STFW

Now repeat after me: "I will search before I ask. I will search before I ask. I will search before I ask..."

STFW is an abbreviation for "Search the Fucking Web." Often used in a forum or on LJ when a newbie asks a stupid question, often about where to find something on the internets that they could easily find out themselves in 5 seconds with a Google search.

A sample exchange might go as follows:

Prima: i just got this new internet thingie cuz i heard it had nekkid picz of paris hilton.

Prima: ...where can i find those picz plz????

Secunda: Just STFW.

Prima: WHAT

External Links

Just Fucking Google It

STFW is part of a series on Language & Communication

Languages and Dialects • Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, Style, and Usage • Rhetorical Strategies • Poetry • The Politics of Language and Communication • Media • Visual Rhetoric
Click topics to expand

1337 • Сибирской говор • American Language • AOL speak • Babelfish • Bemmel • Dyslexia • Ebonics • English • Engrish • Esperanto • Hebrew • HTML • Internets English • Klingon • Latin • Mathematics • Moonspeak • Pirate • Short type • Toki Pona • Wikipedese • Упячка

^ • [sic] • A and an • Abbreviation • ALL CAPS • Altcaps • Amirite • Baleet • B0rk • Captions• Cheeky Nando's • Commas • E- (prefix) • Ellipsis • etc. • EVAR • Exclamation Point • Fnord • Gaiden • GAR • Generic Article • Good Spelling • Graphic transcription • H8 • Homosexual Epithets • Hott • Introduction to English • I Will Beat A Rod Till... A Tank Empties • kthxbye • Liek • Like • Literally • Meh • Moar • Nao • Never • No Homo • Oh • Oh noes • Opposites • Plox • Plz • Plskthx • Pindos • Portmanteau • Ppl • pr0n • Prolly • Pun • Pwnt • r • Rekt • Serious Discussion • Skill • Slash • Snoregasm • Some argue • Spellcheck • Srsly • Stuff • Stylometry • Sup • There, Their, and They're • Teh • Tilde • To, Too, and Two • Typical • Typo • Twice • Uber • Underscore • User Stress Syndrome • Virii • Wat do • LOL WUT • What • Whatever • What-EVER • Winnar • w00t • Word • Yes • No • You're/Your • Your a fucking idiot

Analogy • And Fuck You Anyway • Are You Fucking Kidding Me • Bale Out • Circular Logic • Condescension • Confirm/Deny • Constructive Criticism • Come at me bro • Cry moar • Deadname • Dubious Disclaimer • Dislikes • English Is Not My Native Language • ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER DO YOU SPEAK IT • Excuse me wtf r u doin • Fallacious Reasoning • Faulty Logic • Filibuster • Flame Wars • Fuck Her Right In The Pussy • Go fuck yourself • I have a 140 IQ • Just Saying • Killer • Lie • Logic and Reason • Mega ultra super genius • Message • Neologism • NO U • OBEY • Opinion • Prank call • Pseudo-intellectual • Questionable logic • Read a book • Sarcasm • Seems Legit • Shaming • Shout Out • Snark • Spam • Stale • Strategy Guide • Straw Man • Stream of Consciousness • Swearing • TL;DR • Too cool for the internet • Zing

Iambic Pentameter • Poetry • PFFA

Advertising • Censorship • Cliché • Context • Dan's Devil's Dictionary • DINDUNUFFIN • Free Speech • Gender-neutral language• Grammar Nazi • Internet linguistics • Leeching • L.U.L.Z. • Noam Chomsky • Personal Pronouns • THE POWER OF ONLINE VIDEO COMMUNICATION • Signaling • Statistics • Tay • Translation • Wordfilter

AIM • Backmasking • Bayeux Tapestry • Bcc • Blog • Cell phone • Chat Logs • Comments • E-mail • Everything2 • Forum • Hate Mail • ICQ • Internets • IRC • LiveJournal • Kindle • Mailing list • MLB.tv • MSN • Old Media • Personal Message • Powerpoint presentation • Ringtones • Sidekick • Skype • Social Networking Sites • SMS • Television • Trending • Web 2.0 • Web 3.0

♥ • <3 • A+ • ASCII • Big • Blink • BrokenSpacebar • Demotivators • Emotes • Emoji • Emoticons • Fifty Hitler Post • Gif War • Gooby • Graph • Icon • Image Macro • Heatenings • Le Pointy Nose Smiling Face • Otaku emoticons • Rainbow blinkies • Small • Smileys • Marquee • This is Bob • Venn Diagram

STFW is part of a series on acronyms

[BRB LOLWTFBBQ]

Internets Lingo	AFAIK • ASL • BFF • BRB • BTFO • BTW • CBF • DBI • DFC • FFS • FTFY • FTW • G2G • GG • GTFO • IAWTC • IDGAF • IDK • IIRC • ILY • IMO • IMHO • ISHYGDDT • J/K • JFC • LMAO • LOL • M/F? • NSFW • OMG • QFT • PHP • ROFL • RTFM • SNCA • STFU • STFW • SWTF • TMI • TND • TTYL • WTF • YGGR • YWNBAW • ZOMG
Other Lingo	BCC • FIRRIB • FYIAD • FUBAR • GABYAW • IDIFTL • PITR • TLA • YHBT
Internet Places/Group	CDC • FCTC • FYAD • GNAA • IRC • LUE • PP4L • TJC • TOTSE
Moar Internet Shit	BBQ • GNU • GPG4Win • MTP • MMORPG • P2P • PGP • ROR
IRL Acronyms	BBS • BCE • BDIC • GNWT • ITT Tech • JFK • NORP • PB • YOLO
Bad Acronyms	ACLU • ACMA • ACORN • ALF • ATF • BDSM • BLP • CIA • CP • CSD • DMCA • EDL • ESRB • FBI • FA • FFA • FNB • IWF • L.U.L.Z. • MGTOW • MPAA • MTP • MUGEN • NAMBLA • NEDM • RIAA • SPH • SPLC • TBBT • TOW • WWJD

STFW

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