IRL separates face-to-face life from life on a screen: texting, gaming, social media. People write it in chats and posts, and the tone is relaxed and conversational.
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meet + person + irl; look/sound + adjective + irl; my irl friends
- We've been chatting online for a year, but we've never met irl.
- The hotel looks much smaller irl than in the photos.
- Most of my irl friends don't even know I stream games.
What changed
First versionHave you ever met him in irl, or only online?
RevisionHave you ever met him irl, or only online?
The preposition is already inside the abbreviation: IRL = in real life. In irl turns into in in real life. The abbreviation is used without a preposition, and if you need one, write the full phrase: in real life.
IRL always sets real life against the screen. To say face to face in a work email or in IELTS Speaking, use in person: I'd prefer to discuss the contract in person. Don't use the abbreviation in an essay; the full in real life is fine there.
Your turn
We've played online together for two years, but next month we're finally meeting ___ at a café.
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irl — You've been playing together online for two years, and now you're meeting for the first time at a café. That's a face-to-face meeting, irl. Online would take everything back to the internet and clashes with finally and at a café.
Tell a friend about someone you've only been talking to online for a long time. Say where you met and when you're planning to meet irl.
I met Kate on a language exchange app last year, and we're finally meeting irl in Berlin next Saturday.
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