TBH
/TEE-bee-AYCH/initialism · discourse marker · noun
Meaning
TBH is an informal initialism for “to be honest.” In texts, comments, and social-media posts, it signals that what follows is a frank personal opinion, admission, or reaction rather than a carefully softened answer. It can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence, and less commonly as a noun for an honest opinion or comment.[1][2]
- 1. Used before a candid opinion or admission: TBH, I expected the movie to be better.
- 2. Used after a statement to emphasize sincerity or personal judgment: That outfit is kind of perfect, TBH.
- 3. Used as a noun for an honest opinion or comment, especially in older social-media exchanges: Drop a TBH on my post.
- 4. Used in social-media prompts or games that invite users to exchange honest comments, ratings, or compliments.
Examples
“TBH, I would not order that again.”
“The blue one looks better tbh.”
“TBH this playlist is actually fire.”
“Drop a TBH on my latest post.”
“I need a real TBH before I send this.”
Origin and spread
TBH is formed from the initial letters of “to be honest,” following the space-saving style of texting and internet initialisms. The exact first use of the modern slang form is uncertain, but the expression was clearly circulating in social-media culture by November 2014, when TIME described “TBH” comments on Instagram as exchanges of candid opinions, including compliments and criticism. By 2016, it was being explained in mainstream coverage as both an acronym and a Facebook interaction in which users traded likes for personal comments. In 2017, the name was also used for a teen social app built around anonymous, largely positive comments; that app-related use reinforced the association between TBH and social feedback but did not create the initialism itself.
How to use it
TBH is casual and works best in texts, group chats, captions, comments, and informal posts. It can sound friendly before a compliment, but it may also make a criticism feel sharper or imply that the writer was not being honest before. The noun use—“a TBH” or “give me a TBH”—is associated especially with social-media comment exchanges and is less common than the discourse-marker use. In professional or formal writing, spell out “to be honest” or state the opinion directly.
Sources
- 1. Cambridge Dictionary — TBH definitionSupports: meaning.
- 2. TIME — Instagram: Tween and Teen Girls' Have a Secret LanguageSupports: earliest documented use, meaning.
- 3. TIME — Text Abbreviations: Acronyms for Parents to Understand Teens
- 4. Digital Journal — Hesitant Internet: The most confusing initialisms and acronyms facing web users
