IIRC
or iirc
abbreviation
Origin of IIRC
VOCAB BUILDER
What does IIRC mean?
IIRC is an internet abbreviation that stands for if I recall correctly or if I remember correctly, variously used when a person is retrieving information they may not be 100% sure of.
How is IIRC pronounced?
[ ahy-ahy-ahr-see ]
Where does IIRC come from?
Like many internet slang terms, the exact origin of IIRC is unknown. It has been recorded online since at least the early 1990s.
The R in the abbreviation can stand for either remember or recall.
Like other internet slang, such as OMG, LMAO, WTF, or LOL, IIRC likely stuck around due to its usefulness and its ability to express a long phrase quickly.
How is IIRC used in real life?
As it’s an internet term, IIRC is used by people communicating via text. It makes appearances in text messages, forums, video game chats, social media, and comments, among other forms of digital communication.
I have planted some succulents. iirc this stone setting had them when I was a kid. No idea if I did it right. pic.twitter.com/8xxtdmgU8k
— krisCrash (@KriscrashQ) May 20, 2020
Given that the phrase if I recall/remember correctly is sort of formal, the abbreviated IIRC can lighten things up a bit.
More than twice IIRC https://t.co/QAFG2mwNW2
— Avik Roy (@Avik) May 19, 2020
More examples of IIRC:
“IIRC some of the Kotaku authors injected super toxic language in to every Ouya article they wrote about.”
—The Palmtop Tiger, Kotaku, July, 2014
“IIRC I wasn’t allowed to attend a sleepover party because the plan was to watch mortal kombat”
—@cunninghamp220, January, 2018
Note
This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.