Crochet terms and abbreviations: a US and UK chart
Crochet terms and their abbreviations are the shorthand patterns are written in: sc, hdc, sl st, BLO, rep. Learn the common ones and you can read most patterns. The catch is that US and UK patterns use the same names for different stitches, so a "double crochet" in a UK pattern is not the same stitch as in a US one. Here is a crochet abbreviation chart for both, plus the shorthand and acronyms you will run into.
US and UK crochet terms
These are the terms that change between the two. Everything else on this page is the same in both.
| US term | UK term |
|---|---|
| slip stitch (sl st) | slip stitch (ss) |
| single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) |
| half double crochet (hdc) | half treble (htr) |
| double crochet (dc) | treble (tr) |
| treble (tr) | double treble (dtr) |
| double treble (dtr) | triple treble (trtr) |
| sc2tog | dc2tog |
| dc2tog | tr2tog |
| skip (sk) | miss |
| yarn over (yo) | yarn over hook (yoh) or yarn round hook (yrh) |
| gauge | tension |
From single crochet up, each UK name is one step up from the US one. A US single crochet is a UK double crochet, a US double is a UK treble, and so on.
How to tell if a pattern uses US or UK terms
- Look for "sc" or "single crochet". UK patterns have no single crochet, so if it is there, the pattern uses US terms.
- "htr", "miss", "tension" and "yrh" all mean UK terms.
- Read the pattern's key. Most designers say which terms they use.
- Where the designer is from is a hint. Patterns from the UK, Ireland and Australia usually use UK terms; patterns from the US usually use US terms.
Crochet charts use symbols that are the same in both, so a chart works whichever terms you learned.
Crochet abbreviations chart (US terms)
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| alt | alternate |
| approx | approximately |
| beg | begin, beginning |
| bet | between |
| BL, BLO | back loop only |
| BP | back post, as in BPdc (back post double crochet) |
| CC | contrasting color |
| ch | chain |
| ch-sp | chain space |
| cl | cluster |
| cont | continue |
| dc | double crochet |
| dc2tog | double crochet 2 together |
| dec | decrease |
| FL, FLO | front loop only |
| FO | fasten off |
| FP | front post, as in FPdc (front post double crochet) |
| hdc | half double crochet |
| inc | increase |
| inv dec | invisible decrease |
| lp(s) | loop(s) |
| MC | main color |
| MR | magic ring |
| pm | place marker |
| rem | remaining |
| rep | repeat |
| rnd(s) | round(s) |
| RS | right side |
| sc | single crochet |
| sc2tog | single crochet 2 together |
| sk | skip |
| sl st | slip stitch |
| sp(s) | space(s) |
| st(s) | stitch(es) |
| tbl | through back loop |
| tch | turning chain |
| tog | together |
| tr | treble crochet |
| WS | wrong side |
| yo | yarn over |
And the symbols you will see in written instructions:
- * means repeat from the asterisk, as many times as the pattern says.
- means work what is inside as a group, the number of times given.
- ( ) usually means work everything inside into the same stitch. At the end of a row, a number in parentheses is the stitch count.
Designers don't all use brackets the same way, so if a line doesn't make sense, check the pattern's notes.
Crochet shorthand in amigurumi patterns
Amigurumi patterns squeeze things even shorter. A typical start:
- R1: 6 sc in MR (6). Round 1, six single crochet into a magic ring, 6 stitches.
- R2: inc x6 (12). An increase, two single crochet in one stitch, in all six stitches.
- R3: (sc, inc) x6 (18). One single crochet, then an increase, six times over.
"dec" in an amigurumi pattern usually means sc2tog or an invisible decrease, and the pattern's notes say which. Both are shown step by step in how to decrease in crochet. If you are new to rounds, my guide to the magic ring and working in the round walks through these first rounds.
Crochet acronyms that aren't stitches
Some crochet acronyms come from the community, not from patterns:
- WIP: work in progress.
- FO: finished object. In a pattern, FO means fasten off, so the meaning depends on where you read it.
- UFO: unfinished object, the project at the bottom of the basket.
- Frog, frogging: ripping out stitches. Rip it, rip it, like a frog.
- Stash: all the yarn you own and promise not to add to.
Frequently asked questions
What does sc mean in crochet?
Single crochet, in US terms. In UK terms the same stitch is called double crochet (dc).
Is a UK double crochet the same as a US double crochet?
No. A UK double crochet is a US single crochet. A US double crochet is a UK treble.
What does tog mean in crochet?
Together. Sc2tog means work two single crochet stitches together into one, which decreases the stitch count by one.
Where Rowpin helps
Abbreviations are easiest to learn on the row you are actually working, and that is where Rowpin shows them. It is the iPhone and iPad app i built for crochet and knitting.
You open your own pattern, a PDF, a photo, a scan or a web page, and Rowpin finds the numbered rows on it and highlights the one you are on as you tap +. On any row, Explain shows that row's abbreviations, taken from your pattern's own key first, in US or UK terms. So when a designer uses their own shorthand, you see what that pattern means by it. There is also a stitch dictionary in US and UK terms in the Tools tab, next to a ruler and hook, needle, yarn weight and blanket size charts.
Rowpin is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. It needs Rowpin Plus, a subscription with a 7-day free trial.
Rowpin is not in the EU yet. Join the list to hear when it is. There is also a free row counter that works in your browser today.
Thank you for reading. Tschüss 🤓