As newcomers enter the world of Romance and Erotica, it’s not unusual to get lost in this world’s unique pile of terms and acronyms. Reddit’s popular r/RomanceBooks, does a great job of listing them all out, but I felt, at least when I started, it would be nice to have the list sub-categorized for easier exploration. Below you will find our list of popular acronyms categorized by the context which they are typically used: ‘
General and Genre-Defining Terms
- AAR (All About Romance): A revered site for romance reviews.
- ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses): A beloved adult fantasy series.
- ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy): Pre-publication copies for review.
- CR (Contemporary Romance): Romance set post-1950.
- HR (Historical Romance): Pre-1950 romance settings.
- PNR (Paranormal Romance): Romance with supernatural elements.
- NA (New Adult): Targeting early 20s readers or characters.
- YA (Young Adult): For teenage readers or teen characters.
- SFR (Science Fiction Romance): Combines sci-fi and romance.
- FR (Fantasy Romance): Romance in fantasy settings.
Relationship Dynamics and Themes
- BDSM: Bondage, Discipline, Dominance, Submission.
- E2L/ETL (Enemies to Lovers): Romance evolving from enmity.
- F2L/FTL (Friends to Lovers): Romance blossoming from friendship.
- RH (Reverse Harem): One female, multiple male partners.
- MOC (Marriage of Convenience): Relationships formed for practical reasons.
- UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension): Unacted-upon sexual attraction.
- CNC (Consensual Non-Consent): Role-playing absence of consent.
- DDLG/DDLB: Dominant Daddy/Little Girl, Boy dynamics.
- D/s: Dominance and Submission relationships.
- GFY (Gay For You): Characters experiencing same-sex attraction uniquely.
Diversity and Inclusivity
- Ace (Asexual): Characters without sexual attraction.
- Aro (Aromantic): Characters without romantic attraction.
- BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color): Diverse racial and ethnic representation.
- GNC (Gender Nonconforming): Characters challenging gender norms.
- ENM (Ethical Nonmonogamy): Consensual non-exclusive relationships.
- WLW (Woman Loving Woman): Female-female romance.
- MLM (Man Loving Man): Male-male romance.
- NB/NBi (Non-Binary): Non-binary gender identities.
Online Communities and Platforms
- GR (GoodReads): A book tracking and review site.
- AO3 (Archive of Our Own): A fanfiction repository.
- SBTB (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books): A popular romance site.
- KU (Kindle Unlimited): Amazon’s book subscription service.
Specific Books and Authors
- CoHo (Colleen Hoover): A popular romance author.
- CCW (Cate C. Wells): Another notable author in the genre.
- IPB (Ice Planet Barbarians): A specific book series.
Miscellaneous Terms
- HEA (Happily Ever After): Ideal positive endings.
- HFN (Happy For Now): Temporary positive conclusions.
- TBR (To Be Read): List of pending books.
- DNF (Did Not Finish): Books not completed by the reader.
- OTP (One True Pairing): A favorite fictional couple.
- OMYW (Older Man, Younger Woman): A specific age dynamic.
- OWYM (Older Woman, Younger Man): The reverse age dynamic.
- XX (Nonbinary and Nonbinary romance): Nonbinary-focused romance.
Acknowledgement to Reddit’s RomanceBooks subreddit for providing the foundation for this comprehensive list.