B4 is an abbreviation for before, used in chat, texting, and emails. in B4, the letter B stands for the syllable ‘be’ in before, and the number 4 stands for ‘fore.’ Such abbreviations are often used in internet settings where the pronunciation of a number is similar to the pronunciation of a syllable.
These abbreviations or ‘cyber terms’ were invented to reduce the number of characters needed and were necessary when both the number of characters available on phones was limited as well as the amount of data available.
B4 might also refer to vitamin B4, a designation once given to substances such as adenine or folic acid. These substances are no longer thought to fit the definition of a vitamin so there is technically no such vitamin as vitamin B4.
How To Use B4
B4 can be used anytime the word before would be used. The use would depend on the sense of the word before intended. There is little need to use B4 in modern communication, although it might be used in gaming or other situations where very fast typing is desired.
See More Initialisms Used in Chat, Email, Etc.
