IDK Meaning | Use & Examples

IDK is an abbreviation for the simple sentenceI don’t know.”

IDK is informal and is commonly used when communicating online or via text message.

IDK in a sentence examples
IDK what the plan is, let’s play it by ear.

We’re supposed to go to the theater this weekend, but IDK if I feel like it.

IDK if you should come to the party, y’all seem under the weather.

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IDK meaning

IDK means “I don’t know.” You might see IDK in a text message or anywhere else people write notes to each other. It’s typically either an answer to a question or part of a sentence stating you don’t have the information you’re being asked for.

Since its use is casual rather than formal, IDK may be lowercased rather than capitalized. But because it’s an initialism, the capitalized form is the “correct” one.

Using IDK

You can use IDK when you don’t know something. You can also use it to soften an opinion.

IDK is only ever used with the subject pronoun “I.” You wouldn’t say “YDK” for “you don’t know” or “WDK” for “we don’t know.”

IDK in a sentence examples
Jack: I want to get better at swimming. What can I do?
Julie: IDK, maybe take a class?

Jeff: Did you see my email? Do you know who’s leading the meeting later?
Harry: IDK, I thought Sarah was.

Sienna: We should teach young girls to be demure, don’t you think?
Martina: Hmm, idk, I think we should teach them to be bold.

As with all colloquial abbreviations, don’t use IDK in academic writing. In other contexts, think  carefully about whether the person you’re writing to will know what it means, and if you’re not sure, spell it out.

If you’re used to writing informally but want to change the tone of your writing, QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help.

What is the IDK emoji?

IDK means “I don’t know.” The “IDK” emoji is the “person shrugging emoji” (🤷).

You could also use one of its variants: “man shrugging” (🤷‍♂️) or “woman shrugging” (🤷‍♀️).

People sometimes use the shrugging emoticon (¯\_(ツ)_/¯) to communicate “IDK.”

If you want to find other ways to say “IDK,” QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help.

What’s the meaning of dunno?

“Dunno” is a contraction of “I don’t know.”

Another truncated way to say “I don’t know” is the abbreviation IDK.

Both of these are informal and often used in messages, social media posts, or other places where people want to write as quickly and as little as possible.

If you’d like to communicate “I don’t know” with different words or tone, QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help.

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Hannah Skaggs

Hannah, a writer and editor since 2017, specializes in clear and concise academic and business writing. She has mentored countless scholars and companies in writing authoritative and engaging content.