Bingo Chat Language

Added 2019-08-19 11:55:00 What do we mean by bingo chat language?

When you first set foot into an online bingo room and everyone is saying things like “1TG”, “TTYL”, and “BLNT”, you might think a cat has just walked across their keyboard, but really, they’re just using bingo lingo!

Bingo chat often uses lots of shortened words and specific terms that you might not hear anywhere else, and frankly, it can be very intimidating for a new player. There are generally accepted manners in bingo rooms, and when we arrived in our very first bingo rooms, we sat there wishing we had a little cheat sheet to understand what was going on.

Some years later, that’s exactly what we’ve created for you, our lovely readers! Have a read, save it for yourself, or send it to another newbie bingo player that you’ve taken under your bingo-wing (ha ha).

Why learn how to talk “bingo”?

There are tonnes of benefits to learning bingo chat, and don’t worry- it’s not as hard as it first looks! You’ll pick it up so quickly, you’ll soon start using it IRL! (See what we did there? LOL)

  • Make friends – once you start chatting, you’ll probably discover a tonne of new friends in your fellow roomies

  • Enhance your bingo fun – sitting there in silence can’t be much fun; get excited with the others in the room and celebrate with them when someone wins

  • Play chat games – many sites offer loyalty points, spins, or bingo bonus for the winners of chat games! These games could be trivia, number games, or any number of things, so look out for them

  • Save time while playing – you want to congratulate someone on a win, but before you’ve managed to type out “well done, I’ve got one ball left to go”, someone’s snagged the jackpot and the new game is counting down! Save time by tapping out a quick “WTG! 1TG for me”
Common bingo terms

So, you’re ready to start learning bingo chat! Below are some of the abbreviations we see most commonly, but don’t panic! You don’t have to learn them all at once!

This table is a handy guide you can refer back to if you see something you don’t recognise, and very quickly you’ll pick up the words you and your fellow roomies use the most. GL, WTG, and 1TG are a good place to start!

1tg One to go When you have one number left before bingo
2tg Two to go When you have two numbers left before bingo
AFK Away from keyboard To let people know you have to step away for a minute
ASAP As soon as possible -
BBL Be back later -
BBS Be back soon -
BF Boyfriend -
BFF Best friend forever -
BLNG Better luck next game If someone hasn't had a win this time, this is a nice way to console them
BLNT Better luck next time As above
BRB Be right back When you have to nip off for a second
BTW By the way -
CH Chat Host An employee who keeps the chat buzzing, answers questions, and hosts chat games
CM Chat Moderator Another word for Chat Host
CYA See you (later) -
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions The helpful section of a site which answers the most commonly asked questions
FH Full House Covering all the numbers on your bingo card for a win
FYI For your information -
GF Girlfriend -
GG Good game Similar to 'well done'; just saying you enjoyed the game that just played
GL Good luck It's nice for players to say this to one another as a new game starts
GLA Good luck all As above
GLE Good luck everyone As above
GM Good morning -
GN Good night -
GTG Got to go When it's time for you to leave
HB Hurry back -
IMHO In my honest opinion -
IMO In my opinion -
IRL In real life -
JK Just kidding -
JMHO Just my honest opinion -
JMO Just my opinion -
L8R Later -
LMAO Laughing my ass off -
LOL Laughing out loud Some people might also use this to mean Lots of Love
LYL Love you lots -
NP No problem -
NW No worries -
NET No one ever tells us Generally used by players to complain that the site has not let them know about a change
OMG Oh my god Alternatively, Oh My Goodness
OMW Oh my word -
PM Private message Some sites allow players to send a message directly to another player, rather than through the public chat
ROFL Rolling on the floor laughing -
THX Thanks -
TTFN Ta-ta for now When you want to say goodbye
TTYL Talk to you later -
TY Thank you Always polite to say this after someone congratulates you on a win
TYVM Thank you very much As above
WB Welcome back -
WD Well done It's friendly and kind to congratulate the winner on their prize
WTG Way to go The same as Well Done
YW You're welcome It's nice to be nice!
90-ball bingo calls

As well as bingo chat, anyone who’s been to a UK bingo hall in person will tell you that bingo calls are half the fun! But when the caller shouts “23, The Lord Is My Shepherd”, you might be forgiven for thinking he’s gone batty.

Bingo calls are part of proud bingo tradition, so impress your friends by knowing what they really mean!

1 Kelly's Eye Supposedly refers to Ned Kelly, a historical Australian outlaw. His armoured suit apparently had a slit to see out of, like a number 1
2 One Little Duck The number is shaped like a little duck sitting on the water
3 Cup of Tea Rhyme
4 Knock at the Door Rhyme
5 Man Alive Rhyme
6 Tom Mix Pop-culture rhyme; he was an old movie star
7 Lucky Seven Seven has long been considered a lucky number
8 Garden Gate Rhyme
9 Doctor's Orders In World War II, the 'number nine' was a pill given to soldiers with mysterious ailments
10 Boris' Den Previously has been Tony's Den, Maggie's Den... it's after 10 Downing Street, the residence of the current Prime Minister
11 Legs 11 The number looks like a pair of legs
12 A Dozen As in, a dozen eggs or a dozen loaves
13 Unlucky for Some Whether you believe in it or not, many consider the number to be unlucky
14 Valentine's Day Valentine's Day is 14th February
15 Young and Keen/Rugby Team A rhyme either way, plus there are 15 players on a rugby team
16 Sweet Sixteen A significant birthday
17 Dancing Queen Just like ABBA said!
18 Coming of Age Legally allowed to vote in the UK
19 Goodbye Teens The last birthday before your twenties
20 One Score An old-fashioned word for 20 is 'score'
21 Royal Salute/Key to the Door A 21-gun salute is often given at military parades/The UK age of majority
22 Two Little Ducks/Quack Quack If 2 is called one little duck, it makes sense for 22 to be two!
23 Thee and Me/The Lord is My Shepherd Rhyme/First line of Psalm 23 in the Bible
24 Two Dozen Two lots of 12 (a dozen) is 24
25 Duck and Dive 2 is a duck, and 5 looks like a snake- you'll want to dive out of the snake's way! Some people also say this is because a 5 looks like an upside down 2
26 A-Z/Half a Crown The number of letters in the alphabet/an old-fashioned half a crown was worth two shillings and sixpence
27 Duck and a Crutch A 2 is a duck, and a 7 looks like a crutch
28 In a State Rhyme
29 Rise and Shine Rhyme
30 Dirty Gertie From a cheeky song popular with soldiers in the 1940s
31 Get Up and Run Rhyme
32 Buckle My Shoe Rhyme
33 Dirty Knees Rhyme
34 Ask for More Rhyme
35 Jump and Jive Rhyme
36 Three Dozen Three lots of 12 (a dozen) is 36
37 More Than Eleven Rhyme
38 Christmas Cake Rhyme
39 Steps "The 39 Steps" is a famous film by Alfred Hitchcock
40 Blind 40 "Blind" is sometimes used for the numbers divisible by 10, i.e. 30, 40, 50 etc
41 Time for Fun Rhyme
42 Winnie the Pooh Rhyme. Who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh?
43 Down on your Knees Rhyme
44 Droopy Drawers Hee hee. This one's just a silly rhyme
45 Halfway There There are 90 balls; 45 is halfwya to 90
46 Up to Tricks Rhyme
47 Four and Seven Rhyme
48 Four Dozen Four lots of 12 (a dozen) is 48
49 PC In the 1940s and 50s, there was a TV police show called "The Adventures of PC 49"
50 Half a Century There are 100 years in a century; 50 is half of that
51 Tweak of the Thumb Rhyme
52 Weeks in a Year This one explains itself really!
53 Stuck in the Tree/Here Comes Herbie Rhyme/Herbie the Love Bug, a fictional car, has the number 53 on his bonnet. Some bingo players call "beep beep" after this number
54 Clean the Floor Rhyme
55 Snakes Alive The number 5 looks like a snake; this is a nice rhyme incorporating that
56 Was She Worth It? A marriage license used to cost five shillings sixpence- was it worth the money? In some bingo halls, it's permitted to call back "Every penny!"
57 Heinz Varieties Just likes the baked beans
58 Make Them Wait Rhyme
59 Brighton Line No one seems too sure where this originated. Some say it's because it takes 59 minutes by train from Brighton to London, or that the route from London to Brighton is Route 59; others say it was the first two digits of the first Brighton telephone numbers
60 Five Dozen Five lots of 12 (a dozen) is 60
61 Baker's Bun Rhyme
62 Tickety Boo/td> Rhyme
63 Tickle Me Rhyme
64 Red Raw Rhyme
65 Old Age Pension Traditionally people in the UK retire at 65 to become pensioners
66 Clickety Click Rhyme
3 Made in Heaven Rhyme
68 Saving Grace Rhyme
69 Either Way Up Flip it the other way, and the number's the same. There are some cheekier calls for this number too!
70 Three Score and Ten Three lots of 20 (a score) plus 10 makes 70
71 Bang the Drum Rhyme
72 Six Dozen Six lots of 12 (a dozen) is 72
73 Queen Bee Rhyme
74 Sweet Store Rhyme
75 Strive and Strive Rhyme
76 Trombones This sounds odd, but in the film "The Music Man", 76 trombones led the big parade, according to the lyrics
77 Sunset Strip/Hockey Sticks From the old TV show "77 Sunset Strip"/The number looks like two hockey sticks
78 Heaven's Gate Rhyme
79 One More Time Rhyme
80 Gandhi's Breakfast The number looks like a person sitting cross-legged in front of a plate. It can also be said "ate (eight) nothing", and Gandhi famously used to fast
81 Stop and Run Rhyme
82 Straight on Through Rhyme
83 Time for Tea Rhyme
84 Seven Dozen Seven lots of 12 (a dozen) is 84
85 Staying Alive Rhyme
86 Between the Sticks Rhyme
87 Torquay in Devon A nice rhyme, and a lovely place!
88 Two Fat Ladies The number looks like two large ladies side by side
89 Nearly There There are 90 balls, and 89 is one away from the top number
90 Top of the Shop The highest number in play
Bingo chat etiquette

It’s not just about what you say in bingo rooms, it’s also about how you say it! Avoid accidentally putting your foot in your mouth (OMG) and you’ll be the social butterfly of the bingo rooms.

  • Don’t speak in caps – speaking in capitals is usually reserved for Chat Hosts, so players can spot their messages easily. ALSO, IT SOUNDS A BIT RUDE AND SHOUTY WHEN YOU READ IT, doesn’t it? Leave the caps to the CHs.

  • Congratulate winners – this is just good manners. When someone gets a jackpot, it’s nice to say a “WD” or a “WTG”. Although you might be a bit gutted that you didn’t win, imagine how nice it would be to be congratulated when you do!

  • Be gracious – for someone to win, others have to lose. Of course, it’s okay to be excited (or THRILLED) if you win, but bear in mind that others might be downhearted that they didn’t. A “HAHA, I won, suckers” isn’t going to go down well with anyone.

  • Defer to the CH – Chat Hosts are there to make the rooms fun, but they’re also there to keep the peace. If a Chat Host asks you to modify your behaviour or speech, it’s best to put aside your stung dignity and accept what they say. Arguing with them won’t change anything, and it might get you banned. After all, they work there, and you don’t.

  • Have fun! – after all, everyone is there to have a good time, meet some lovely friends, and play some bingo. Keep things friendly and positive, and everyone is sure to leave feeling great.
Benefits of social bingo

As much as we love bingo, it’s not all about the jackpots! Bingo is traditionally a social game, and despite the recent shift towards online bingo, that hasn’t changed one bit. Here’s a tonne of reasons why being social while you play can benefit you:

  • Make new friends – one minute you’re laughing away with a new roomie, the next minute, you’re arranging to play at the same times so you can chat again. Bingo friends are the best kind of friends!

  • Enjoy bingo more – if you’re having fun playing bingo, and having fun chatting, that’s double the fun!

  • Arrange to meet and chat in rooms – planning to catch up with bingo friends by playing at the same time is a great way to add some structure to your day and give you something to look forward to

  • Even meet in person – it’s happened many a time that bingo friends eventually become real-life friends who meet up in person! Always be careful when chatting or arranging to meet people- don’t give away personal information (especially things like names that you use for passwords!)

  • Keeps your brain active while games are running – instead of staring mindlessly at the screen or the telly while the numbers roll out, keep your mind buzzing by getting involved in chat games or conversations

  • Win a chat game – there might even be a prize in it for you! Get involved with chat games, and you could win loyalty points, free spins, or even bingo bonus as a reward
How best to learn to speak ‘bingo’

You don’t need to hire a foreign language tutor to get good at chatting bingo! There are some simple things you can do to get more confident with bingo lingo quickly:

  • Keep this list handy – you can always refer back to it like a cheat sheet

  • Save it or print it out – whether you prefer to bookmark the page or print it out to have with you, this guide will see you through even the busiest chats

  • Pick a Goldilocks room – not too busy, but not silent either. You’re looking for one that’s just right! In busy rooms, you might struggle to get a word in edgeways, and in silent rooms, getting the chat going can be like pulling teeth as a tumbleweed goes by. Pick a room with a few players chatting, introduce yourself, and give it a go

  • Put yourself out there – Eek! This is it! It might seem scary, but just give it a go and start chatting. It’s nerve-wracking at first, but it’s so worth it when other players join in and you get a chat going

  • Practice, practice, practice – the more you chat, the faster and more natural you’ll feel doing it. Pretty soon you’ll be tap-tapping away, sending LOLs and WTGs in every direction, and you’ll suddenly wonder, “When did this stop feeling scary?” WTG, you’re a bingo chat natural! GL, lovelies!