The Ultimate Sims 2 Abbreviation & Acronym Guide
Search:
| Term / Acronym | Meaning | Description | Example |
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| Content Types & Styles | |||
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Click to download the Sims 2 Abbreviation
PDF.
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| CC | Custom Content | Literally everything the Sims community makes that didn’t come from EA Maxis (The makers of the Sims 2 game). Clothing... Hair... Furniture... A clutter pack with 57 items you’ll use once and never delete? Yup—that's CC. | |
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Example
Multicolored Party Lights
CC by nicvncnt |
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| Alpha CC | Realistic-style custom content |
Hyper-detailed CC with textures, shadows, and realism. Sometimes includes animations to
make the CC appear even more realistic.
Be sure to check the poly count before downloading Alpha CC to your game.
Usually denoted by the terms (low / Med high poly count). It’s pretty, but can
sometimes clash with the default Sims 2 look (or slow your game down if your
computer’s already on life support).
Alpha CC can sometimes be mentioned in relation to genetics (like skin, hair, or
eye color).
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Example
Alpha CC Hair
CC by moyokeansimblr |
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| MM | Maxis Match |
Maxis Match refers to custom content that blends in with the game’s original art style.
Think smooth
textures, bold colors, and cartoony vibes that make it look like Maxis themselves made
it. Great if you like your Sims game looking polished and cohesive.
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Example
Maxis Match Furniture Objects CC by
eulolita
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| Default Replacement | Default Replacement |
A special kind of CC that replaces the game's original stuff—like skins, eyes, food, and
clothing—the
replacement overrides the game's default content usually to improve the appearance,
texture, or color.
For things like skins and eyes specifically, default replacements often (but not
always)
pass down genetically too, so Sims born
in-game will inherit the new look; which means a cleaner game and cuter townies.
Win-win.
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Example
Default Hair Replacement by
amybabyssims2
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| 3T2 | Sims 3 to Sims 2 |
This means someone took Sims 3 content—like personality traits, clothes, or
furniture—and converted it
to work in The Sims 2. While not as popular 3T2 content can be super cool, especially
the traits one!
See Sims 3T2 database |
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Example
Sims 3 Gen Hot Tub Conversion
CC by TheNinthWaves |
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| 4T2 | Sims 4 to Sims 2 |
This means someone took Sims 4 content—like hair, clothes, or furniture—and converted it
to work in The Sims 2. It’s kind of iconic.
Usually you’ll need a file called the 4T2 shadow file to make 4T2
content show
up correctly in your game,
but don’t worry—you only need that file once for your entire downloads folder and
you’re set.
Many creators include this file with every 4T2 download, so feel free to delete it upon download, if you already have the file in your downloads folder somewhere. |
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Example
Keramikos Fountain Conversion
CC by afeeverte-sims |
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| CAS (Create A Sim) | |||
| CAS (C-A-S) | Create A Sim |
CAS (Create-A-Sim) is the panel inside The Sims 2 game where you create your
Sims—choosing their face, clothes, personality, and more. It’s where all your Sims are
born before jumping
into the game. You’ll use sliders and options to adjust their looks, pick an aspiration,
and set their zodiac sign.
Once you exit CAS, you won’t be able to go back unless you’re creating a new Sim or
family. However, there are other ways to change your Sim’s appearance in-game:
Use a mirror to change hairstyles and makeup Use a wardrobe or dresser to change outfits Download a plastic surgery station or other mods to change facial features |
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Example
Custom CAS background replacement screen by
EnblithTheFair
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| AF, TF, U, etc. | Adult Female, Teen Female, Unisex, etc. |
These acronyms typically show up when downloading or creating clothing. Once you learn
the
format, it’s
actually pretty easy to decode.
AF = Adult Female YF = Young "Adult" Female (for Uni age students) TF = Teen Female CF = Child Female Swap the “F” for an “M” and boom—you’ve got the male version (AM = Adult Male, YM, TM, CM, etc.). The wildcard here is U, which means Unisex—usually for items that work across multiple genders. In C-A-S you’ll be able to apply unisex items across multiple Sim genders (you’ll see this a lot with baby/toddler clothing). Easy once you know it, confusing when you don’t. |
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Example
Female Outfit Conversions by
letomills
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| Clay (Clayified) | Hair Texture |
Clay or Clayified refers to a type of hair style in The Sims 2 that looks blocky,
chunky,
and simple—like clay! Many creators take realistic-looking hairs and retexture them in
this smoother, chunkier style.
If you like a clean, simplified look, more akin to sims 4 hairstyles, clay hair is for
you!
See Clay Hair Database | |
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Example
Clay hair by
DeeDee-Sims
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| NHS | New Hair System |
The New Hair System (NHS) is a hair system that combines soft,
cartoony hair textures (referred to as Remi textures) with a set of natural-looking hair
colors (created by a simmer named Pooklet). NHS was made to give Sims 2 custom hairs a
clean and consistent
Maxis Match look that blends well with the original game style. If you download hair
that says “NHS,” it means
it’ll blend in well with the game’s original look and style.
Learn More or See The NHS Archive |
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Example
New Hair System Hairs by
Y2Sims
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| Remi | Hair Texture |
Remi hair texture refers to the hair textures created by sims content creator, Remi
Sims. These textures are often used in custom
hairstyles as a popular choice in the New Hair System. If you download a custom NHS
hairstyle that looks more realistic, rather than cartoony, there’s a good chance it uses
Remi textures.
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Example
Remi hair texture by
Remi Sims
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| Poppet | Hair Style / Texture |
Poppet is the name of a Sims 2 creator known for making hair styles and textures using a
Maxis Match-style blend. Poppet textures are also often used in New Hair System (NHS)
hairs to give a different look than Remi or clay-style hairstyles.
See Poppet Hairstyles Database |
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Example
Poppet hair style by
starshiphelix
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| Pooklet (Hair) | Hair Colors |
Pooklet is the name of a Sims 2 creator who made a popular set of natural-looking hair
colors—like black, brown, blonde, red, and gray—that many custom hairs use. These colors
became popular with simmers who prefer a in-game look similar to Maxis already existing
hairstyles. You’ll see these colors used in the New Hair
System (NHS) and lots of other CC hair packs. If you download a hairstyle
and it comes in shades like “Dynamite” (black)
or “Depth Charge” (brown), that’s Pooklet’s color system in action!
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Example
Pooklet hair conversions by
dreadpirate
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| Pooklet (Method) | Sim Randomization Method |
The Pooklet method, not to be confused with Pooklet hair, is a popular method for
creating unique Sims, originally shared by Sims 2
creator Pooklet. It uses a specific randomization process in Body Shop / CAS
(Create-A-Sim) to make Sims
with more creative or unexpected features. The goal is to avoid cookie-cutter looks
and instead create Sims who feel distinct and full of personality. You might end up with
a Sim who has a super wide nose, tiny eyes, and a huge jaw—but
then you soften it a little and the results are always surprising
and usually full of character!
Learn More or See The NHS Archive |
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Example
Pooklet Method Results Tutorial by
Pooklet
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| Gameplay Concepts | |||
| LTW | Lifetime Want |
A Lifetime Want is your Sim’s biggest life goal—something they really, really want to
achieve, like becoming a doctor or having a big family. If your Sim completes their
Lifetime Want, they get a huge boost in Aspiration Points and a permanent platinum mood.
This means they’ll stay in a super happy mood forever, which makes the game easier
and more fun.
LTW is randomly generated by the game and not changeable unless you use a
mod.
You can also add
new custom lifetime wants
for your sim to accomplish!
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Example
Lifetime Want Chooser by
Lamare
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| Build Mode & Cheats | |||
| MOO | MoveObjects On |
A classic Sims cheat that lets you move or delete most anything, including
Sims. It's perfect
for building, and sometimes re-setting Sims. Technically, it’s a cheat code you type
into the console,
but since you’ll occasionally see people refer to it as just “MOO,” I’m including it
here so no one’s
left confused mid-tutorial.
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Example
Residential Lot Build using MOO by
Tia__Sunshine-The-Simmer
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| Want more helpful cheat codes? Browse the full Sims 2 Cheats Database → | |||
| Gameplay Challenges | |||
| BACC | Build a City Challenge |
A long-term gameplay challenge where you start with an empty neighborhood and build it
all from scratch;
the lots, Sims, backstories... everything! You set your own rules (or follow one of the
classics), and
slowly grow your town into a full-blown city. Warning: Can be very fun, addicting, and
lead to the use
of an alarming number of spreadsheets.
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Example
BACC Rules Challenge by
pleasantsims
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| Tools & Utilities | |||
| Body Shop | Sim Creation Program |
Body Shop is a separate program that comes with The Sims 2, used to make or edit custom
content—like new clothing, genetics, and Sims. It’s different from CAS because it runs
outside of the game, meaning you don’t need The Sims 2 open to use it. Body Shop is
designed for creating CC (not just using it) and gives you more ability to detail
created sims.
A lot of the custom hair, clothes, and Sims you download were originally made in Body
Shop—and you can totally use it yourself to create your own unique Sims!
The original Sims 2 game includes Body Shop, however, The Sims 2 Legacy Edition
does not
include Body Shop: For legacy users
you may need to download Body Shop from
CroconawSims.
Checkout this simple, easy, beginner friendly tutorial on making a custom
clothing item in body shop by
Sims2
Itgo.
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Example
Body Shop installer for The Sims 2 Legacy Edition by
CroconawSims
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| CEP | Color Enable Package |
The Color Enable Package (CEP) is a small but recommended add-on file for The Sims 2
that makes it possible to apply
custom recolors on in-game made furniture and objects. Without it, custom
recolors of Maxis items—like a pink version of the RetroCool™ Fridge—won’t show up in
the game. CEP basically gives the game
permission to recognize and display fun new styles you find around the internet!
CEP is a file that goes into your Sims 2 folder—it’s not a program or standalone
tool.
See CEP file by Numenor. |
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Example
"SimStar" Retro Fridge Recolor in Pink
Shannanigan
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| Clean Installer | Content Management and Installation Tool |
A helpful tool for managing custom content in The Sims 2. It lets you preview the
contents of Sims2Pack files before installing, so you can choose what to keep and what
to skip. You can also use it to remove unwanted items. For example, if you download a
house that secretly includes 10 pieces of random CC, Clean Installer lets you uncheck
the ones you don’t want—like that wavy blue rug—and install only the lot itself.
Clean Installer is most often used to install community and residential lots, so
it’s definitely a must-have if you don’t feel like building everything from scratch.
It helps you safely add lots from other players without bringing in surprise content
you don’t want.
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Example
Clean Installer Program by
Mootilda
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| Graphics Rule Maker | Graphics Fix Tool |
Graphics Rules Maker is a tool for non-Legacy Edition versions of The Sims 2 that helps
fix visual problems on modern computers—like flickering shadows, black boxes, or the
dreaded flashing pink bug. It lets you adjust how the game works with your graphics card
so everything looks and runs smoothly. A must-have program for anyone playing Sims 2 on
newer hardware!
I use the
Sims2RPC Launcher by
lazyDuchess, which has Graphic Rule Maker included.
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Example
Graphics Rule Maker on
SimsNetwork
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| Lot Adjuster | Lot Resizing Tool |
The Lot Adjuster is a helpful tool that lets you change the size of a Sims 2 lot after
it’s already been
built—something the game doesn’t normally allow. You can make a lot wider, deeper, or
even shrink it, which
is perfect if your build feels cramped or has too much empty space. Just be sure to
follow the instructions
carefully, since resizing can sometimes break objects or paths if not done properly.
See Lot Adjuster by Mootilda. |
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Example
Lot Adjuster Tutorial by
Tea Addict
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| Sims2RPC | Sims 2 Program Launcher |
A custom game launcher made by sims content creator, Lazy Duchess, for The Sims 2 that
replaces the regular game shortcut. It adds new
features like borderless fullscreen mode and built-in fixes for modern
computers. It’s especially helpful for players using lots of mods or experiencing
graphic issues, or
crashes using the original game launcher.
If you use The Sims2RPC launcher you do not need the standalone Graphics Rule Maker.
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Example
Sims2RPC Launcher by
Lazy Duchess
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| SimPE | Simple Package Editor |
SimPE is a powerful editing tool for The Sims 2 that lets you look inside the game’s
files and change
things—like Sim memories, relationships, career levels, or even custom content. It’s
kind of like the
behind-the-scenes control panel for your game, used mostly by modders and advanced
players to fix bugs,
tweak details, or create new content.
See SimPE downloader by Quaxi.
Discover beginner friendly simPE tutorials
at mod the sims.
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Example
Setup SimPE for first time use - SimPE tutorial by
srslysims
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