# What does TL;DR mean? Canonical: https://postmesh.app/glossary/tldr By PostMesh team. Published 2026-10-31; updated 2026-10-31. TL;DR stands for Too long; didn't read. TL;DR stands for too long; didn't read. People use it two ways: as a blunt reply saying a post was too long to bother with, and, more often today, as a label for a one-line summary of a longer post, as in "TL;DR: the meeting moved to Friday." ## What TL;DR means TL;DR means too long; didn't read. Merriam-Webster gives it two senses, and they point in opposite directions. In the first, it's a reaction: something would take too long to read, so the reader didn't. In the second, it's a service: a short statement of the main point of a longer piece, usually introduced as "TL;DR:" followed by the summary. The first sense is dismissive. Replying "tl;dr" to someone's long comment tells them you didn't read it and don't plan to. The second sense is helpful. A writer who adds a TL;DR is admitting their post is long and offering a shortcut. Cambridge Dictionary records both uses too, describing the summary as a short, clear description of the main facts or ideas. It also works before a noun, as in "the TL;DR version." Merriam-Webster lists the pronunciation as the four letters, tee-el-dee-ar, though most people only ever type it. ## Where TL;DR comes from TL;DR comes from early internet forums. Merriam-Webster dates its first known use to 2002, in the too long; didn't read sense. Know Your Meme says the exact origin isn't clear, but that it was in use on discussion forums such as General Mayhem, Something Awful, 4chan and Fark from at least 2003, and that the first Urban Dictionary entry was submitted on January 15, 2003. From there it spread to the wider web. Know Your Meme notes that a Wikipedia essay on tl;dr was first submitted on September 18, 2007, and that Reddit's tldr section, a daily roundup of notable threads, launched on November 14, 2009. Along the way, the abbreviation picked up a pun: images of a teal deer, because teal deer sounds a bit like the letters said aloud. - 2002: First known use of TL;DR, according to Merriam-Webster - 2003: In use on forums like General Mayhem, Something Awful, 4chan and Fark; first Urban Dictionary entry (Know Your Meme) - September 2007: A Wikipedia essay on tl;dr is first submitted - November 2009: Reddit's tldr roundup of notable threads launches - Today: Mostly used to label a short summary of a longer post *Sources: Merriam-Webster and Know Your Meme.* The shift from insult to courtesy happened gradually. Know Your Meme describes how, in more polite discussions, posters began adding tl;dr themselves as a disclaimer, followed by a short summary. That self-applied version is the one most people mean now. ## How people use TL;DR on social media On Reddit, you'll see TL;DR on many long posts. The [OP](/glossary/op) tells a long story, then ends, or starts, with "TL;DR:" and a sentence that captures it. Readers in a busy [subreddit](/glossary/subreddit) often skim the summary first and decide whether to read the rest. The dismissive reply still shows up in comments too, usually under posts the replier didn't enjoy. On LinkedIn, writers sometimes open a long post with a TL;DR so the point lands in the first lines. On X, it introduces the takeaway of a long thread. Newsletters and blogs use it as a heading for a summary box. In group chats and work channels, it's a quick way to recap a long discussion for someone who missed it, or to ask for that recap yourself. - "TL;DR: I was right about the parking spot, and so was my neighbor" - "tl;dr the launch moved to Thursday, details below" - "can someone give me the tl;dr of this thread" - "TL;DR: back up your files. Ask me how I know." - "this comment is a whole essay. tl;dr?" - "tl;dr" as a reply to a 900-word post > These are made-up examples of typical phrasing, not quotes from real accounts. ## How to write a good TL;DR A TL;DR is a promise that the reader can stop here and still get the point. Most weak ones break that promise by teasing instead of telling ("TL;DR: it gets wild") or by being nearly as long as the post. **A good TL;DR** - [ ] One or two sentences, no more - [ ] States the conclusion, not a teaser - [ ] Includes the one detail that matters most - [ ] Placed where readers see it: top or very end - [ ] Makes sense without the rest of the post Placement depends on the network. On Reddit, both the top and the end are common spots. On LinkedIn and in long captions, the top is better, because readers decide in the first lines whether to keep going. If you're working against a character limit, the TL;DR counts too. Our guide to [social media character limits](/blog/social-media-character-limits) lists each network's limits, and the [LinkedIn character counter](/tools/linkedin-character-counter) and [Reddit post character counter](/tools/reddit-post-character-counter) count as you type. ## Weak vs strong TL;DRs The difference is usually one word: a strong TL;DR says what happened or what to do, while a weak one only says that something happened. Here's the same post summarized both ways. **Weak** - TL;DR: long story, but it worked out - TL;DR: read the whole thing - TL;DR: big changes coming **Strong** - TL;DR: the landlord fixed the heat after I emailed the city - TL;DR: renew your passport six months before travel - TL;DR: the office closes Fridays starting in March A useful test: if someone read only your TL;DR and then had to explain your post to a friend, could they? If the answer is no, rewrite it until the summary carries the point on its own. ### TL;DR at work In work chats and long emails, a TL;DR at the top is a kindness to busy colleagues. Lead with the decision or the ask, then give the detail below for anyone who needs it. In very formal messages, label it Summary instead, which carries the same idea without the internet flavor. ## How to reply to TL;DR If someone replies "tl;dr" to your post, they may be mocking it, or they may be asking for a summary. Either way, the most useful response is the summary. One sentence that captures your point turns a jab into a conversation, and other readers will appreciate it. Getting defensive about the length rarely helps. If someone asks you for the TL;DR of a thread or article, give the conclusion first, then the one detail that explains it. If you're replying to a post that already has a TL;DR, read at least that part before commenting. Questions answered in the summary are the fastest way to show you didn't. ## When not to use TL;DR Don't use the dismissive sense on someone who's sharing something personal or asking for help. "tl;dr" under a long post about a hard week reads as cruel, whatever you intended. If you don't have time to read it, just scroll on. Don't lean on a TL;DR as permission to post a wall of text, either. A summary helps readers who skim, but it doesn't fix a post that rambles. If the TL;DR says everything that matters, ask whether the rest of the post needs to be that long, or whether some of it belongs in a separate post or a link. In formal writing, swap it for summary, key takeaway or in short. A report, a job application or a client email reads better with plain words, and some readers won't know the abbreviation. The semicolon also makes it awkward for screen readers, which may read every character. On brand accounts, TL;DR can work in casual posts, but if your audience is broad, a bold first line that states the point does the same job without the jargon. ## TL;DR vs summary, TLDR and similar shorthand | Term | What it means | When to use it | | --- | --- | --- | | TL;DR | Too long; didn't read, or a short summary | Casual posts, Reddit, threads | | TLDR, tldr, tl;dr | The same, without the semicolon or in lowercase | Anywhere TL;DR works | | Summary | The main points in brief | Formal and professional writing | | ICYMI | In case you missed it | Resharing something from earlier | | FWIW | For what it's worth | Adding an opinion or aside | Spelling doesn't change the meaning. Cambridge and Merriam-Webster both list TLDR, tldr and tl;dr as variants. If you want shorthand for resharing, [ICYMI](/glossary/icymi) is the better fit, and [FWIW](/glossary/fwiw) introduces an opinion without claiming it's the main point. A long [AMA](/glossary/ama) introduction can benefit from one too, and so can an Instagram [caption](/glossary/caption) that runs to several paragraphs. The [Reddit platform page](/platform/reddit) explains how posting to Reddit works. ## Questions ### What does TL;DR stand for? Too long; didn't read. Today it's mostly used to introduce a short summary of a longer post. ### Is TL;DR rude? As a reply to someone else's post, it can be, since it says you didn't bother reading. Used by a writer to summarize their own post, it's polite. ### Where do I put a TL;DR? At the top if readers decide quickly whether to continue, as on LinkedIn, or at the end on Reddit-style stories. Either way, keep it to a sentence or two. ### What is the difference between TL;DR and TLDR? None. TLDR, tldr and tl;dr are variant spellings of the same abbreviation. ### When did TL;DR start? Merriam-Webster dates its first known use to 2002, and Know Your Meme finds it on internet forums from 2003. ### What does teal deer mean? A pun on TL;DR, because teal deer sounds close to the letters said aloud. Pictures of a teal-colored deer are sometimes used in place of the abbreviation. ## Related terms - [ICYMI](https://postmesh.app/glossary/icymi) - [FWIW](https://postmesh.app/glossary/fwiw) - [OP](https://postmesh.app/glossary/op) - [Subreddit](https://postmesh.app/glossary/subreddit) - [AMA](https://postmesh.app/glossary/ama) - [Caption](https://postmesh.app/glossary/caption) ## Sources - [Merriam-Webster: TL;DR](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/TL%3BDR) - [Cambridge Dictionary: TLDR](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tldr) - [Know Your Meme: tl;dr / TLDR](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tldr)