Guide to WoW abbreviations!

Hey, fellow WoW players. Now, as a new player, the abbreviations of WoW can be pretty confusing, and then when you ask what a certain one means people are instantly sarcastic!

When I was a new player, I found an article from http://wow.joystiq.com/, and so created a .txt which I used all of them from that, and then adapted them as they evolved, or new ones came about, and made the layout nicer.
Note: I took out some of the ones that are commonly used on Sythe, as there isn't any point in explaining them ^^

So, here it is:

-- Races --

Drae: Draenei
BE/Belf: Blood Elf
NE/Nelf: Night Elf (primarily used on EU to distinguish between Bloods and Nights)
UD: Undead


-- Chat: --

AFAIK: As far as I know
LF: Looking for ("LF tank," etc.)
LF1M/LF2M/etc.: Looking for one more, two more, etc.
LFG: Looking for group
LFM: Looking for more (for a group)
MT: Mistell (means "I sent this message to the wrong channel or person")
OMW: On my way
WTB: Want to buy
WTS: Want to sell
WTT: Want to trade
OP: Over-powered (e.g. Death Knights are OP)

-- Miscellaneous: --

1h: One-handed
2h: Two-handed
5SR: Five-second rule (the rule that mana regeneration from spirit only occurs if you haven't spent mana on a spell in the last five seconds)
Add: An "additional" mob that has been aggroed, usually unintentionally Agg/Aggro: Probably short for "aggression" or some related word, it refers to who a mob is attacking -- that player is said to "have aggro" or have "pulled aggro"
AoE: Area of effect (a spell or effect that takes place over an area, as opposed to working only on a single target)
AP: Attack power
Alt: An "alternate" character -- not your main (character)
BoE: Bind on Equp
BoP: Bind on Pick-up
BoU: Bind on Use
BoA: Binds on Account (heirlooms)
BS: Blacksmith/Blacksmithing
Buff: A beneficial spell, or a change to the game that makes a given class/spec stronger
CC: Crowd control
DKP: Dragon Kill points, a cover term for a number of systems guilds use to distribute loot (see WoWWiki)
DND: Do not disturb
DPM: Damage per mana
DPS: Damage per second
DR: Damage reduction (due to armor)
DR: Diminishing returns
DS1/DS2/DS3: Class-specific sets of gear that drop from 5-man dungeons. DS1 and DS2 were known as T0 and T0.5, respectively, but that analogy breaks down when it comes to DS3.
DW: Dual wield
DoT: Damage over time
Drae: Draenei
Eng/Engi/Engy: Engineering
FA: First Aid
FP: Flight point/flight path
FR: Fire resistance
GTAoE: Ground-targeted AoE (an AoE spell for which the caster can choose a target, like Flamestrike)
HPM: Healing per mana
HPS: Healing per second
HS/Hearth: Hearthstone
HoT: Heal over time
RT: Roguetank. In some emergency situations, someone will call this, and the rogue will tank while the other gets healed, etc.
LOM: Low on mana
LW: Leatherworking
MA: Main assist
MAP: Melee attack power
Mats: Short for "materials;" refers to the ingredients in a crafted item
ML: Master loot/master looter
Mob: Short for "mobile" (derived from MUDs, where any NPC was either a stationary shopkeeper or mobile; see WoWWiki), this refers in WoW to NPCs, primarily NPCs that are meant to be killed.
MP5: Mana per five seconds
MT: Main tank
NPC: Non-player character
NR: Nature resistance
NW: Netherweave
Nerf: A change to the game that makes a given class/spec weaker
OH: Off-hand
ABOM: Out of mana
PBAoE: Point-blank AoE (an AoE spell that radiates out from the caster, like Arcane Explosion)
Pot: Potion
Proc: A "Programmed Random Occurence". Essentially, random events (e.g. rare spawns) that aren't truly random as they're mathematically based.
PUG: Pick-up group (a group formed "on the spot" by use of the LFG tool or a channel or something, as opposed to a guild group or some other group of friends)
Pat: Patrol mobs (e.g. In Hillsbrad Foothills, the ones that attack Thrall)
PvE: Player vs. Environment
PvP: Player vs. Player
RAP: Ranged attack power
Res/Rez: Resurrect/Resurrection
RL: Real life
RP: Role-play[ing]
SR: Shadow resistance
Spec: Specialization (in a profession or talents)
T1/T2/etc.: Class-specific sets of gear that drop from raids.
UI: User interface
Xmute: Transmute


Zones:

--Eastern Kingdoms:--

BB: Booty Bay
EPL: Eastern Plaguelands
IF: Ironforge
SMC: Silvermoon City
SoS: Swamp of Sorrows
STV: Stranglethorn Vale
SW: Stormwind City
TM: Tarren Mill
UC: Undercity
WPL: Western Plaguelands

-- Kalimdor: --

Darn: Darnassus
Exo: Exodar
Gads/GZ: Gadgetzan
Org: Orgrimmar
STM: Stonetalon Mountain
STP: Stonetalon Peak
TB: Thunder Bluff
XR: Crossroads
OL: Outlands:
BE: Blade's Edge
HFP: Hellfire Peninsula
HH: Honor Hold
NS: Netherstorm
SH/Shat: Shattrath City
SMV: Shadowmoon Valley
Tero: Terokkar
TM: Thrallmar
ZM: Zangarmarsh


-- Instances (5-man): --

RFC: Ragefire Chasm
WC: Wailing Caverns
VC/DM: Deadmines
Stocks: Stockade
SFK: Shadowfang Keep
BFD: Blackfathom Depths
Gnomer: Gnomeregan
RFK: Razorfen Kraul
SM: Scarlet Monestary
GY: Graveyard wing
Arm: Armory wing
Lib: Library wing
Cath: Cathedral wing
RFD: Razorfen Downs
Ulda: Uldaman
ZF: Zul Farrak
Mara: Mauradon
ST: Temple of Atal'Hakkar (a.k.a. Sunken Temple)
BRD: Blackrock Depths
BRS: Blackrock Spire
LBRS: Lower Blackrock Spire
UBRS: Upper Bloackrock Spire (technically a 10-man, but doesn't feel like a raid, in my opinion)
DM: Dire Maul
DM Trib: Dire Maul tribute run
Strat: Stratholme
UD Strat: Undead side of Stratholme
SC/Live Strat: Scarlet side of Stratholme
Scholo: Scholomance
HFR: Hellfire Ramparts
BF: Blood Furnace
UB: Underbog
SP: Slave Pens
SH: Shattered Halls
SL: Shadow Labyrinth
SV: Steamvaults
BM: Black Morass

-- Instances (Raid): --

ZG: Zul'Gurub
AQ20/RAQ: Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj
AQ40/TAQ: Temple of Ahn'Qiraj
MC: Molten Core
Ony: Onyxia
BWL: Blackwing Lair
Naxx: Naxxramas
Kara/KZ: Karazhan

-- Outland Instances: --
AC: Auchenai Crypts
MT: Mana Tombs
Seth: Sethekk Halls
Bot: The Botanica
Mech: The Mechanar
Arc: The Arcatraz
Durn/CoT1: Caverns of Time - Durnholde Keep
MgT: Magister's Terrace

-- Outland Raids: --

Gruul: Gruul's Lair
Mag: Magtheridon's Lair
SSC: Serpentshrine Cavern
TK: Tempest Keep - The Eye
BT: Black Temple
Hyjal/CoT3: Caverns of Time - The Battle of Mount Hyjal
SWP: Sunwell Plateau

-- Northrend Instances: --

Nex: The Nexus
Occ: The Oculus
UK: Utgarde Keep
UP: Utgarde Pinnicale
AN: Azjol'Nerub
AK: Ahn'Kahet - The Old Kingdom
VH: Violet Hold
DTK: Drak'tharon Keep
GD: Gun'drak
HoS: Halls of Stone
HoL: Halls of Lightning
CoS/Old Strat: Caverns of Time - Culling of Stratholme

-- Northrend Raids: --

CoA/OS: Chamber of Aspects - The Obsidian Sanctum
VoA: Vault of Archavon
EoE/Malygos: Eye of Eternity
Uld: Ulduar
ICC: Icecrown Citadel

-- Battlegrounds: --

BG: Battleground
AB: Arathi Basin
AV: Alterac Valley
EotS: Eye of the Storm
WSG: Warsong Gulch
SotA: Strand of the Ancients
WG: Wintergrasp



Please, if you have any that others may find useful, and are commonly used (not just within the confines of your little cult--I mean, guilds..).
Also, please take a look at the class-specific abbreviation guide: http://sythe.org/showthread.php?t=1343665

Thanks,
Dealer.

 

This guide is perfect for new players like me, Thanks alot.

 

This is a nice list, I know it's tough to learn them when you're first picking up the game.

 

Just downloaded WoW, I'm sure I'll be in need of this. Thanks!

 

what's DnD or somethign like that, I think it's for Dk's

 

This was a general list of abbreviations - not class specific. I think I'll just make one, and add a link to it at the bottom of the page.

However, DnD, for DKs, means "Death and Decay".

 

Some of these i didn't know, Thanks.

 

You're welcome.
As I stated earlier - if you know any others, please post, or PM!