LSTM

What Does LSTM Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

LSTM means "Laughing Silently to Myself" and "Long Short-Term Memory."

Laughing Silently to Myself

On social media and chat forums, LSTM usually means "Laughing Silently to Myself." In this context, LSTM is similar to other abbreviations, such as LOL ("Laugh Out Loud.")

The use of LSTM indicates a muted reaction to something humorous, suggesting that the user found something funny, but not very funny. For example:

Toni: Have you heard the plan for 15-minte cities? They are going to lock us all into our neighborhoods.
Jo: LSTM. I'd LOL, but you're too sad.

As with all such abbreviations, LSTM allows for a quick and informal way to respond to jokes or comments. Check out our full guide to LOL and related abbreviations.

Long Short-Term Memory

In the context of artificial intelligence (AI), LSTM means "Long Short-Term Memory." TL;DR: LSTM is a type of recurrent neural network (RNN) used in deep learning (DL). It excels at processing sequential data, capturing long-term dependencies through specialized structures called gates, making it valuable in tasks like speech recognition. In Detail: Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) is a special kind of recurrent neural network architecture used in deep learning. Unlike standard feedforward neural networks, LSTMs have feedback connections that make them powerful for sequential data processing. LSTMs are particularly known for their ability to capture long-term dependencies in data, which can be critical in tasks like speech recognition, natural language processing (NLP), and time series forecasting (a technique for predicting future events by analyzing past trends). LSTMs accomplish this through a complex cell structure that includes three gates: the input, output, and forget gates. These gates regulate the flow of information, allowing the network to learn from both short-term and long-term sequences. Learn More: Check out our comprehensive glossary of AI terms.

Image for LSTM

When I write LSTM, I mean this:

"Laughing Silently to Myself"

Summary of Key Points for the First Definition

"Laughing Silently to Myself" is, by far, the most common meaning for LSTM when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

LSTM
Definition:	Laughing Silently to Myself
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Summary of Key Points for the Second Definition

"Long Short-Term Memory" is a common definition for LSTM when discussing artificial intelligence.

LSTM
Definition:	Long Short-Term Memory
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	5: Extremely difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Specialists

An Academic Look at LSTM

Whether used with the meaning "Laughing Silently to Myself" or "Long Short-Term Memory," LSTM is classified as an initialism abbreviation, as it is pronounced one letter at a time. Other examples of initialisms are: