ZOMG is a bastardization of the Internet shorthand term 'OMG', which stands for Oh My God. It is also often capitalized zOMG. It was invented in early 2003 and was originally used as a cynical response to 'leet speak' in the Raspberry Heaven IRC and DC channels. An alternate theory is that it was the result of a finger hitting both the Shift key and the adjacent Z key while attempting to type "OMG", hence the lower case 'z' in front. Usage quickly spread to a much wider audience, and eventually has come into wide use as less cynical or sarcastic exclamation phrase/word. People can find it on various websites and message boards, often associated with a 'witty' remark or trolling. It is most commonly used in the anime and gaming communities, and on the Something Awful Forums.

Because it is a form of written slang and therefore is not commonly used in oral conversation, there is no standard pronunciation. Attempts to pronounce it include Zahm-Guh, Zed-Oh-Em-Gee, Zee-Oh-Em-Gee, Zoh-Em-Gee, Zom-Gaa, ZOM-G! or Zoh My God.

External links

• ZOMG FAQ