What does OTP mean in shipping?

One true pairing: your favorite couple in a fandom, ranked above every other ship. It can be two characters or two real people that fans want together.

What's the difference between OTP, ship and BroTP?

A ship is any pairing you root for, and you can have many. Your OTP is the favorite one. A BroTP is a favorite friendship you'd rather keep platonic.

What does otp mean in a text?

Usually "on the phone": the sender is on a call and will reply later. If the chat is about a show, it's more likely "one true pairing." Context tells you which.

What does OTP mean in League of Legends?

One-trick pony: a player who plays only one champion. Calling someone "an Ahri OTP" means they play Ahri and nothing else, often very well.

What do NOTP and OT3 mean?

A NOTP is a pairing you actively dislike. An OT3, "one true threesome," is a favorite trio: the three-character version of an OTP.

Is OTP a one-time password or slang?

Both. From a bank or app, an OTP is a one-time password, a single-use login code. In fandom it's one true pairing, and in texts it can mean on the phone.

OTP

[ oh-tee-PEE ] /ˌoʊ ti ˈpi/ (said letter by letter)

abbreviation · also used as verb ("I OTP them")

OTP stands for "one true pairing," a fan's favorite romantic couple in a show, book or fandom. In texts it can also mean "on the phone."

OTP has 4 meanings. Jump to: [One true pairing] [On the phone] [One-trick pony] [Not a one-time password]

type abbreviation since 1984 seen on twitter-x, tiktok, reddit, texting, gaming status current

Can you still say it?

OTP is current: in active, unremarkable use. Safe to say right now.

What does OTP mean?

1.
One true pairing: A fan's single favorite romantic pairing: the two characters, or real people, they most want together, ranked above every other ship. Also a verb: "I OTP them."
2.
On the phone: In texts, a quick status: the sender is on a call and can't reply right now. "otp, call u back."
3.
One-trick pony: In League of Legends and other competitive games, a player who plays only one champion or character: "he OTPs Yasuo." Often mildly mocking.
4.
Not a one-time password: An OTP from your bank is a one-time password, a single-use login code. A text reading "Your OTP is 482913" has nothing to do with shipping.

In fandom, your OTP is the couple. You might ship a dozen pairings across a dozen shows, but the OTP is the one you'd defend in the comments at 2 a.m. Early fans used it strictly: your one true pairing was the only one you cared about. Today most fans have an OTP per fandom, and the word has loosened into "my favorite ship."

It came with relatives. A BroTP is a favorite friendship you'd rather keep platonic. A NOTP is a pairing a fan actively rejects, and an OT3 is a favorite trio. Fans also use OTP jokingly for any perfect match: a character and their coffee, a singer and a key change, you and your bed.

Outside fandom, the same letters do other jobs. In texts, "otp" can mean on the phone. In competitive games, a one-trick is a player who consistently plays using only one of the available characters, and an OTP is that player. And an OTP from your bank is a one-time password, which is why a search for "otp meaning" turns up login codes first. A six-digit code is not about a couple.

OTP sits near stan and delulu in fandom talk. You stan a person, you ship a pairing, and if you're sure your OTP will become canon against all evidence, that's delulu.

Where did OTP come from?

The phrase "one true pairing" comes from fanzine-era media fandom. A 1984 summary of the Star Trek zine Alternaties #2 promised more Kirk/Spock, calling it "our one true pairing." Early fan fiction often centered on a single favorite pairing, such as Kirk and Spock or Starsky and Hutch.

The acronym took off online. It appears in a LiveJournal post on October 14, 2002, and a Stargate SG-1 letterzine from the same year spells out "OTP (one true pairing)." As shipping several couples at once became normal, the strict meaning softened into "favorite ship," and spin-offs like BroTP, NOTP and OT3 followed. In 2012, Troye Sivan's YouTube video "We're My OTP" took the word to a wider audience.

The texting sense, on the phone, and gaming's one-trick pony grew up separately, and neither has a documented first use.

More sources: OTP - Wiktionary · Citations: OTP - Wiktionary · BroTP - Wiktionary · Shipping (fandom) - Wikipedia · Canon, fanon, shipping and more: a glossary of fan culture - Vox

How to use OTP in a sentence

just finished season 2 and i'm sorry but those two are my OTP now, nobody else comes close

no point banning Ahri against him, he's an Ahri OTP with 900k mastery

Nora and Jae are my OTP but Nora and Priya? total BroTP, don't make it weird

In a conversation

why'd you leave me on read for an hour??

sorry was otp with my mom, calling you now

Slang related to OTP

stan

A stan is slang for an extremely devoted, sometimes obsessive fan. To stan someone is t…

Gen Z Slang Words delulu

Delulu is playful slang for delusional. It means confidently believing something that i…

TikTok Slang Words era

Era is slang for a phase of your life, named for whatever defines it right now: villain…

Gen Z Slang Words situationship

A situationship is slang for a romance that is more than friends but less than partners…

Dating & Relationship Slang Words rizz

Rizz is slang for skill at flirting, the confidence and smooth talk to charm someone yo…

Gen Z Slang Words smurf

A smurf is gaming slang for a strong player on a new account. They hide their skill so…

Gaming Slang Words sweat

A sweat is gaming slang for a player who tries extremely hard to win. They bring tourna…

Gaming Slang Words gg

Gg is gaming slang for "good game," the standard polite sign-off after a match. It now…

Gaming Slang Words

Questions about OTP

What does OTP mean in shipping?: One true pairing: your favorite couple in a fandom, ranked above every other ship. It can be two characters or two real people that fans want together.
What's the difference between OTP, ship and BroTP?: A ship is any pairing you root for, and you can have many. Your OTP is the favorite one. A BroTP is a favorite friendship you'd rather keep platonic.
What does otp mean in a text?: Usually "on the phone": the sender is on a call and will reply later. If the chat is about a show, it's more likely "one true pairing." Context tells you which.
What does OTP mean in League of Legends?: One-trick pony: a player who plays only one champion. Calling someone "an Ahri OTP" means they play Ahri and nothing else, often very well.
What do NOTP and OT3 mean?: A NOTP is a pairing you actively dislike. An OT3, "one true threesome," is a favorite trio: the three-character version of an OTP.
Is OTP a one-time password or slang?: Both. From a bank or app, an OTP is a one-time password, a single-use login code. In fandom it's one true pairing, and in texts it can mean on the phone.