WW

When you're headed in the incorrect direction, WW stands for "wrong way." You might receive this acronym from friends, family members, or co-workers, when they realize you've whiffed on following their directions. (Or, they're trying to prematurely stop you from going the WW.)

Gamers might also receive WW in gaming chat, when their teammates see they are going the wrong way. For example, if you take off in the wrong direction for a boss battle, the rest of your party might tell you that you're going the WW.

WW is common shorthand in the gaming community for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, a 2002 action-adventure game released for the Nintendo GameCube. Fans of the Zelda series use WW to quickly reference the game in online discussions, gaming forums, speedrunning communities, and social media posts.

For example, players often use "WW" when discussing gameplay mechanics, speedrunning strategies, dungeon designs, sailing mechanics, or sharing opinions about the game's art style, which features a distinctive cel-shaded design. People also use the shorthand when referencing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, a 2013 remaster for the Wii U, though some may specify "WWHD" to distinguish it from the original. Some other shorthand for Zelda installments include OOT for the Ocarina of Time and TP for Twilight Princess.

While gaming, your opponents may send you WW after you've won a particularly well-fought match. This acronym stands for "well won," and it's a sign that you've encountered a polite oppo who respects your play.

If you receive WW, it's good etiquette to respond with GG or WP. This lets your opponent know that you also enjoyed playing against them.

Computer users may refer to a wrong window on their screen as "WW." The window could be an application window, file explorer window, system settings window, or some other window.

Advanced computer users and IT professionals are most likely to use WW, while providing assistance to other users. The acronym can be especially helpful when providing real-time feedback via online chat.

However, novice users will likely be unfamiliar with the WW acronym. So, you may advanced users may confuse novices further by shortening wrong window to WW.