Humor Web Humor What Is 'MT' on Twitter? When to use 'MT' vs. 'RT' vs. regular retweeting Print Web Humor Memes Holiday Humor By Elise Moreau Elise Moreau BCom. in Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario Post-Graduate Diploma, Small Business Entrepreneurship, George Brown College Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, messaging, and streaming. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack, and others. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 12/02/20 What does "MT" mean on Twitter? MT stands for "Modified Tweet," or a tweet that was originally posted by someone else and then slightly changed in some way. What MT Means on Twitter When a user puts MT in a tweet, it's to let other users know that they are retweeting someone else, but some of the wording has been altered or removed. They usually add the original tweeter's Twitter handle to give them credit and add a comment. A common reason for adding MT may be to add or remove hashtags or other users' Twitter handles, cut out unnecessary information, or denote changes made to get around the 280-character limit. Peter Dazeley / Getty Images Example of an MT or Modified Tweet Let's say that Twitter user @Robert decides to send out the following tweet: "There was wind, rain, hail, and sun today. All four seasons in less than 12 hours!" If @Jimmy saw the tweet and wanted to add their input, they could type their comment followed by MT and the original Tweet: "Actually, it all happened in a span of about 7 hours! MT @Robert: Wind, rain, hail, and sun. All four seasons in less than 12 hours!" In this example, @Jimmy modified @Robert's original tweet by taking out some of the unnecessary wording in the first sentence. That way, @Jimmy can cut to the chase while also saving room for their comment. Take full advantage of Twitter abbreviations and slang to keep your messages short and to-the-point. Retweeting vs. RT vs. MT Here are a few things to keep in mind when interacting with others and want to reshare their content the right way: Retweet icon: The easiest way to retweet someone is to select the retweet icon (two arrows circling each other under the tweet). This option embeds the original user's entire post, profile photo, and handle on your profile. You have the option to add a comment. RT: Use this abbreviation before the text when you decide to copy an exact tweet from someone else and repost it to your profile (with or without a comment of your own). Typing RT before a user's handle is sometimes referred to as manual retweeting. MT: Use this abbreviation before the text when you copy someone else's tweet if you take words out or restructure it in any way. There are no real rules to Twitter abbreviations. Many people use RT instead of MT even when they modify a tweet. Copying someone else's tweet without giving them credit may be considered bad Twitter etiquette, but it won't get you banned from the platform unless you try to impersonate another user.