What Does OTP Mean? Let Us Break It Down for You and Give You Examples

Sometimes, the whole point of reading books and watching movies is to get lost in someone else’s world. When our own lives get too mundane, we divert our attention to the stories on TV, in movies and in books. Life’s just a little more interesting when you’re living vicariously through fictional characters.

But sometimes the problem with this is that you get so lost in the characters and their lives that you try to imagine what their lives would be like if you were the one calling the shots.

Ultimately, that’s what the OTP acronym is about.

What does OTP mean?

Standing for “One True Pair” or “One True Pairing,” OTP describes someone’s favorite couple pairing in a fandom or fiction.

This is where fanfic comes into play.  And since Tumblr is the ultimate bank of fanfiction, the term is mostly used on that platform. Fans will also use the word “ship,” short for relationship, or “shipping” to describe two characters they think should be in a relationship. But a fan’s OTP is the ultimate ship of all.

And for all you overachievers, another related word is “canon,” which means official. This is the official pairing in the show itself – one that wasn’t imagined by fans.

This is basically just an example of how intense fandoms can get. Other examples of OTP are TTP and OTT, which translate to “Two True Pairings” and “One True Threesome” respectively. Although these terms are a little less popular, they come in handy when you can’t choose just one OTP. OTP doesn’t always just refer to a romantic relationship but can refer to friendships or even pairing a person with food.

Even if you’re not a Tumblr user, we’re sure you’ve shipped two of your favorite characters together before. We do it all the time here at ENTITY. My current OTP? Aziz and Francesca in Master of None. I get personally offended when I realize they’ll never be a couple IRL (in real life).

Okay so we’ve broken down and answered the question, “What does OTP mean?” Now let’s talk about our favorite one true pairings.

1 Jim and Pam from “The Office”

This is just a given. Jim and Pam’s relationship will always break my heart because 1) they’re not married to each other in real life and 2) I may never be in a relationship like this.

I mean, can we just please talk about their chemistry? Please?

2 Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles from One Direction

I want someone to look at me the way Harry looks at Louis. Are you really going to watch this GIF and tell me they’re not in love? I was never a huge One Direction fan, but I can support the idea of Harry and Louis ending up together.

3 Damon and Elena from “The Vampire Diaries”

As much as I hated Damon – everyone pretty much hated Damon – I couldn’t get over the idea of the good girl dating the bad guy.

Besides, Caroline and Stefan were a pretty cute couple anyway.

4 Lydia and Stiles from “Teen Wolf”

Although Stiles’ obsession with Lydia was completely unhealthy, that sort of love only exists in movies. The fact that Stiles was in love with her for all those years while she ignored him is why I ship them.

5 April and Andy from “Parks and Rec”

Their dynamic was hilarious and adorable without being too cheesy. Basically, if a dog and a cat started dating, that’s what April and Andy would look like. (And as a plus, Aubrey Plaza is just perf in real life and as April.)

So, if you’ve ever unknowingly paired two of your favorite characters together in your head, welcome to the world of fandom shipping. As you get yourself situated, though, we remind you that it’s going to be an awful ride if you get too attached to people who don’t actually exist IRL.