HB

What Does HB Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

The abbreviation HB has a number of meanings, including "Hurry Back," "Happy Birthday," "Hot Babe," "How About?" and "Hemoglobin."

Hurry Back

HB is commonly used in text messaging and online chats with the meaning "Hurry back." It is an instruction to someone to return as quickly as possible, typically used when they have had to temporarily leave a conversation or game. For example:

Player 1: Someone's at the door. Back in a jiffy.
Player 2: HB. I can't hold these off for long on my own.

Happy Birthday

HB is sometimes used with the meaning "Happy Birthday" to wish someone all the best on their birthday. For example:

Lee: Today's my birthday.
Boss: Well HB to you! For your present, I need you to work over tonight.

Hot Babe

Amongst teenage boys and young men, HB is sometimes used with the meaning "Hot Babe" to refer to an attractive and sexy woman. For example:

Danny: Did you see Game of Thrones last night?
Sam: Never miss it! Hate the show, but Daenerys is one HB!

How About?

HB is used with the meaning "How About?" (more specifically "How 'bout?") to prefix a suggestion or question. For example:

Fran: We must get together for a drink sometime.
Mel: HB next Friday?

Hemoglobin

In medical circles, the abbreviation Hb is used to refer to hemoglobin (haemoglobin in British English), the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs.

Image for HB

When I write HB, I mean this:

HB also means "Hurry Back," "Hot Babe," "How About?" and "Hemoglobin."

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

HB
Definition:	Hurry Back
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Second Definition of HB

Happy Birthday is another common definition for HB.

HB
Definition:	Happy Birthday
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Third Definition of HB

Hot Babe is another definition for HB.

HB
Definition:	Hot Babe
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Fourth Definition for HB

HB also means "How About?"

HB
Definition:	How About?
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	5: Extremely difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Specialists

Fifth Definition of HB

In medical circles, Hemoglobin is a common definition for HB.

HB
Definition:	Hemoglobin
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	5: Extremely difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Specialists

An Academic Look at HB

As it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., "Aitch Bee"), HB is classified as an initialism abbreviation. However, HB is not often spoken using its letters. It is usually employed for efficiency in writing and not efficiency in speech. When used with the meaning "How About?" HB usually plays the role of an interrogative sentence (i.e., a question). However, even when used as a question, it is commonly seen without a question mark (i.e., it can be written "HB?" or "HB").

What Did We Say before Texting and Social Media?

Before the digital era, we might have just said "Hurry Back," "Happy Birthday," "Hot Babe," or "How About?" instead of using HB. The use of Hb as an abbreviation for "Hemoglobin" long pre-dates the digital era.