TBC
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | To be confirmed |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Writing & Everyday, Texting & Internet Slang |
TBC has two meanings. It stands for To be confirmed (email and office) or To be continued (fandom and fan fiction).
Meanings of TBC at a glance
| # | TBC stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | To be confirmed | Writing & Everyday › Email and Office |
| 2 | To be continued | Texting & Internet Slang › Fandom and Fan Fiction |
1. To be confirmed
Writing & Everyday · Email and Office Abbreviations
Labels a provisional detail, such as a tentative date, venue or speaker, that is expected but not yet settled. It is especially common in British, Australian and European business English.
Example: Team offsite: Thursday 14 November (TBC), with the venue and agenda to follow next week.
TBC differs from TBD: TBC suggests a likely answer already exists, while TBD means nothing has been decided. At the end of a TV episode, serialized story or comic, TBC means "to be continued." North American writers use it less often and may write "tentative" instead.
2. To be continued
Texting & Internet Slang · Fandom and Fan Fiction Abbreviations
Note at the end of a fan fiction chapter, comic or post indicating that the story continues in a future installment, often after a cliffhanger.
Example: And then the door creaked open behind her... TBC!
Common in serialized fan fiction and webcomics, and borrowed from TV and comic-book conventions. In business and scheduling, TBC means "to be confirmed," as in "venue TBC," so the setting tells readers which is meant. Readers dread a TBC on an abandoned WIP.
Related abbreviations
More email and office abbreviations
- RSVP – Répondez s'il vous plaît (please reply)
- RTO – Return to office
- SME – Subject-matter expert
- TBA – To be announced
- TBD – To be determined
- Tel. – Telephone
- ToR – Terms of reference
- w/c – Week commencing
See all 60 email and office abbreviations →