An acronym is an abbreviation that is formed with the first few letters in a phrase or word. Commonly, they are formed with the first letter of each word in a phrase.
Acronyms show up all over the place - in text messages, technology and even in country names. You might not even realize that you’re using them!
They’ve been used in language for many centuries, and even showed up in Greek and Roman writing. Mostly, they were used to cut down on effort (as much writing was carved into stone) and to save room.
Did you know that when Roman names were written, they were always abbreviated (shortened to their first letter)?
In Hebrew, even the name of the Hebrew Bible is an acronym. Tanakh is the Hebrew initial letters of the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the K’tuvim.
Some acronyms are pronounced as words:
Laser – light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (Youcan see why that got shortened!)
MoMA – Museum of Modern Art
Nabisco – National Biscuit Company
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Radar – radio detection and ranging
Scuba – self-contained breathing apparatus
WYSIWYG [whizzywig] – what you see is what you get
MoMA – Museum of Modern Art
Nabisco – National Biscuit Company
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Radar – radio detection and ranging
Scuba – self-contained breathing apparatus
WYSIWYG [whizzywig] – what you see is what you get
Others are pronounced as letters:
ATM – automated teller machine (NOT ATM machine)
LOL – laughing out loud (but I bet you knew that)
BBC – British Broadcasting Company
BYOB – bring your own bottle (of alcohol)
EOD – end of day
FAQ – frequently asked questions
G2G – got to go
IMO – in my opinion
TTYL – talk to you later
PIN – personal identification number (NOT PIN number)
PS – post script (an addition to a letter or note)
PSA – public service announcement
TfL – Transport for London
TGIF – thank God it’s Friday
UK – United Kingdom
USA – United States of America
LOL – laughing out loud (but I bet you knew that)
BBC – British Broadcasting Company
BYOB – bring your own bottle (of alcohol)
EOD – end of day
FAQ – frequently asked questions
G2G – got to go
IMO – in my opinion
TTYL – talk to you later
PIN – personal identification number (NOT PIN number)
PS – post script (an addition to a letter or note)
PSA – public service announcement
TfL – Transport for London
TGIF – thank God it’s Friday
UK – United Kingdom
USA – United States of America
Some are pronounced as a mix of letters and words:
CD-Rom [C-D-rom]
JPEG [j-peg] Joint Photographic Experts Group (an image file)
SFMOMA – [San Francisco-moma] San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
JPEG [j-peg] Joint Photographic Experts Group (an image file)
SFMOMA – [San Francisco-moma] San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
What acronyms do you use regularly? Are there any that we haven’t included?