ILY

ILY means “I love you.” People send it to partners, family and close friends, sometimes as a heartfelt message and sometimes as a quick, casual sign-off.

How ILY is used

Context decides how much weight it carries. “ily” at the end of a call with your mom is routine. “ily” from someone you’ve been dating for three weeks is a moment. Between friends it’s often affectionate and a little dramatic: someone saves you a seat, you reply “ily.”

Some people feel the abbreviation is a bit lighter than typing the words out, and save the full “I love you” for when they really mean it. Others use them interchangeably.

Common versions

• ilysm: I love you so much.
• ily2: I love you too.
• ilu: another short form of I love you.
• 143: an old number code for “I love you,” where each digit counts the letters in one word.

Examples

• “Thanks for the ride, ily.”
• “Night, ily ❤️”
• “You brought me snacks?? ilysm.”

ILY and the 🤟 hand sign

Dictionary.com connects ily to the American Sign Language “I love you” sign, which combines the handshapes for I, L and Y: thumb, index finger and pinky raised. Jimmy Carter flashed it during his 1977 inaugural parade, and in 2018 it became an emoji, 🤟. The texting abbreviation and the sign are separate things, but they share the same letters and the same idea.

The abbreviation also got a TikTok moment in 2020, when Surf Mesa’s track “ily (i love you baby)” went viral on the app.

Related terms

• Bestie: best friend, or anyone you’re fond of.
• Bae: a pet name for a partner.
• HMU: hit me up.

See more terms like this in our texting abbreviations guide.