{"id":328759,"date":"2021-08-22T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-does-tldr-mean-and-how-do-you-use-it\/"},"modified":"2021-08-22T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T11:00:00","slug":"what-does-tldr-mean-and-how-do-you-use-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-does-tldr-mean-and-how-do-you-use-it\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Does \u201cTLDR\u201d Mean, and How Do You Use It?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2ecd8d55c9a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2ecd8d55c9a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-does-tldr-mean-and-how-do-you-use-it\/#Too_Long_Didnt_Read\" >Too Long; Didn\u2019t Read<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-does-tldr-mean-and-how-do-you-use-it\/#TLDR_Dates_Back_to_the_Early_2000s\" >TLDR Dates Back to the Early 2000s<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-does-tldr-mean-and-how-do-you-use-it\/#How_Do_You_Use_TLDR\" >How Do You Use TLDR?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#What Does \u201cTLDR\u201d Mean, and How Do You Use It?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-748256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/the-word-tldr-in-big-yellow-letters-against-a-black-background.jpeg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/the-word-tldr-in-big-yellow-letters-against-a-black-background.jpeg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/the-word-tldr-in-big-yellow-letters-against-a-black-background.jpeg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The word TL;DR in big yellow letters against a black background\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/long-didnt-read-word-tldr-yellow-421134562?\">Imagentle\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unlike most internet acronyms, TLDR (or TL;DR) has found its way into <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> articles, professional emails, and even\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/TL;DR\">Merriam-Webster\u2019s Dictionary<\/a>.\u00a0But what does TLDR mean, how do you use it, and where did it come from?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Too_Long_Didnt_Read\"><\/span>Too Long; Didn\u2019t Read<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>TLDR (or TL;DR) is a common internet acronym for \u201cToo Long; Didn\u2019t Read.\u201d At face value, the phrase seems pretty easy to understand. But words and phrases can change depending on their context, and TLDR is no exception.<\/p>\n<p>In its simplest form, TLDR is used to express that a piece of digital text (an article, email, etc.) is too long to be worth reading. A lone \u201cTLDR?\u201d without any explanation could be an intentionally rude or funny comment. In most cases, though, it\u2019s just a witty acknowledgment that a small chunk of text is easier to digest than a large wall of text.<\/p>\n<p>That said, you\u2019ll rarely see a lone \u201cTLDR\u201d in the comments for a web article (or anywhere, really). People tend to accompany their TLDR with a summary of what\u2019s being discussed. At the bottom of a lengthy article on football, for example, you might find a comment that says \u201cTLDR: the Patriots will win the next Super Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along this same line, writers sometimes include a TLDR at the top or bottom of their web article, email, or text message. This is meant to be a summary of what the author is saying, and it\u2019s a disclaimer that the details of a long text may not be worth every reader\u2019s time. A ten-paragraph product review for a cr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y laptop, for example, could simply start with \u201cTLDR: this laptop sucks.\u201d That\u2019s the quick summary, and you can read further for details.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TLDR_Dates_Back_to_the_Early_2000s\"><\/span>TLDR Dates Back to the Early 2000s<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Like most internet slang, we don\u2019t really know where the word TLDR came from. Our best guess is that the phrase originated from discussion boards like the Something Awful Forums and 4Chan during the early 2000s.<\/p>\n<p>Merriam-Webster\u2019s Dictionary (which accepted \u201cTL;DR\u201d as a word in 2018) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/TL;DR\">claims that<\/a> the word was first used in 2002, but provides no evidence to support its claim.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-435364 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hero-3.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A Google Analytics graph showing how often people search for the phrases &quot;TLDR&quot; or &quot;TL;DR.&quot; Over the years, searches for &quot;TLDR&quot; have gone up, while searches for &quot;TL;DR&quot; have decreased.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"Google Analytics\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/trends.google.com\/trends\/explore?date=2004-01-01%202019-07-29&amp;q=&quot;tldr&quot;,tl;dr\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/trends.google.com\/trends\/explore?date=2004-01-01%202019-07-29&amp;q=\">Google Analytics<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As of right now, the earliest recorded use of TLDR (then spelled \u201cTL;DR\u201d) dates back to January of 2003, when it was added to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.urbandictionary.com\/define.php?term=TLDR\">Urban Dictionary<\/a>. There are also some <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/genmay.com\/tl-dr-t150556.html\">forum posts<\/a> that contain the word \u201cTL;DR\u201d from later that same year.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2004, Google searches for the term \u201cTLDR\u201d or \u201cTL;DR\u201d have slowly climbed. Sadly, Google Analytics started in January 2004, so we can\u2019t look any further back than that. You can see that use of the word \u201cTLDR\u201d has far exceeded \u201cTL;DR\u201d since 2004, which is why we\u2019ve dropped the semi-colon for most of this article.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_You_Use_TLDR\"><\/span>How Do You Use TLDR?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a>ly speaking, you should only use TLDR when summarizing a piece of text, whether you\u2019re the author or commenter. Using the phrase TLDR without offering a useful summary for the content can come off as intentionally rude (but of course, that may be your intention).<\/p>\n<p>When using TLDR as a commenter, your job is very simple. Provide a useful summary that other readers can understand or leave a snarky \u201cTLDR\u201d and come off as rude or childish.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-435363 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-10.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A man wonders if he should reply to his boss' long email with a hefty TLDR.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"fizkes\/Shutterstock.com\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/head-shot-serious-puzzled-african-american-1414318691?\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/head-shot-serious-puzzled-african-american-1414318691?\">fizkes\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When using TLDR as an author, your job is a little more complicated. Placing a TLDR-summary at the beginning of an article or email can save the reader\u2019s time or serve as a quick introduction, but it can also give the reader a reason to skip the details of your text.<\/p>\n<p>A TLDR-summary at the end of a long text is sometimes more desirable, as it allows you to sum up all of the details that the reader is digesting. But in some situations, this use can feel a bit sarcastic. It\u2019s as if the author is acknowledging that their own wall of text can adequately be understood in a single sentence.<\/p>\n<p>As for professional or scholarly use, it just depends on the context. As a rule of thumb, don\u2019t throw around TLDR anywhere you wouldn\u2019t say LOL. But if you really want to use\u00a0TLDR in a professional environment (it\u2019s big among programmers, marketers, and writers), consider saying \u201cTL;DR\u201d instead. It looks fancier than the basic TLDR, and it\u2019s accepted as a word by Webster\u2019s Dictionary.<\/p>\n<p>So, TLDR: TLDR is a useful way to summarize details and speed up communication. Use it when it feels right, and try to avoid sounding rude.<\/p>\n<p><small>Sources: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/knowyourmeme.com\/memes\/tldr#fn2\">Know Your Meme<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/TL;DR\">Merriam-Webster<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Too Long; Didn\u2019t Read TLDR (or TL;DR) is a common&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":328760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/the-word-tldr-in-big-yellow-letters-against-a-black-background.jpeg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-328759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}