Bingo Terminology: Game Terms and Chat Lingo Explained

Bingo terminology covers three things: the game terms used on your ticket, the abbreviations players type in the chat room, and the nicknames given to numbers as they are called.

Knowing them makes an online bingo room far easier to follow, especially in your first few games.

Bingo Game Terms

These are the core terms you’ll meet in any online bingo room. For a walkthrough of how a game actually runs, see our guide to how to play bingo.

• 75 Ball – A bingo format played with 75 possible numbers on a 5×5 card grid. It’s the most common version in the United States.
• 80 Ball – A format played on a 4×4 grid drawn from 80 numbers, with prizes for lines, corners and full-card patterns. Our 80-ball bingo guide covers each pattern.
• 90 Ball – The standard UK format. Each ticket has three rows and nine columns, with exactly five numbers in each row, for a total of 15 numbers per ticket.
• Bingo Board – The area on screen where called numbers appear during a game.
• Blackout – The 75-ball term for covering every square on the card. Also known as a coverall.
• Card – Your bingo ticket, made up of rows of numbers you mark off as they are called.
• Chat Moderator – The person who runs the chat area in an online bingo room. Often shortened to CM.
• Chat Room – The part of the bingo site where players talk while a game is running.
• Free Space – The centre square on a 75-ball bingo card. It’s marked automatically at the start of the game.
• Full House – The 90-ball term for marking off all 15 numbers on a ticket. It’s the final prize in a standard 90-ball game.
• Jackpot – An extra prize awarded for completing a set pattern within a fixed number of calls.
• Pattern – The arrangement of marked numbers needed to win. Standard 90-ball bingo has three: a single line, two lines and a full house.
• Progressive Jackpot – A jackpot that grows with every game played until someone completes the required pattern.
• Single Line – One completed row on a 90-ball ticket.
• Two Lines Across – Two completed rows on the same 90-ball ticket.

Bingo Chat Lingo

Bingo chat moves quickly. These are the abbreviations you will see most often during a game.

• 1tg – One to go. The player needs one more number to win.
• 2tg – Two to go. The player needs two more numbers to win.
• asap – As soon as possible.
• bbl – Be back later.
• bfn – Bye for now.
• brb – Be right back.
• btw – By the way.
• cya – See you later.
• fyi – For your information.
• gg – Good game.
• gl – Good luck.
• gla – Good luck all.
• gr8 – Great.
• imho – In my humble opinion.
• lol – Laugh out loud.
• np – No problem.
• omg – Oh my gosh.
• rofl – Rolling on the floor laughing.
• thx – Thanks.
• ttyl – Talk to you later.
• ty – Thank you.
• wb – Welcome back.
• wd – Well done.
• wtg – Way to go.
• yw – You’re welcome.

Bingo Calls

Every number in bingo has a nickname. Callers use them to keep similar-sounding numbers apart and to give the game some character. Kelly’s Eye, the call for number 1, is among the best known. The full list runs to 90 nicknames and is covered in our bingo calls guide.

Ready to put the terminology to use? Play online bingo at William Hill. 18+. Please play responsibly. For support, visit begambleaware.org.

FAQ

What does 1tg mean in bingo?

1tg means one to go. It tells the room that a player needs one more number to complete the pattern they are chasing. You will see it in bingo chat when someone is close to finishing a line, two lines or a full house.

What is a full house in bingo?

A full house is when every number on your 90-ball ticket has been marked off, all 15 of them. It’s the final prize in a standard 90-ball game, awarded after the single line and two lines have already been claimed.