HEA Meaning and Other Popular Romance Acronyms You Should Know

Confused by what HEA means and the meaning of other romance acronyms you see? Consider this your glossary to all the commonly used acronyms and abbreviations in the romance genre to clarify any uncertainty or confusion so that you know exactly what each term means and stands for.

What Does HEA Mean?

The most important romance acronym in the genre that you should know is HEA, but what exactly does HEA mean? HEA stands for Happily Ever After, which is the common requirement of all romance novels. All romance books have a central love story with a happy ending. However, this romance acronym should not be confused with HFN which stands for Happy For Now.

Learn more about these and the most popular romance acronyms and abbreviations in this quick guide below.

Popular Romance Acronyms Used in the Genre:

ARC: Advanced Reader Copy

CW: Content Warning

DNF: Did Not Finish

DNR: Do Not Read

FMC: Female Main Character

FR: Fantasy Romance

HEA: Happily Ever After

HFN: Happy For Now

HR: Historical Romance

KU: Kindle Unlimited

LI: Love Interest

MC: Motorcycle club or Main character

MFM: Male Female Male relations (males do not touch each other)

MM: Male Male relations

MMC: Male Main Character

MMF: Male Male Female relation (males share relations along with female)

MMFM: Male Male Female Male relationship (one male does not share relations with the other males)

NA: New Adult

NSFW: Not Suitable For Work

OM/OW/OP: Other Man, Other Woman, Other Person

PNR: Paranormal Romance

POC: Person Of Color

POV: Point Of View

RH: Reverse Harem

RS: Romantic Suspense

SRRB: She Reads Romance Books

TBR: To Be Read

TW: Trigger Warning

WC: Why Choose

YA: Young Adult

Want to learn more about the romance genre? Check out these recommended posts:

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Get the definitive guide on the meaning of HEA and other popular romance acronyms from She Reads Romance Books.

Leslie Murphy is the founder and creator of She Reads Romance Books, a site that has reached over 1 million readers a month looking for the best books worth reading. Called a "book expert" by CNN, Leslie reads over 150 romance books a year because she firmly believes that life is better with a love story. Find her in the She Reads Romance Books Book Club, listen to her on the She Reads Romance Books Podcast or dive into her book lists here on the blog.

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