Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Pedants' corner

It's unread not "on read"

112 replies

GiveMyHeadPeaceffs · 31/07/2024 20:46

I'm seeing this more and more on here and it really irritates me more than it should but here we are. "On read" doesn't even make sense! It's "unread"...this post will probably be unread but at least I've had my tiny rant Grin

OP posts:
GiveMyHeadPeaceffs · 01/08/2024 11:34

@WickieRoy maybe it is age related, my friends that I walked with were between 40-60 and from various walks of life. You live and learn, it's not a phrase I'd use as it sounds clunky and wrong to me but sure, I stand corrected.

OP posts:
WickieRoy · 01/08/2024 11:38

I really like the conciseness of it. Definitely one for the modern age! I'm 40 but chronically online. My friends would know it but my mum wouldn't.

I'm trying to think of other similar terms but I'm drawing a blank. There must be some though.

Chypre · 01/08/2024 11:40

They've "read", and left you with it. So "on read" is "read but not replied". GenZ much, yo.

DumbassHamsterSitterPerson · 01/08/2024 11:54

I'm nearly 40 and wouldn't use the phrase myself, but know what it means.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 01/08/2024 12:21

I suppose your suggested 'as read' would make some logical sense if it were referring to the message itself, but whenever I've encountered the phrase 'on read', it referred to the person, not the message. E.g. 'She left me on read', a bit like leaving someone 'on hold' on the phone.

PerfectYear321 · 01/08/2024 12:42

LemonJuiceFromConcentrate · 01/08/2024 10:46

Leaving something ‘as read’ suggests something slightly different to me. I think ‘on read’ is a bit more precise in this context.

The alignment with being ‘on hold’ (as a pp mentioned) helps to suggest that similar feeling of being in limbo, being made to wait and unable to do anything about it.

Exactly this. 'Read' is a status in this context.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 01/08/2024 12:45

To be fair to OP, I've only recently got Whatsapp on my phone (I'm 63, in my defence and I've never needed it), so all the 'leaving things on read' meant absolutely nothing to me, and this sounds like exactly the sort of mistake that I would make.

I'm not always 'down wiv the yoof' and sometimes make mistakes that make my kids howl (never going to send the aubergine emoji to someone making moussaka again...). We live and learn.

tribpot · 01/08/2024 16:41

never going to send the aubergine emoji to someone making moussaka again...

😂I pretended to my DS that I thought MILF meant 'mothers I'd like to befriend'. Which I think it should.

upinaballoon · 01/08/2024 21:49

Do you have to do 'Whatsapp' in order to understand what this thread's about?

WickieRoy · 01/08/2024 22:01

upinaballoon · 01/08/2024 21:49

Do you have to do 'Whatsapp' in order to understand what this thread's about?

It's not just WhatsApp, it's any form of messaging where you can see that someone has read your message. If they read but don't reply, they've left you on read.

If the message is delivered but they don't read it, the message is unread.

HotCrossBunplease · 02/08/2024 18:21

upinaballoon · 01/08/2024 21:49

Do you have to do 'Whatsapp' in order to understand what this thread's about?

It’s pretty unusual not to use WhatsApp if you use any form of text communication. Has all the same functions as standard text messages but always free and you can message more than one person at once, which can be handy. I hardly use my phone’s text message function now.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page