What Does 'DH' Stand For?

DH is one of the internet slang terms that first appeared in forums and spread to messages, email, and social media sites. 

DH commonly stands for "dear husband" or "darling husband." Usually, this is a form of written affection used by wives on the internet when referring to their spouses. The "dear" is sometimes interpreted as sarcastic, in which case you'd need to know the sender or situation well to distinguish between the meanings. 

Examples include:

• My DH should be back from the store in a minute.
• DH and I are visiting Oregon this summer.
• My former DH is driving me nuts.

Similar family acronyms include:

• DW (Dear Wife)
• DD (Dear Daughter)
• DS (Dear Son)
• DB (Dear Brother)

Other common relationship acronyms are:

• BF (Boyfriend)
• GF (Girlfriend)
• BFF (Best Friends, Forever)

DH, like other internet acronyms, is appropriate for use in forums, social media sites, personal texts and casual messages between family and friends. However, don't use acronyms in business communications of any kind. The recipient may not understand the meaning, and the usage of unfamiliar acronyms is considered to be unprofessional in business communications.

Some internet acronyms have crossed into our spoken language. You may hear a teen mention her BFF or a Mom refer to her daughter as her DD in a conversation. These acronyms and others joined the ubiquitous LOL (laughing out loud) and OMG (oh my god) in the spoken language.