Here are some common English abbreviations used in email subjects.

 

Standard prefixes

These prefixes are usually inserted by the e-mail client.

 

  • RE: or “Re:” followed by the subject line of a previous message indicates a reply to that message.
  • FW: a forwarded message. Also written as “FWD: “, “Fwd: ” or “Fw: “. The recipient is informed that the e-mail was originally destined for someone else, but that person has then forwarded the e-mail to him.
  • FYI: “for your information”. Also written as “Fyi: “. The recipient is informed that he does not have to reply to this e-mail.

 

Standard non-prefixes

These words are inserted in the middle of or at the end of the subject, usually by hand.

 

  • WAS: the subject was changed. Not an abbreviation, but the word “was”. It indicates that the subject has changed since the previous e-mail, e.g., “Do you know a good babysitter? (WAS: What should we do this weekend?)”.
  • OT: off topic. Used within an email thread to indicate that this particular reply is about a different topic than the rest of the thread.
  • EOM: end of message. Used at the end of the subject when the entire content of the e-mail is contained in the subject and the body remains empty. This saves the recipient’s time because she then does not have to open the e-mail.

 

Software development

The following prefixes are often used in software development:

 

  • [ANN] – announcement. A new version of the software has been released.
  • [BUG] – bug report. A description of an error in the software.
  • [PATCH] – software patch. New code is attached to or included in the body of the message.

 

Other English abbreviations

 

  • AB, meaning Action By. Used with a time indicator to inform the recipient that the sender needs a task to be completed within a certain deadline, e.g. AB+2 meaning Action By 2 days.
  • AR, meaning Action Required. The recipient is informed that she is being given a task.
  • FYA, meaning For Your Action. The recipient is informed that she is being given a task. Can also mean For Your Amusement, For Your Attention, For Your Approval, For Your Assistance, For Your Awareness, For Your Authorization, or For Your Acknowledgement.
  • FYG, meaning For Your Guidance. Used at the beginning of the subject, typically in corporate e-mails in which management wants to inform personnel about a new procedure they should follow.
  • I, meaning Information. Used at the beginning of the subject. The recipient is informed that he does not have to reply to this e-mail. May be more commonly used in Europe than in the US, where FYI may be preferred.
  • NMP, meaning Not My Problem. Used in a reply to indicate that the previous e-mail has been ignored.
  • NRN, meaning No Reply Necessary or No Reply Needed. The recipient is informed that he does not have to reply to this e-mail.
  • NSFW, meaning Not Safe For Work or Not Suitable For Work. Used in corporate e-mails to indicate that the content may be explicit or profane, helping the recipient to avoid potentially objectionable material.
  • NT, meaning No Text. Also written as N/T or n/t. Used when the entire content of the e-mail is contained in the subject and the body remains empty. This saves the recipient’s time because she then does not have to open the e-mail.
  • NWR, meaning Not Work Related. Used in corporate e-mails to indicate that the content is not related to business and therefore that the recipient can ignore it if desired.
  • PYR, meaning Per Your Request. The recipient is informed that the sender is replying to a previous e-mail in which she was given a task.
  • RB, meaning Reply By. Used with a time indicator to inform the recipient that the sender needs a reply within a certain deadline, e.g. RB+7 meaning Reply By one week (7 days).
  • RR, meaning Reply Requested or Reply Required. The recipient is informed that he should reply to this e-mail.
  • Y/N, meaning Yes/No. The recipient is informed that he should reply to this e-mail with a simple yes or no answer, increasing the likelihood for the sender of getting a quick response.