PLS means please. Merriam-Webster lists pls as an abbreviation of please, and Wiktionary tags it as internet slang and text messaging. 'Can you send it pls' is simply a polite request. Plz means the same thing. Whether pls sounds friendly or pushy depends on the rest of the message, not the word.
Pls is the shortest way to be polite, and it's so common that most people don't think twice about it. But a three-letter please can land very differently depending on who sends it and how. Here's what pls and plz mean, how to use them well, and the surprisingly long story of the word they shorten.
Pls in plain English
Merriam-Webster's entry for pls is one line: an abbreviation meaning please. Wiktionary adds that it's an adverb, labelled internet slang and text messaging, and lists pls. with a full stop and plz as alternative forms. It also files pls under English words spelled without vowels, the same group as other texting shortcuts.
Like most text shorthand, it works because it keeps the sound and shape of the word. Read it aloud and it's still please. That's why you'll see it in quick chats, comments and captions, from 'pls share' under a lost-dog post to 'follow for more pls' on a creator's video.
Wiktionary's please entry lists pls, plz and plox among the related forms, so all three are recognised spellings of the same polite word.
Pls vs plz vs plox
| Spelling | Feel | Source |
|---|---|---|
| pls | Neutral, quick, very common | Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary |
| plz | More playful, labelled slang | Wiktionary |
| plox | Jokey, internet-y | Wiktionary |
| pretty please | Exaggerated, charming | Wiktionary |
Plz is listed by Wiktionary as a slang alternative of pls. In my experience it reads a little younger and more playful. Wiktionary also notes that plz has an older, unrelated meaning: it's an abbreviation of plaza in addresses, like St. or Ave.
When pls sounds polite, and when it doesn't
Here's the catch with pls. Shortening please can make a request feel rushed, as if the person couldn't spare the extra letters. It's fine between friends, but in some contexts it reads as a demand dressed up as a request.
- 'Can u grab milk pls' to a partner: friendly and normal.
- 'Send the file pls' to a colleague you've never met: can feel curt.
- 'PLS reply' in capitals: sounds urgent or frustrated.
- 'Pls pls pls' to a friend: begging, usually jokingly.
If you're writing to a client or someone senior, write please in full. My guide to writing a professional email covers the small courtesies that make requests land well, and my list of email sign-offs helps you end on the right note.
Where please comes from
The word please has a longer history than you might expect. Wiktionary says the verb comes from Middle English plesen, borrowed from Old French plaise, a form of plaire, from Latin placeō, meaning to please or to seem good. Merriam-Webster gives a similar route through Anglo-French and dates the verb to the 14th century.
The polite adverb, the please we use in requests, came much later. Merriam-Webster dates it to 1771. Wiktionary explains that it's short for 'if you please', which itself came from 'if it please you', a calque of the French s'il vous plaît. Wiktionary adds that it replaced the older word pray, as in 'pray tell'. Merriam-Webster's verb examples still include the old formula 'may it please Your Majesty'.
Where to put please in a sentence
Wiktionary has a neat usage note. It says please is most commonly found at the beginning of a clause, at its end, or directly before the verb. Other positions, especially when set off by commas, are often the sign of a non-native speaker. Compare 'Please send it', 'Send it, please' and 'Could you please send it' with 'Send, please, it'. The last one sounds off, and now you know why.
Merriam-Webster also lists a lovely use of please as a polite yes. Its example is: 'Would you like some tea?' 'Please.' That one doesn't shorten well. 'Pls' as a reply to an offer of tea would be a bit odd.
Please around the world
Wiktionary's translations of the short form show that every language has its own texting please:
- French: svp and stp, which echo the s'il vous plaît behind English please.
- Dutch: a.u.b.
- Spanish: porfis.
- Russian: пж, romanised as pž.
- Icelandic: plís.
English please has travelled too. Wiktionary records borrowed forms in Bengali, Finnish and Hindi, written plij, pliis and plīz. And in Cincinnati, it notes, people say 'Please?' to mean 'can you repeat that?', a meaning borrowed from German bitte.
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A tiny language with a big name
One last oddity: Wiktionary says pls is also the international language code for San Marcos Tlalcoyalco Popoloca. It's a nice reminder that the shortest strings often do the most jobs.
Texting shorthand keeps growing, and the YKWIM meaning page covers one more you may see.
Pls in customer messages
If you run a business, it's worth checking how your own messages read. Automated texts and chat replies sometimes use pls to save space, and that can make a brand sound abrupt. 'Pls confirm your booking' feels colder than 'Could you please confirm your booking?', even though they ask for the same thing. When you've only got a few words, spend them on warmth rather than saving three letters.
The same goes for direct messages on social media. A customer who writes 'pls help' is usually stressed. A full, friendly reply that says 'of course, here's what to do' turns that moment around far better than a reply that matches their shorthand.
Messages and comments are full of shorthand, and the MCM meaning page decodes one of the common ones.
How to reply to pls
If someone asks with pls, just answer the request. If you want to soften a reply of your own, a praying hands emoji after a request is often read as 'please' or 'thank you'. And if you're the one asking, adding the full word costs three letters and usually buys you a warmer response.
Frequently asked questions
What does pls mean in texting?
It means please. Merriam-Webster lists pls as an abbreviation of please.
Is plz the same as pls?
Yes. Wiktionary lists plz as a slang alternative form of pls.
Is it rude to write pls?
Not usually, but in work messages it can feel rushed, so write please in full.
Where does the word please come from?
Wiktionary traces it through Old French to Latin placeō, meaning to please.
When did people start saying please in requests?
Merriam-Webster dates the polite adverb to 1771, short for 'if you please'.
What does svp mean?
It's French text shorthand for s'il vous plaît, please, listed by Wiktionary.
