How to Read Personal Ads

Co-authored by Vikas Agrawal

Last Updated: December 8, 2024

Are you trying to read a personal ad but you can't seem to get past all of the acronyms and unrecognizable abbreviations? Fear not. There's a method to the madness and you can decipher the code pretty easily once you know how! In the article, we'll show you how to accurately interpret the personal ads that people post online.

1

Interpret the first letter of the TLA.

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This often describes the relationship status, gender, or sexuality of the writer. TLA stands for three-letter acronym, and the first letter in this acronym often reveals important information regarding the writer and what they’re looking for. With this in mind, you can interpret the letter within one of those contexts:
- Relationship
  - D: Divorced
  - M: Married
  - S: Single
  - W: Widow/Widower (WI, alternatively)
- Gender Identity/Sexual Preference(s)
  - BI: Bisexual
  - F: Female
  - G: Gay
  - L: Lesbian
  - M: Male or Man
  - TG: Transgender (T, alternatively)
  - TS: Transsexual (T, alternatively, rarely used)
  - W: Woman

2

Interpret the second letter.

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The second letter usually describes the writer’s ethnicity or race. Common letters found in the second position of a TLA are as follows:
- A: Asian
- B: Black
- C: Christian
- H: Hispanic
- J: Jewish
- I: Indian
- L: Latino or Latina
- NA: Native American
- W: White

3

Interpret the third letter.

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The third letter in the TLA indicates what the writer wants. This letter can serve to identify a specific type of person or a relationship type:
- C: Couple (CPL, alternatively)
- F: Female
- M: Male or Man
- TG: Transgender (T, alternatively)
- TS: Transsexual (T, alternatively)
- W: Woman

4

Read a “4” as “for.”

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The TLA structure can be modified to include the number four in place of the second letter. The first and third letters in the TLA maintain the same meanings and positioning.

5

Become familiar with other abbreviations.

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Personal ads can include many other acronyms. Reading a personal ad doesn't begin and end at the TLA. Many may include acronyms that don’t have anything to do with the three-letter acronym structure described in steps one through three. Here are some examples:
- AL: Animal lover.
- ALA: All letters answered.
- ALAWP: All letters answered with photo.
- ASL: Age/sex/location. (A/S/L, alternatively)
- AT: All that.
- BB: Barebacking; bodybuilder.
- BBW: Big beautiful woman; big breasted woman.
- B&D: Bondage & discipline/domination. (B/D, alternatively)
- BF: Boyfriend.
- BHM: Big handsome man.
- BMW: Big Mexican woman.
- C: Cute.
- CD: Crossdresser. (C/D, alternatively)
- D/D: Drug/disease.
- D/DF: Drug/disease free. (DDF, alternatively)
- D/S: Dominance and submission. (D&S, alternatively)
- DL: Down low.
- DTE: Down to earth.
- FA: Fat admirer; fat acceptance.
- Fet: Fetish.
- FTA: Fun travel adventure.
- FS: Financially secure; financially stable.
- FWB: Friends with benefits.
- GF: Girlfriend.
- GG: Genetic girl.
- GSOH: Good sense of humor.
- Het: Heterosexual (a straight person).
- HWP: Height-weight proportionate.
- IPT: Is partial to.
- IRL: In real life.
- ISO: In search of.
- K: Kid(s).
- LD: Light drinker.
- LDR: Long-distance relationship.
- LDS: Latter Day Saints.
- LS: Light smoker; legally separated.
- LTR: Long-term relationship; lifetime relationship.
- MBA: Mutual business agreement; married but available.
- MM: Marriage-minded.
- MOTOS: Members of the opposite gender.
- MOTSS: Members of the same gender.
- NBM: Never been married.
- ND: Non-drinker; no drugs.
- NK: No kids. (N/K, alternatively)
- NS: Non-smoker. (N/S, alternatively)
- NSA: No strings attached.
- NSc: Non-scene.
- OHAC: Own house and car.
- PnP: Party 'n' play.
- P: Professional.
- RTS: Real-time sex.
- SAE: Self-addressed envelope.
- SASE: Self-addressed, stamped envelope.
- S&M: Sadomasochism. (S/M, SM, alternatively)
- SD: Social drinker.
- SI: Similar interests.
- SOH: Sense of humor.
- SSBBW: Super-sized big beautiful woman.
- SSBHM: Super-sized big handsome man.
- STD: Sexually transmitted disease.
- STI: Sexually transmitted infection.
- SWS: Sex without strings.
- TDH: Tall, dark, and handsome.
- TY: Thank you.
- TYVM: Thank you very much.
- VAS: Vasectomy.
- VGL: Very good looking.
- W/: With.
- WAA: Will answer all.
- WE: Well Endowed. (W/E, alternatively)
- WLTM: Would like to meet.
- W/O: Without.
- W/S: Watersports. (WS, alternatively)
- WTR: Willing to relocate.
- X: Extreme.
- Y: You; your.
- ##YO: ## years old. So, 32YO means "32 years old."

6

Consider the context of the post.

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For example, in a swingers personal ad, an "M" in "M4W" may stand for "married looking for a woman" as opposed to "man looking for a woman." Think about the context of the personal ads when reading acronyms.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How can I write a creative personal ad?

Vikas Agrawal
Visual Content Marketing Expert & Entrepreneur
Vikas Agrawal is a Visual Content Marketing Expert & Entrepreneur, as well as the Founder of Full Service Creative Agency Infobrandz. With over 10 years of experience, he specializes in designing visually engaging content, such as infographics, videos, and e-books. He’s an expert in Making content marketing strategies and has contributed to and been featured in many publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, and INC.com.

Vikas Agrawal

Visual Content Marketing Expert & Entrepreneur

Expert Answer

You'd want to write your personality in an authentic, engaging way. Spend a little time thinking of who you are and what you're good at, but also what your quirks and your unique and endearing imperfections are. Also, don't forget to think about what you're looking for in another person, too. Show your good qualities openly, but don't be afraid to also be honest about areas where you're still growing. This makes you relatable and human. You can be more particular with your expectations without coming off as rigid. It'll be better when you come across as open and inviting. The bottom line here is to write in your own voice. People go crazy over authenticity, so roll into your individuality and let your personality pop out.

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