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 LiveJournal 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 The 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 English • 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 • Oneoneone • Fnord • Gaiden • GAR • Generic Article • Good spelling • ˈgɹæfɪk trænˈskɹɪpʃən • 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 • A winner is you • 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 • Long-winded people • Flame Wars • Fuck Her Right In The Pussy • Go fuck yourself • I have a 140 IQ • Just Saying • Killer • Liar • 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 • Freedom of speech • Gender-neutral language• Grammar Nazi • Internet linguistics • Leeching • L.U.L.Z. • Noam Chomsky • Personal pronouns • Crossmack • Signaling • Statistics • Tay • Translation • Wordfilter

AOL Instant Messenger • Backmasking • Bayeux Tapestry • Bcc • Weblog • Cell Phone • Chat log • Comments • Email • 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 • txt msg • Television • Trending • Web 2.0 • Web 3.0

♥ • <3 • A+ • ASCII • Big • Blink • BrokenSpacebar • Demotivators • Emotes • Emoji • Emoticon • 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 • Shit nobody cares about • Stfu • STFW • SWTF • TMI • TTYL • WTF • You Gonna Get Raped • ZOMG
Other Lingo	Bcc • FIRRIB • Fuck you, I'm a dragon! • FUBAR • GABYAW • IDIFTL • PITR • TLA • YHBT
Internet Places/Group	Cult of the Dead Cow • FCTC • Something Awful • GNAA • IRC • LUE • PP4L • Encyclopedia Dramatica:Thizzlehat Junction Center • TOTSE
Moar Internet Shit	Bantown • GNU • GPG4Win • MTP • MMORPG • P2P • PGP • ror
IRL Acronyms	BBS • BCE • BDIC • BDIC/GNWT • ITT Tech • John F. Kennedy • NORP • PB • YOLO
Bad Acronyms	ACLU • The Great eBarrier Reef • OBAMACORN • ALF • ATF • BDSM • BLP • CIA • CP • Criteria for Speedy Deletion • DMCA • English Defence League • ESRB • Party Van • FA • FFA • FNB • Internet Watch Foundation • L.U.L.Z. • MGTOW • MPAA • Media Transfer Protocol • M.U.G.E.N • NAMBLA • NEDM • RIAA • SPH • SPLC • TBBT • TOW • WWJD

STFW

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