How do you find out what certain cell phone text symbols mean?

Find out the meaning of certain text symbols by consulting online dictionaries such as Netlingo and Emojipedia. These sites contain a wide range of definitions for traditional text emoticons, straight-on emoticons and more modern emojis.

Netlingo’s list of smileys and emoticons contains a comprehensive selection of the most popular basic text emoticons used by traditional cellphones and computers. While the site’s listings are not especially sophisticated, it does list a huge number of emoticons and their conventionally-accepted meanings. While most traditional emoticons are interpreted by viewing the symbols as if one’s head were tilted to the left, there are also straight-on emoticons that are presented horizontally. Netlingo does not contain as comprehensive a dictionary of straight-on smileys, but the site does offer tips to help users interpret them. The site also offers a section explaining the basics of emojis.

Emojipedia is a comprehensive site that catalogs and details the meanings behind the more modern emoji icons. These graphically-sophisticated color icons are the modern successors to emoticions, and their higher pixel count means they can depict a wider range of content. The site features collections of emojis for all the most popular operating platforms, including Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Windows Phone, and twitter. Users can also browse emojis by category.