June 21, 2008
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Expressing Laughter On the Internet
We all come to the place where we find the need to express laughter on the Internet.
I started off just making comments on sites and found that people could not read the sarcasm. So someone suggested that I adopt some way of expressing my laughter.
The “lol” option is out there for everyone to use. I could never get myself to use “lol.” So I went with “ha.” “Sure that outfit looks great on you. Ha.” “Yes, I think Ron Paul has a chance in this election. Ha.”
It let people know I was joking. Then a friend told me that “ha” was limited and it felt like an uncomfortable laugh. She suggested that I go with the “haha.” So to this day, I use the “haha.”
I notice some people add the subtle “a” before the “ha” getting a “ahahaha.” or even adding the “b” getting “bahaha.”
How do you express laughter on the Internet?
Comments (146)
hahaha.
I hocked Monk’s expression “LOL outloud”
I use it sparingly….I know how DMV hates LOL.
bahahahahahha
Muhahaha
Hahaha
haha
ha
ahaha
lol
lawl
hahahha…lol
Heh.
bwahahahaha?
i alternate between haha, hehe, and lol… usually followed by this little guy –>
if its really, really funny, i have been known to type “haha/hehe/lol
”
ROFL, LMFAO, LMAO, OMFG AHAHA, LOL, PMSL or XD
haha, hehe, teehee, hah, ahaha, bahaha *laughs* *chuckles* *giggles*
I will not – under any circumstances – use (shudder) “lol” to express laughter.
HAHAHA!
Seriously though, I like the “ha.” the best because it sounds mocking and provocative.
LOL! My favorite. I also use “ahahaha” and “hehe”. If I am being sarcastic, which I’m not too often, I will use, “harhar”.
Kathi
lol only if I really am laugh out loud.
(sarcasm)
(Irony)
or nothing at all and hope they have a two digit IQ
Haha. (simple laughter; also “Hahaha”)
Wahahaha! (really amused)
Mwahahahahahahaha. (faux evil)
Bwahahahahahaha! (more evil than mwaha)
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! (extremely amused)
LOL (kind of like “haha”)
HAHAHAHAHA (mostly the same as “Hahahahahahaha”, but I generally use it on IM)
=:D (Wide smile, some laughter)
=XD (“OMG, what the heck” sort of laughter)
…I think that’s everything.
LMAO, LOL -if I’m really laughing it’s caps.
lol- when I’m not really laughing but can’t think of anything to respond to when someone says something stupid.
HAHAHAHAHA- really laughing.
hehehehehe
i seldom actually laugh at the computer screen, but when i am so moved ive gotten comfortable with “LOL” (yes i hate it’s fake usage).
i very frequently chuckle (usually internally) to at the computer screen so i use “IC” for that.
and if i’m making a tongue-in-cheek comment i dont bother explaining the fact i’m just kidding (like your use of “ha”). if the person cant recognize clever sarcasm, then i probablly wouldnt get on well with that person anyway.
I don’t like LOL….I think it’s overused…way too overused..but sometimes I do it anyway.
Otherwise, I use ‘teehee’ or ‘haha’ followed by a =)
I never laugh on the internet.
ha. ahaha. bwaahahahaahahaa
lol
Seriously, Dan…
I just SPAM the hell out of the “H” and “A” button on my keyboard, which results into a combination of either a very simplistic:
hahaha
or (for hardcore laughter)
HAhaahahaHAahaAHAhAHaHAAHaha.
You know?
depends on whether it’s just slightly amusing: lol or haha
whether i smiled at it: hahahahah or ahahaha depending on where my finger lands first
or whether it was really really funny: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL HAHAHAHAHHHAHA
and then of course there are more complicated levels within.
lol, haha, hehe, rofl, lmao, roflcopter, lollerskates, mwaha, bwahaha, and if it’s really funny, capitalize all of the above, or add letters.
“heh” “haha” “hahahahaha”…. I try not to use “lol” because it reminds me too much of my high school days, but, hey, we can’t all be perfect now can we? :p (<–I use that symbol a lot too when I’m being a wise-ass, which tends to take the place of a “haha”)
I mean, I write out “haha” sometimes as an awkwardish laugh, “heh” for amused, and “oh man, I think I just wet my pants laughing” for hysterical.
everything mentioned except LOL. I hate that.
I’m not much of a laugher. Except in rare circumstances, the most people get from me is a smiley face.
Many ways!
But never lol..
no..
never..
Not any of those other ones either..
like ROFL.. LMAO.. none of that kind of stuff..
and I Love these guys->! XD
“xD”
lol is just a filler
LOL is I’m really laughing
LMAO is I’m still laughing
hahaha is I’m bored with lol
HAHAHA is I’m bored with LOL
LMAO stays the same.
I hate LOL but I don’t know what else to say. Sometimes I say ha ha. Mwaaha ha ha for an evil laugh. ROFLPMP if it’s really funny. But they’re all stupid, arent’ they?
i use ahahahaha or lololololololol or
Heh if its just a giggle
lol if its funny
Bahahaha if its really funny
Muhahaha if its really funny and evil twist to it
never though about it much until now lol
lol
lmao
haha(hahaha)
“=)”
I use lmao, or hehehe
Har har.
i say lol to annoy people sometimes.
haha
if it’s CRAZY laughter, I go with pwahahaha. Just say it outloud…it’s like a burst of laughter… pwahahah! I also go with lol a lot and lmao.
I opt for the “haha” as well. Or maybe a “hahaha” if it’s especially funny.
I usually go with, “heh- heh,” which definitely sounds a little sarcastic. . .Or if someone writes something really funny, I just go with, “This was freaking hilarious.”
it depends on which voice in my head is doing the typing.
edit:
haha- funny/amused
lol- getting a little closer
hehe- miscivious laugh
hahhahahahha- really laughing
I like “lol”, it’s fast.
haha. this is a good post.
wow. heh. you’ve given this waaay too much thought! lol. You’re so crazy. lmao!
Every different kind of laugh has its own place you know. That’s what makes online chatting so much fun! hahaha!
ROTFLMAO – if it’s really funny
ROTFLOL – if it’s funny
LMAO – funny
AHAHAHA, BAHAHA, HAHAHA, LOLOL, etc – better than the LOL or HAHA but not quite LMAO worthy
LOL, HAHA – a little laugh but nothing truly worthy of an HAHAHA or higher
“haha” is my default. “ha” is my more cynical response. “puahaha” is for evil plots – and on and on. I avoid “lol” but I do use “lmao.”
I can’t express my laughter on the internet….no one can see me pointing and laughing at them.
Dear Dan,
I always forget to use emoticon language and since I’m not usually “humorous” on the internet, people probably think I’m serious even when I’m joking.
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
I usually smirk. But truly, I try not to type use an expression unless I feel that I would have that reaction, were the person there in front of me. And I can’t help it, I wink at the screen any time I use a wink icon.
I mainly express my laughter online with LOL or LMAO.
bwahaha!
lol; smiling… I don’t actually laugh out loud or have lots of laughs.
lmao; actually laughing.
ha; short laugh.
ha!; sarcastic laugh.
I probably use every messenger-speak form of laughter there is at some point during an online conversation.
Haaaaa… works too. shifty*
Usually “hahaha,” “heh” if it’s not that funny or just as a filler, and “I just about died laughing” if it’s hilarious.
I use “lol” or “LOL” sometimes.
(>’.')>
Depends on the situation
lol – laughing
LOL – laughing hysterically
bwahahaha – mocking laughter
Mwahahaha – evil laughter
falalalala – la la la la
If it’s really funny, I’ll say something like “Oh my lmao.” If it’s just funny I’ll say lol. If I really thought it was funny, but most people wouldn’t I’ll tell the person flat out that I just laughed out loud for real.
Does anybody remember laughter?
Robert Plant
I was bulletin board systems even before the internet went public where the beginnings of net-speak are grounded, so “lol” has pretty much been in my vocabulary since then. Nowadays, if I use lol, i probably didn’t really laugh, but it’s just a filler. If I used LOL (in caps), then it was an actual laugh. I also use ha, haha, hah, hehe, and heh…. to express laughter and/or mock laughter.
as as JJ_Ames says three comments up, I also use the mocking and evil laugh as appropriat.. even the lalala
With parentheses … if I read something funny (snicker), like your decision to vote for Obama (snicker … ralph). Wow, that’s the first time I puked while laughing.
lol if it’s funny…or LOL if it’s really funny.
Eh Oh El is what my friend always says. So annoying lol
Depends on the degree of humor. Things that are not really funny or are only said with a slight chuckle deserve lol or ha. Cynical things require lawl. Things that are genuinely funny deserve LOL (in caps this time), lmao, or rofl.
lol
roflol
rofpimplol
heeheeheehee
bwhahaha
I like the hehehe its more of a snicker could be an evil giggle or a good giggle.
>snork< followed by
i’m an lol person
I type “haha” or “hehe.” I save “lol” for when I am laughing out loud for real or pretty close to it. It’s a bit annoying when people really overuse “lol.”
I use sideways anime faces. >__> Like a nerd.
”xD” <- scrunched eyes and open mouth
”8D” <- wide eyed cackle
Lol…especially after I found out how people hate it. Or sometimes: <==Laughing (pointing at the profile pic I use.
It’s interesting that people laugh so much on the Internet. They laugh more here than they do in real life.
bah ha ha. =]
occasionally I use lol. usuallly I just put ha, heh, hahahahaha, or a smiley face. unless I’m going for evil laughter, in which case it’s meh, heh, heh or the Mandarkian Ahaha! Ahaha! Ahahahaha!
@seedsower - He’s definitely not the only one.
It depends on the level of humor. I’m anti-emoticon, so that limits, too.
(grin)
HA!
ha ha
HAR HAR!
Hee hee
mwah-ha-ha-ha
And, for truly hysterical moments, AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
oh and people who say ROFFLE get on my damn nerves
LOL if it’s really funny, or if it made me chuckle on the inside, lol.
I’ll have to give this some more thought. I had not idea this could be so complex.
I still use lol and I ocasionally use HA…
Sometimes I like to go ith the evil maniacal MUAHAHAHA…
depends on what sort of laughter i am expressing.. i never lol or lmao
its like haha, ha!, heh, hehe, teehee, muahaha, hahahahahahahaha, teeheehee… all those guys =)
i dont really use any… buf if i do i use LMFAO for stuff thats actually funny. Or just a ha when I don’t give a damn.
“Wahhh!”
Well, I also use the single “ha” after I say something sarcastic. But something I have learned is that when you are talking to someone on messenger, then saying “haha” seems canned. Like a pity laugh. BUT if you type, “hahaha” then it seems more genuine.
I usually use “lol”, “rofl”, or “ROFLMAO”. They work pretty well for me when I need them.
Actually, it really depends on what type of people are going to be reading it.
I rarely use “lol”, but if hyper, preteen-teenage girls are going to be reading it I will.
Otherwise, haha, hehe, hah, ahaha, etc. or if it’s evil laughter muahaha.
Or occasionally I’ll put it in asterisks. Like, *Laughs*
I used lol
lmao for actually funny cases
and lawl with some of my male friends.
I use muhahahhah to indicate evil laughter
In order of frequency of use
lol
*hehe*
*haha*
I do “lolololol” a lot…
It depends on if it really makes me laugh out loud, if it is short of funny then it is “haha”, not really funny but it was supposed to be is “ha”, and hilarious or even evil is “buahahaha!”
XD
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HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
haha…..or hehe
Haha when I’m actually laughing and I add, “Oh my gosh that is hilarious.”
If I giggle I type hehe or tehe
lol when I’m typing super fast.
<3
I’ve used all of the above expressions, and of course I’m also guilty of the all-too-common lol. I capitalize for effect as needed, of course. And I also use this a lot:
But I use that for grinning more than laughing.
LOL– why is it just so grindingly annoying??
I use haha. Unless I think it’s really funny, then I add another “ha.” Hahaha.
My friend uses bahaha sometimes. I personally don’t like it because it doesn’t seem real.
hihi ^_^
I say lol, rofl, lmao, roflmao, lmfao, lawl, lulz, ha, haha, sometimes even hehe… I try not to use the same one repeatedly. It depends on how funny something is, of course. “Bwahaha,” “bahaha,” and associated ways of laughing that start with consonants are like, maniacal laughter. “Ahaha” is.. I don’t know what that is exactly.
To express sarcasm I use “_>” or a face like “^_^;” or something with the “;,” which in otaku typing is a sweat drop, which is used in anime to express a variety of lawltastic reactions, including sarcasm and embarrassment which is usually accompanied by the redness in the face, or big “omg” eyes. Or “Ha ha” works for me, too.
Or I go with the good old, say something sarcastic — wait for a reaction — then say “just kidding” and smile. Or I’ll put a “:D?” at the end, which is kind of “please don’t kill me” in one unsure grinny face.
If I am really just laughing my arse off, then I probably won’t actually respond until I’m done laughing my bum off.
lol
ha ha
ROFLOL!
*hit them in the face* – kidding
XD
hahahahhaahaha/////
lulzzzzzzz
looooooooooool
LOOOOooooOooOooooOooooOoOLS
*laughs*
haha.
I use: haha, lol, lmao, lmfao, xD.
I love to laugh and make others laugh.
Haha. Nyahaha.
hahah.
bahaha.
ahaha.
XD
xD
lawl.
rofl.
i hate lol with a passion. xD
XD <—- if you tilt you head to the left, you can see that the X are a squinting pair of eyes and the D is a laughing mouth. This one is also in the lol department though.
lol when it’s pretty funny, LOL when it’s really funny, lmao (laughing my ass off) when it’s hilarious and rofl (Rolling On the Floor Laughing) when it’s knee-slapping crying sort of funny…
“That made me bust a gizzard”. Heh heh tee hee.
-slaps knee and throws cap into the air…
bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha
I mainly use “haha”, but I sometimes use “lol” and “lmao”.
I do haha, hehe, and lol
aehhaeaehaehaehaeh – aka random a with e with h
i find ppl who use heh or lol or haha – well what i mean is it kinda makes me think they are being sarcastic or something.
lol seems over used and equal to a smile or nothing at all.
HIHI
“Lawlz”
It’s a relaxed “lol”.
Or if I’m joking or being sarcastic – a little winking smiley does the job
lmao, lmfao, hahahahaha!, omglmfao. oh, and teehee on certain occasions.
Back in the lonely years of Middle School-dom, LOL, was commonly used. Now I just go with the jeering ‘haha’ or the typical winking smiley ; -]
lolz
lol.
heh.
teehee.
hahaha.
I use ha ha (notice the space between them. Because in Chinese we say 哈哈, which consists of two words. By the way, the pronunciation is very similar. May be we speak different languages but we smile the same way.)
i giggle
or sometimes giglge:)
Depends on what manner of laughter I’m trying to portray.
Funny laugher = lol
Sarcastic laughter = ha
Giggly-insane laughter = hehehehehehehe
Evil laugher = mwahahahaha
Etc.
I use “lol” a lot. Its kind of a bad habit but I can’t help myself. To change things up I like to use Haha. Or Mwahahahaha. For an evil laugh. Depending on the length of my laugh depends on the length of the haha’s. I also like to use smilies to express laughter. Like on msn you can use those icons that show someone laughing. I need to stop my self from using “lol” but its soo hard!!
My roommate and I freshman year of college used to chat to each other whilst in the same room; whenever she was under her loft bed and I was under mine (where our computers were) we had this unspoken rule that we could only communicate via our computers. This was mostly because our third roommate went to bed way early and we didn’t want to disturb her. Occasionally our conversations would get quite funny and we’d look up at each other and grin. Once, though, I said something funny and she typed “LOL!” and I was like “no you didn’t.” And we both realized the hypocrisy of the lol. It’s so rare that people actually lol when they type lol that you often find people declaring with shock the times that they actually DO lol. “I seriously loled when I read that. No really. Like, I laughed. Out loud.”
I use xD, with the amount of Ds signifying my level of amusement.
eg. xDDD for something very humorous.
i like hahahaha or teehee or just a smiley face :]]
I use “haha” as “lol” has become redundant.
Pretty much everything ‘cept bahahahaha.
LOL drives me bloody crazy. It’s *L* for me.
<laughter> >yucyuc> >holymoleyRUageekSNORT!<
Hahaha or if i’m feeling particularly evil: mwahahahahahahaha
Usually either “lol” or “haha”.
I guess I’d go with hee hee.
lol is idiotic.
i use *sniggers*, *giggles*, *maniacal laughter*, or other appropriate type of laughter in **.
and the occasional MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!— used sparingly, for maximum effect.
It varies. I try to match the mood.
I use lol, lmao, roflmao, ha ha, hee hee I have several different ones that I use
hey
well usually i use –> LOL
or –> hehe
or –> buahaha
or —>heha
or –> ahhhhhh
hehe i have many
laughing on the internet is my speciality
i stick with good ‘ole “lol”. =)
I try tto change it up lol.
i used LOL / LMAO / ROFL before, but it was a few years ago.
i stick with “haha”, and make it longer if it’s a bigger laugh.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
*laugh*
I LOL all the way.
Or… EMOTICONS TO THE RESCUE!!!!
(^_______^)
Depends on how funny or what type of funny something is.
If it’s a small cackle, I say, “Heh.”
If it’s a generally funny thing of moderate proportions, I say, “Haha”
I dole another “ha” onto the previous one if it’s a bit funnier.
If it’s got me in an out-loud fit of righteous laughter, I put it in all caps, add more “ha”s, and possibly tack on an exclamation mark.