Shorthand can be useful for quickly communicating information—but only if you and your audience are familiar with the meaning of the given term. For those who don’t know: “TL;DR” is relatively common slang that stands for “too long; didn’t read.” However, the contextual meaning of this word can change depending on who is using it and how they use it.
What does TL;DR mean?
TL;DR is an initialism that’s short for “too long; didn’t read.” It’s an informal phrase that’s used to tag a quick, digestible summary of a longer piece of content, such as an extensive email. It can also be a request for such a summary.
Originally, the abbreviation TL;DR was used in the comments sections of online forums and was a way for commenters to indicate that they wanted a concise breakdown of a longer post. What they expected was to be entertained or informed without putting too much time or effort into getting the gist of a post.
Sometimes it was wielded as a criticism, used to mean that a piece of writing was simply too long or confusing to be worth the time it took to read it in full. In this dismissive sense, TL;DR expressed disapproval and served as a warning to other readers. It was officially recognized as a word by Merriam-Webster in 2018. Today, it has lost much of its snarky connotation, but that depends on the context.
As an initialism, TL;DR is pronounced by stating each letter rather than by pronouncing it as a single word as you would for an acronym like radar. You may sometimes see it written without the semicolon: TLDR.
When should you use TL;DR?
Typically, you’d use TL;DR in connection with a long post or message. The writer may use it to introduce a quick summary of their text, or a reader may do so as a comment.
TL;DR can serve as a response, or part of a response, to a long piece of content—especially in less formal contexts, like a Slack thread. However, you should be cautious with this option, as the tone can affect whether it’s received well.
After all, there can be a big difference between replying, “I’m heading into a meeting—can you share a quick TL;DR?” and just replying, “TL;DR.” (That’s particularly true in a professional setting.) The context is critical.
How to use TL;DR correctly
To summarize a document or message
If you’re writing a lengthy document or message, you can use TL;DR at the top or the bottom before summarizing the most pertinent information. A TL;DR section is similar to an abstract in this way.
However, an abstract typically appears at the top of lengthy material, such as a research paper. It should represent every important point in the paper.
In contrast, a TL;DR section often comes at the end, can be very brief, and aims to present only the most important information—maybe just the single conclusion readers should take away.
In this case, you can simply start the summary with “TL;DR:”—note the colon. Then you can provide the key points via sentences, paragraphs, or bullet points.
As a request for a summary
When using TL; DR as a request, consider how your response will be received. In the wrong context, it can come off as somewhat rude, particularly if you don’t know the writer well. It can also be perceived as a critique that the content is too long or difficult to understand.
Should you use TL;DR at work?
It’s generally best to keep TL;DR to less formal settings, such as social media posts, instant messages, and text messages. It would be a professional blunder to use it in a workplace where it’s not welcome. That said, it depends on your environment. Some workplaces may have a culture where slang like TL;DR is allowed or even encouraged, at least in certain contexts.
You’ll have to use your judgment here. But, when in doubt, follow the leader: If multiple senior leaders use similar slang regularly, it’s likely OK to use TL;DR. If your workplace is more formal, consider using alternative words like “summary” or “overview.”
TL;DR examples
At the top of a long work email:
“TL;DR: Our sales projections for Q4 are looking good.”
In a Slack message:
“Can you provide a TL;DR of this doc?”
In a text to a friend:
“So TLDR, I’m not sure if I can make it, but I’ll try my best!”
At the end of a lengthy presentation:
“TLDR:
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]”
When recommending a long article or report to colleagues:
“Highly recommend giving this a read: [LINK] (It’s long, but TL;DR: it looks like X, which means Y. This may impact Z.)”
TL;DR FAQs
- What does TL;DR stand for? TL;DR is an initialism that stands for “too long; didn’t read.”
- When should you use TL;DR? TL;DR is used in connection with longer posts or emails. You can either use it as a tag, just before a focused summary (if you’re the author), or you can request a summary by asking for a TL;DR as a reader.
- How does a TL;DR differ from a summary? A TL;DR section is a type of summary that’s meant to provide a quick breakdown of the most important pieces of information in a long piece of content.
- What is TL;DR? TL;DR is an initialism, which is a type of abbreviation. This means you pronounce TL;DR by saying each letter (as you would with the initialism “Ph.D.”), rather than attempting to pronounce it as a word, like “NASA.”