What Does GNS Mean?

Co-authored by Imad Jbara and Eric McClure

Last Updated: May 17, 2022 References

Has someone sent you a confusing message on Snapchat that included “GMS?” Wondering what the acronym stands for outside of Snapchat? In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about GNS both on and off of the social media platform Snapchat.

Section 1 of 4:

What does GNS mean on Snapchat?

GNS stands for “good night streaks” or “good night snaps” on Snapchat. A good night streak or good night snap refers to a snap you send someone just to keep your streak going. Since you have to send a snap once every 24 hours to maintain the streak, many people send their snaps right before they go to bed.^{[1]
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- A GNS is basically the same thing as a GMS, which stands for “good morning snap” or “good morning streak.”^{[2]
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Section 2 of 4:

How do you use GNS on Snapchat?

Take a photo of anything and add “GNS” to it before hitting send. The entire point of a GNS is that it’s just a meaningless snap that fulfills the streak requirement. You can take a photo of your bedsheets, your window, or your pet. You might even shoot a quick selfie. Then, add “GNS” anywhere on the photo so that people know it’s a good night snap and send it to everyone on your streak list!
- The “GNS” lets people know that you aren’t expecting a reply back or anything. It also signals that you care enough about them to try and maintain your snap streak!^{[3]
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Section 3 of 4:

How do you reply to GNS on Snapchat?

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Send a GNS snap back if you haven’t replied in 24 hours. If it’s been a while since you last snapped a person who sends you a GNS, fire off a quick reply snap before you forget. Take a photo of literally anything. You can even just take a snap of a black screen. Then, write “GNS,” “goodnight,” “GN,” or any variation of that and send it back!
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Don’t reply at all if you’ve already snapped them recently. The entire point of a GNS is that it maintains the snap streak. If you’ve already snapped the person who sent you the GNS today, you don’t need to actually do anything. They won’t expect you to reply anyway, so don’t worry about being rude.
- Both people have to send a snap in 24 hours to maintain their streak. If only one of you sends a snap, the streak will break.

Section 4 of 4:

Alternative Definitions for GNS outside of Snapchat

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In a text message—goodnights. GN is shorthand for “goodnight” over text, so GNs might be short for “goodnights” if someone sends it to you in a text. If you’re in a group chat or someone is addressing multiple people, they might throw an “s” at the end of GN to sign off.
- You: “Do you want to do something tomorrow with us?”
- Them: “Totally. I’ll hit you up. GNs y'all!”
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In a medical context—glucosamine (N-acetyl)-6-sulfatase. Doing some science homework? Reading a medical journal? GNS probably refers to the GNS (glucosamine (N-acetyl)-6-sulfatase) gene. This gene provides instructions for your body’s production of the enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfatase, which helps your body recycle molecules.^{[4]
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Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine
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On a report card—grade not submitted. If you’re looking at a progress report or report card, “GNS” probably means “grade not submitted.” It could mean that your teacher is behind on grading, or it may mean that you haven’t turned in the assignment. Talk to your teacher to figure out what’s going on.^{[5]
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In game theory—gamism, narrativism, simulationism. These three principles are the core tenets of GNS theory, an idea created by game designer Ron Edwards. Basically, GNS theory states that players engage in role-playing tabletop games (like Dungeons and Dragons) on three different levels:^{[6]
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- Gamism: the desire to “win” at a game by achieving goals and defeating enemies.
- Narrativism: the desire to participate in a story and resolve conflict.
- Simulationism: the desire to recreate a character or experience something on a sensory level.