WSG stands for what's good?, a friendly how are you? or what's new?, much like what's up? It's a greeting, not a question about good news: the reply is not much or all good, you? People say hi like this to friends and acquaintances in chats and on social media; the tone is relaxed.
Could you drop wsg into a text?
Write a short message — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
wsg? / wsg + name?; wsg, how've you been?; reply: not much, wbu? / all good, you?
- wsg man, haven't seen you at the gym in ages
- A: wsg? B: not much, just got home from work, wbu?
- wsg everyone, is anyone free to play football on Saturday?
What changed
First versionDear Ms Green, wsg? I have a question about the essay deadline.
RevisionDear Ms Green, I hope you are well. I have a question about the essay deadline.
Wsg is a chat abbreviation used between friends. In a message to a teacher it sounds overfamiliar, even if a polite question follows. A formal email after Dear Ms Green naturally opens with I hope you are well. In IELTS Speaking, people greet each other with Hi, how are you? or How's it going?
Wsg is often confused with wyd. Wsg is just hi, how are you, and you reply not much. Wyd (what are you doing?) asks what you're busy with right now, and needs a specific answer: wyd? — just cooking dinner. In its role in a conversation, wsg is closest to what's up.
Your turn
My old classmate texted '___? haven't heard from you in ages', so I replied 'not much, wbu?'
Show the answer
wsg — Your old classmate hasn't written for ages and is saying hi, and not much, wbu? is the typical reply to wsg. Gtg means I have to go: you don't start a conversation with it after a long silence.
Write to a friend you haven't talked to for a while. Say hi with wsg and suggest meeting on a specific day.
wsg Sam, it's been ages! want to grab coffee on Friday after work?
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.