# TBH

TBH is an internet initialism for "to be honest," a candid-preface shorthand that grew out of SMS text speak in the 1990s and 2000s before becoming a full-blown social ritual on Facebook and Instagram. By the mid-2010s it powered confession posts, hashtag games and a dedicated compliments app that Facebook eventually bought.

## Origin
The exact first use is not documented, but TBH almost certainly grew out of SMS text speak in the 1990s, when character limits pushed users toward heavy abbreviation[3]. The earliest dated public record of the initialism as a defined term is a June 23rd, 2003 Urban Dictionary entry by user Suzuki, who glossed it as "to be honest"[2].

From there it moved into wider reference works. Wiktionary added an entry for TBH on December 23rd, 2006, cementing it as a documented English abbreviation rather than a purely chat-room habit[3]. A related spin-off, "cbf tbh" ("can't be fucked, to be honest"), was submitted to Urban Dictionary on July 4th, 2008[4].

- **Platform:** SMS text speak / Urban Dictionary (first documented)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2003

## Overview
TBH is short for "to be honest," typically dropped in front of an opinion the speaker wants to frame as candid or slightly risky. It shows up almost entirely in text messages, DMs and social feeds rather than speech[4]. The initialism carries a soft hedge, giving whatever follows the flavor of a confession instead of a pronouncement.

By the early 2010s TBH stopped being just a filler and started structuring whole posts. On Facebook it powered a like-for-honesty exchange in which someone offered a personal opinion to anyone who liked their status[5]. On Instagram it migrated into hashtag form, with users tagging short confession clips #TBH so viewers could scroll a feed of small honesty moments[1].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is TBH?
TBH is an initialism for "to be honest," used online and in texts to preface a candid opinion or confession[2].

### Where did TBH come from?
It grew out of 1990s SMS text speak; the earliest widely cited definition is a June 23rd, 2003 Urban Dictionary entry by user Suzuki[2].

### What does TBH mean?
It literally means "to be honest" and functions as a soft hedge that flags the next statement as candid[3].

### How do you use TBH?
It typically goes at the start or end of a text, DM or post: "TBH, I didn't love it." On Facebook it powered a like-for-honesty status game where a post promised an honest opinion to anyone who liked it[5].

### Is TBH still popular?
TBH is a classic piece of internet slang that stuck around from SMS into Facebook and Instagram, where it drove #TBH confession videos by 2014[1].

## References
1. [http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/the-new-internet-honesty/379478/](<http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/the-new-internet-honesty/379478/>)
2. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tbh](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tbh>)
3. [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/TBH](<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/TBH>)
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tbh](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tbh>)
5. [http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-people-facebook-drive-crazy/](<http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-people-facebook-drive-crazy/>)
6. [https://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/tbh-to-be-honest-and-more-slang-parents-should-know](<https://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/tbh-to-be-honest-and-more-slang-parents-should-know>)
7. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myWcEPf5W2E](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myWcEPf5W2E>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/tbh
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