Playing online bingo is a great way to make new friends but sometimes the chat community can be a little daunting, especially if you’re new. The first time you enter a bingo room, the wording and letters being used by both the players and chat moderators (or CM’s as they’re also known as) may look like a foreign language, but it really is simple to understand if you just take a minute to brush up on the bingo lingo or bingo speak.

Bingo chat talk is a quicker-spelling version of a word, it’s very much like texting where you shorten words to get more in. Typing faster with bingo lingo can have its advantages, especially when you’re talking part in the fun-filled bingo chat games. The faster you answer, the more chance you have of being a winner.

Bingo Lingo

Learning the lingo is as simple as reading a word and once you get used to popular phrases and acronyms, you’ll be joining in. One of the reasons why bingo lingo was introduced was to allow players to type in half the time, this having an engaging conversation whilst keeping an eye on the bingo balls being called.

Bingo terminology is relatively the same across the board; from new online bingo websites to free bingo sites, each of these understands the terms associated with chat.

Bingo-Lingual

The expressions frequently used in chat are as follows:

1TG/2TG/3TG – this shows how many numbers that player is waiting on to win

ASAP – as soon as possible

BRB – be right back

CU/CYA – see you

BTW – by the way

GLE1 – good luck everyone

TY/TYVM – thank-you/thank-you very much

FYI – for your information

GG – good game

HB – hurry back

IMHO – in my honest opinion

ICYMI – in case you missed it

TBH – to be honest

TMI – too much information

JP – jackpot

JK – just kidding

NP – no problem

ROFL – rolls on the floor laughing (a funny expression)

LOL – laugh out loud

WD/WDW – well done/well done winner

WTG – way to go

YW/YVW – you’re welcome/you’re very welcome

So, for example, if you were to win a game of bingo and a message from a fellow roomie appeared as: ‘wdw, enjoy ur winnings’, this would simply mean ‘well done winner, enjoy your winnings’.

One useful acronym to have is CM – if you were to get into difficulty or need some help, typing this into chat will summon the chat hosts to come to your aid.

Bingo Glossary

Have you ever found yourself wondering what bingo numbers mean? Would you know why the number 1 is referenced as ‘Kelly’s Eye’? The glossary below is handy for both new bingo players and seasoned players, with numbers touching various parts of British society, from the cockney rhyming slang to famous faces. How many of the more popular references do you know?

Kelly’s Eye – 1: Named after the Australian one-eyed gangster Ned Kelly

One Little Duck – 2: Quite simply because the number 2 looks like a duck

Downing Street – 10: The PM’s den

Legs Eleven – 11: The two numbers resemble a pair of legs

Baker’s Dozen – 13: An extra one on top of the regular dozen

Dancing Queen – 17: Derived from the popular song of the same name by Swedish chart-toppers ABBA

Ask for More – 34: From the Oliver movie ‘Please sir, can I have some more?’

Jump and Jive – 35: A classic style of dance

Halfway There – 45: Half of 90 (the number of balls used in traditional bingo) is 45

Danny La Rue – 52: Famous British drag act

Was She Worth It – 56: The price of an old marriage license

Heinz Varieties – 57: Referring to the 57 branding on Heinz produce

Top of the Shop – 90: The last number in a game of bingo

On the other hand, if you are a complete newbie to this game, make sure you read our online bingo guide first and then you can select the right site for you.