Messaging has become a popular means of communication today. More and more people send messages in many different ways – over the Internet on their Facebook statuses, Twitter tweets, text messages, etc. To type more quickly, they often use short phrases or acronyms which have become very common and popular.
So, instead of typing “Laughing out loud” the person you are chatting with or exchanging messages will type LOL. Instead of “Be right back” – BRB, “Oh my God” – OMG, and so on. It is interesting that some of these acronyms have become so popular that they are included in English dictionaries like the acronym LOL, which is published in the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.
Of course, from time to time, a person may be confused with these acronyms, for example people who have just started using a 
computer or a cell phone, or opened a Facebook account, or when they are chatting with someone who is familiar with these acronyms.
One of the acronyms often used in text messaging, Facebook, Twitter and similar is SMH. At the same time it also confuses people, since it seems that it has several different meanings and of course it cannot be used in only one situation like LOL. So the question now is – What does SMH mean?
The Different Meanings of SMH
SMH has several different meanings depending on the context, which are quite popular and also several uncommon ones. So, let’s find out what are they.
SMH – Shaking My Head
One of the most common meanings of SMH is Shaking My Head. We can use this acronym when we can’t find words to reply to someone saying something extraordinary stupid or when something or someone annoys us.
SMH – Scratching My Head
Another popular meaning of SMH is “Scratching my head”. It can be used when we are very confused with the message we have just received, so you have to think a little. Some of us will literally scratch the head while thinking about the answer.
SMH – Smack My Head
Sometimes SMH can mean Smack my head. You can use it when the person you are exchanging messages with irritates you so much that you would like to smack that person’s head.
Other meanings of SMH
As you can see SMH can mean both Shaking my head and Scratching my head, depending on the situation we are using it. However, there are some other meanings of this acronym which are not used so often but are still worth mentioning. For example:
- SMH – Sydney Morning Herald, the oldest newspaper published in Sydney (since 1831).
- SMH – Semiconductor HOLDRS Trust
- SMH – SMH Bank (Schröder, Münchmeyer, Hengst & Co.)
- SMH – System Management Homepage
Before you decide what to write next when you receive a message with SMH at the end, see what the context of the message is. It doesn’t always mean that you have said something stupid or confusing, read through the previous message again and see if it indicates thinking, confusion, irritation or something similar.
There are hundreds of acronyms like this used on the Internet and more new acronyms are created and used every day. They help us exchange information in a quicker and more efficient way, but at many occasions, they can confuse us if we are not familiar with their meaning. So the next time you receive a message with an unknown acronym try to figure out what it means on your own, and then search for its meaning on the Internet. It will be interesting to see if the meaning you thought it may have matches with the meaning you have found on the net.