MSG

What Does MSG Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

MSG means "Monosodium Glutamate," "E621 Image Board," and "Message."

Monosodium Glutamate

MSG is widely used to refer to monosodium glutamate, a common food additive that is used to enhance flavor. MSG is particularly popular in many Asian cuisines, but is also found in many processed foods in the Western world. MSG is derived from an amino acid known as glutamic acid, which is one of the most abundant amino acids in nature. Despite some negative press, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that is "generally recognized as safe", which is a designation for substances that experts consider safe for consumption based on a long history of common use in food or on the results of research. However, some people may have a sensitivity to MSG and experience symptoms like headache, flushing, and sweating when they consume foods containing this additive. This is often referred to as "MSG symptom complex" or "Chinese restaurant syndrome," but it's worth noting that scientific studies have found no definitive evidence of a causal link between MSG and these symptoms. The European "E number" for MSG is E621.

E621 Image Board

Because the European E number for monosodium glutamate is E621, the abbreviation MSG is also used to refer to the E621 image board, an adult-oriented website that primarily hosts and shares anthropomorphic ("furry") artwork. For example:

Have you see AdditionalIsland's latest set on MSG?

Message

In the context of text messaging and online chat, msg usually means "message." For example:

Got your msg. See you there.
Msg me when you are back online.

Image for MSG

When I write MSG, I mean this:

"Monosodium Glutamate"

Summary of Key Points for the First Definition

"Monosodium Glutamate" is, by far, the most common meaning for MSG when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

MSG
Definition:	Monosodium Glutamate
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Summary of Key Points for the Second Definition

"Message" is another common definition for MSG.

MSG
Definition:	Message
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Summary of Key Points for the Third Definition

MSG is also used to refer to the E621 Image Board.

MSG
Definition:	E621 Image Board
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults

An Academic Look at MSG

When used with the meaning "monosodium glutamate," MSG can be classified as an initialism. Initialisms are abbreviations pronounced one letter at a time. Other examples of initialisms are:

FBI - "Federal Bureau of Investigation."
CEO - "Chief Executive Officer."

Initialisms are different to acronyms, which are abbreviations spoken as words. For example:

GOAT - "Greatest Of All Time."
NATO - "North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

When used with the meaning "message," msg is a shortened version of the actual word, therefore it is a contraction. Contractions can be formed formed in a number of ways, including:

Omitting letters from the word (e.g., msg, obv from obviously).
Using letters from the start and end of the word (e.g., Dr from Doctor).
Using an apostrophe to replace a letter or letters (e.g., don't from do not, can't from cannot).

For reasons of brevity in text-based conversations, contractions are rarely followed by periods/full stops and apostrophes are routinely omitted.