GTG
GTG means “got to go.” You send it when you have to leave a conversation, usually right now. You’ll also see it written as g2g.
What GTG means
It’s the quick exit. Your mom is calling you for dinner, the bus just pulled up, your break is over. GTG says you’re leaving without needing an explanation, and nobody expects one. Adding a reason or a ttyl makes it feel warmer.
Because it’s so short, a bare “gtg” in the middle of a serious conversation can feel like you’re bailing. If the timing is awkward, a few extra words help: “gtg, but I want to finish this later.”
Examples
- “Teacher’s coming, gtg.”
- “Omg my food’s here, g2g.”
- “Gtg, practice starts in 5. Call you after?”
Where GTG came from
No one has traced GTG to a first user. The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing listed it in 1999, defining it as a sign that someone is about to stop chatting, so it was part of chat-room shorthand by the late 1990s. It spread with instant messaging and texting, where typing out “I have to go now” felt like a waste of keystrokes.
GTG vs. TTYL vs. BRB
- GTG: I’m leaving, now.
- TTYL: I’m leaving, and we’ll talk again later.
- BRB: I’ll be back in a minute.
Related terms
See more terms like this in our texting abbreviations guide.
Notes
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