# What does TS mean?

Canonical: https://postmesh.app/glossary/ts

By PostMesh team. Published 2026-10-31; updated 2026-10-31.

TS stands for This sh*t. In slang, TS stands for this sh*t or that sh*t, as in ts pmo, this sh*t p*ssing me off. Many people now use it to mean just this. Outside slang, TS can mean TypeScript, top secret or, in dated usage, transsexual.

## What TS means in slang

In comments and captions, TS is short for this sh*t, or sometimes that sh*t. [Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ts-this) defines it that way and notes it's usually written lowercase, as ts. Because sh*t is a mild swear word, the original sense is crude, though the abbreviation softens it on the screen.

Here's where it gets confusing. Know Your Meme says that when ts spread widely on TikTok, X and Instagram in late 2024 and early 2025, lots of people read it as short for plain "this" and used it that way. That misuse drew a wave of backlash and memes, and Know Your Meme frames it as a failed attempt to borrow a term from African American Vernacular English. People started writing "ts (this)" to mock the mistake.

Today you'll see both readings. "Ts is so good" under a song could mean this sh*t is so good or just this is so good, and in practice the difference is small. What matters more is the mood around it. Ts very often sits next to complaints, as in ts pmo, and in those cases it's pointing at something annoying.

There's a third, older slang reading too. [Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ts) lists TS as a euphemistic initialism for tough sh*t, a blunt way of saying "too bad, deal with it". You're less likely to see that one in a TikTok caption, but it turns up in older forums and in arguments.

## Where TS comes from

When ts first appeared as shorthand for this sh*t isn't well documented. Know Your Meme describes it as an AAVE term but doesn't give a first-use date, and neither Merriam-Webster nor Dictionary.com lists the this sh*t sense in its TS entry.

The story of its spread is easier to follow. According to Know Your Meme, the first known meme about people using ts to mean "this" was a TikTok posted on July 24, 2024. A tweet in August 2024 pointing out that ts doesn't equal "this" passed 61,000 likes in five months. In December 2024, a TikTok captioned with the mock-confused "ts (this)" passed 4.6 million plays in a month. By January 2025, an Instagram Reel was already declaring the meme dead.

At the same time, ts merged into a bigger joke. Know Your Meme identifies a TikTok from December 21, 2024 as the first viral post to pile ts and pmo together for ironic effect, which kicked off what it calls the TS PMO ICL trend.

- July 2024: First known meme about using ts to mean this, per Know Your Meme
- Aug 2024: A tweet saying ts doesn't mean this passes 61,000 likes
- Dec 2024: A ts (this) TikTok passes 4.6 million plays in a month
- Dec 21, 2024: First viral post stacking ts and pmo, starting the TS PMO ICL trend
- Jan 2025: Slang overload videos with ts pmo icl pass hundreds of thousands of likes

*Source: Know Your Meme. The slang sense itself is older, but its first use isn't documented.*

## What ts pmo means, and the slang overload trend

Ts pmo is the phrase most people are trying to decode. A [Know Your Meme explainer](https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/what-does-ts-pmo-icl-mean-lets-explain-the-meaning-of-tiktoks-latest-slang-overload-trend) from February 2025 says ts is this sh*t or that sh*t, and Know Your Meme's entry on the trend says [pmo](/glossary/pmo) is p*ss me off and icl is I can't lie. So ts pmo means this sh*t is p*ssing me off, and ts pmo icl adds an honest "I can't lie" on the end.

Know Your Meme describes the [TS PMO ICL](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ts-pmo-icl) trend as slang overload: posts that cram so many abbreviations together that they stop making sense, as a joke about the slang itself. Many of them used dancing clips with text on top. One January 2025 video captioned "ts pmo icl istg ru fr rn" drew roughly 462,900 likes in five days. Know Your Meme also notes that the trend sparked debate about non-Black users appropriating AAVE, with some critics comparing it to digital blackface.

Not every ts in the trend was a complaint. Know Your Meme lists tuff among the slang that joined in, as in "ts tuff", which is praise: this is impressive. So the same two letters can open a rant or a compliment, and the word after them tells you which. If the next word is pmo, someone's annoyed. If it's tuff, hard or good, someone's impressed.

## Other meanings of TS

TS is a crowded abbreviation, and context decides almost everything.

- TypeScript. In code, .ts is the file extension for TypeScript, a typed version of JavaScript. The [TypeScript handbook](https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/typescript-tooling-in-5-minutes.html) walks through creating a file called greeter.ts. If you see ts in a GitHub repo or a developer's post, this is it.
- Top secret and tool shed. Dictionary.com lists both as standard abbreviations.
- Tough sh*t. Dictionary.com labels this one slang.
- Transsexual. Dictionary.com lists TS as an informal abbreviation for transsexual. [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transsexual) labels transsexual dated and often offensive, notes it may give offense when used by others, and says transgender is preferred. Don't use TS to describe someone.
- Ts, the chemical symbol for tennessine, and ts as the plural of the letter t, both listed by Merriam-Webster.

**Where did you see TS?**
- A TikTok caption, comment or text → Slang: this sh*t, or for many people just this.
- Code, a file name or a developer post → TypeScript. A .ts file is TypeScript source code.
- A government or military document → Top secret.
- A description of a person's gender → A dated, often offensive label. Use transgender or trans.

*Same two letters, four very different worlds.*

## How people use TS on social media

On [TikTok](/platform/tiktok), ts appears in captions and comments, often next to pmo, [fr](/glossary/fr) and [rn](/glossary/rn). On [X](/platform/twitter), it's a common way to react to a post, positive or negative. On Instagram, it shows up in Reel comments. Some posts use it sincerely and some use it as part of the overload joke, and the joke versions usually give themselves away by stacking five or more abbreviations.

- Annoyed comment: "ts pmo, why is the app logging me out again"
- Praise under a song: "ts hard"
- Reaction to a recipe: "ts looks so good"
- Overload joke: "ts pmo icl fr rn"
- Mocking the misuse: "ts (this) is my favorite season"
- Developer post: "migrated the whole project from .js to .ts this week"

## How to reply to TS

If someone writes ts pmo, they're annoyed. Respond to what's bothering them, or give them space. If they write ts in praise, like "ts so good", they're recommending something, and a like or a "right?" works.

Resist the urge to correct someone who uses ts to mean "this". The meme cycle about that already happened, and a correction in the replies usually comes across as smug. If you're genuinely unsure which TS someone means, especially in a work or coding context, just ask.

- To ts pmo: "ugh, what happened?"
- To ts hard: "right, I've had it on repeat"
- To an overload joke: a laugh reaction is plenty
- To a TypeScript question: answer the code question, not the slang

## When not to use TS

The slang sense contains a swear word, even abbreviated, so keep it out of work messages, school writing and brand posts. A company account typing ts pmo will mostly look like it's trying too hard, and the debate about AAVE appropriation makes that risk bigger, not smaller.

Watch for the other meanings too. In a developer community, ts means TypeScript, and a slang ts in a technical thread can be read the wrong way. And never use TS as a label for a person: Merriam-Webster's note on transsexual makes clear that the term can give offense.

**Before you type ts**
- [ ] You're in a casual comment thread or chat, not at work
- [ ] You're fine with the reader taking it as this sh*t
- [ ] It isn't a brand account or a customer reply
- [ ] Nobody could read it as TypeScript or top secret
- [ ] You're not using it to describe someone's gender

## TS compared with PMO, ICL and SYBAU

| Term | Stands for | Typical use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ts | This sh*t (or that sh*t) | Points at the thing being praised or complained about |
| pmo | P*ssing me off | Annoyance, usually right after ts |
| icl | I can't lie | Before an honest opinion, like ngl |
| istg | I swear to God | Emphasis or exasperation |
| fr | For real | Agreement or emphasis |
| rn | Right now | Pins the feeling to this moment |

These words often appear together, which is why a single comment can look like a code. Read left to right, "ts pmo icl fr rn" is just "this sh*t is p*ssing me off, I can't lie, for real, right now", a complaint with every intensifier attached. If you see [SYBAU](/glossary/sybau) in the same thread, things have turned rude. [PMO](/glossary/pmo) has its own entry, including a second, friendlier meaning. And [ngl](/glossary/ngl) is the polite older sibling of icl.

## Questions

### What does ts mean on TikTok?

It usually means this sh*t, though many people use it to mean just this. It often appears next to pmo, as in ts pmo.

### What does ts pmo mean?

It means this sh*t p*ssing me off. People use it to complain, and sometimes as part of a joke about piling on slang.

### Does ts just mean this?

Originally it means this sh*t or that sh*t. Know Your Meme says many people began using it as plain this in late 2024, which drew backlash and memes.

### Is ts a bad word?

It stands for a phrase with a mild swear word in it, so it's crude. Keep it out of work, school and brand writing.

### What does TS mean in coding?

It means TypeScript. TypeScript files use the .ts extension.

### Is it OK to use TS to describe a trans person?

No. TS is an informal abbreviation for transsexual, which Merriam-Webster calls dated and often offensive. Transgender is the preferred term.

## Related terms

- [PMO](https://postmesh.app/glossary/pmo)

- [SYBAU](https://postmesh.app/glossary/sybau)

- [FR](https://postmesh.app/glossary/fr)

- [RN](https://postmesh.app/glossary/rn)

- [ISTG](https://postmesh.app/glossary/istg)

- [NGL](https://postmesh.app/glossary/ngl)

## Sources

- [Know Your Meme: Ts (This)](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ts-this)

- [Know Your Meme: TS PMO ICL](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ts-pmo-icl)

- [Know Your Meme: What Does 'TS PMO ICL' Mean? (February 2025)](https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/what-does-ts-pmo-icl-mean-lets-explain-the-meaning-of-tiktoks-latest-slang-overload-trend)

- [Dictionary.com: TS](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ts)

- [Merriam-Webster: TS](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/TS)

- [Merriam-Webster: transsexual](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transsexual)

- [TypeScript handbook: TypeScript Tooling in 5 minutes](https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/typescript-tooling-in-5-minutes.html)