. Let the record state that I hate you for this though…  …

In the above exchange, it is evident that Brady is not asking what Tom is doing. Why, he already knows what Tom is doing!

His use of “WYD” points towards that very action that was predisposed.      Having considered all this, we hope this article bolsters your understanding of shorthand writing/texting. It is extremely useful to remember that these acronyms are not necessarily a millennial form of cryptography but rather an expression of impatience towards punching out long paragraphs of text. Thus with a little consideration of the context and setting of an acronym’s placement, one can logically extrapolate possible meanings of the shortenings.