initialism examples list

Cherry). List Kate Stone Lombardi: Take the League of Women Voters. Thats where acronyms come in and help speed things up. Send us feedback about these examples. Acronyms and initialisms are also abbreviations. Pam Peters: The practice of using initials to represent given names has been more common in Europe than in America or Australia. POTUS President of the United States 2. Press Esc to cancel. Businesses frequently use initialisms as part of their branding, usually as a way of improving out-of-date, extra long, or not-quite-global phrasing. Watson L (8 February 2017) How to create content that works well with screen readers, Accessibility in government blog, accessed 7 January 2020. Use subscript "t". Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. We'll use your email address to invite you to participate in user research. Acronyms are created to shorten long phrases and speed up communication, much like abbreviations and initialisms. To save this word, you'll need to log in. Spell real-time reverse transcription at first use; use a hyphen in the term real-time, but do not use an en dash between reverse transcription and PCR. It comes from the phrase "oll korrect," a humorous alteration of "all correct.". Examples include scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) and gif (graphics interchange format). Click the iconto reveal any hidden columns. Abbreviations are any shortened form of a word. Did you know canola in canola oil is an acronym? What is the difference between an acronym and an initialism? initialism Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Spell out amino acid when followed by words; abbreviate aa without definition when paired with numbers (absolute or percentage). WebAbbreviations are shortened forms of a written word, phrase or name used in place of the whole, for example: Dr. for Doctor, Mr. for Mister, gym for gymnastics, ' Tim ' for Timothy, p.s. or in. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: We take your privacy seriously. Guidelines for using initials in reports, research papers, and bibliographies (or reference lists) vary according to the academic discipline and appropriate style manual. This means that they dont have time to The acronym is then pronounced as the word or sound that these letters spell out. This post will explain the rules you should follow when using initialisms and acronyms in your writing. Spell reverse transcription at first use; do not use an en dash between reverse transcription and PCR. 'We are working hard to put out the logo, LWV,' said Martha Kennedy, state membership chairwoman. Rather than using acronyms or initialisms, it can be easier for people if you: This is usually more useful to non-specialist users. ADDucations acronyms list A-Z includes examples of acronyms which have become so popular that the original abbreviation, Latin or wordplay is often forgotten. In most cases, initialisms are preceded by an article (i.e., a, an, or the). Why? A new word formed by joining the start of one word with the end of another. Sometimes we have a lot to say, but little time to say it. Email: contact@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email. I need more detail to answer my question. Shes the GOAT!) or a superstar in a particular field (Saw the GOAT himself, John Williams, conduct an orchestra last night!). SMH means Shaking my head. So, whats the difference between an acronym and initialism? LMK means Let me know. Abbreviations should be written out in Affiliations and Acknowledgments (unless abbreviated in text). People unfamiliar with certain terms might not understand their shortened forms. International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), Challenges in Forecasting Antimicrobial Resistance (Length: 22:34). Cherry). An acronym is an abbreviation of a phrase created by using the first letter of each word (or some of the words) in the phrase. Initialisms are featured in politics, corporate branding, scientific and medical terminology, and casual conversation alike. probably borrowed from German Akronym, Akronymon, from akr- acr- + -onym, -onymon -onym, You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these right. You can then see how some abbreviations can be both initialisms and acronyms. The AARP made the change partly because so many of its members, who are as young as 50, are still working. For instance: The BBC received many complaints about the show. Acronyms are normally written in capital letters, although some British style guides recommend capitalizing only the first letter (e.g., Unicef). Here is an example: 1. Avoid using the plural or possessive of an acronym or initialism when you define it. (preferred over ssp. Words to look for are Programme vs. 'UNICEF' is an acronym. The government is not without its acronyms. . Acronyms and initialisms | Wordy : a countercurrents series, Current Oncology, 23(5):295296, doi:10.3747/co.23.3122. Commonly considered an abbreviation for miss, but technically its not an abbreviation for anything. University of Chicago (2017) 10.2: Acronyms, initialisms, contractions, Chicago manual of style, 17th edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. WebExamples of initialisms are: DVD - Digital Versatile Disc CD - Compact Disc ATM - Automated (or Automatic) Teller Machine BRB - Be Right Back NMHU - Not Much Required fields are marked *. An acronym is a kind of abbreviation. Define them the first time you use them in content (unless youre certain all users will understand them without a definition consult a dictionary first). "Initial letter." You dont need to define some acronyms and initialisms on first use. This makes them a subset of abbreviations. CD is an initialism for Compact Disc. OED is an initialism for Oxford English Dictionary. FBI is an initialism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Fig. 1 - Initlialisms are often used in texting. HyperText Markup Language. In everyday language, these become ATM, BRB and HTML respectively. If the term is used >3 times, the abbreviation RT-PCR can be used. Be aware that some acronyms are now treated as ordinary words (e.g., scuba, gif, and radar). Review a few common examples. Acronym Initialism Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. Youve likely seen these acronyms in everyday life mixed in with common texting abbreviations. Acronym is a fairly recent word, dating from the 1940s, although acronyms existed long before we gave them that name. Examples include FBI, CIA, FYI (for your Thankfully, you don't have to know whether something is an abbreviation, initialism, or acronym to use it properly. Write well-known acronyms or initialisms first and follow with the full term in parentheses. Use standard abbreviations only; do not make up abbreviations. (days of the week) Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Jun., Jul., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. (months of the year) Ex. INITIALISM | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary Abbreviations are just words or phrases that are shortened. WebInitialism definition: An abbreviation consisting of the first letter or letters of words in a phrase (for example, IRS for Internal Revenue Service ), syllables or components of a I want to receive exclusive email updates from YourDictionary. Differences Between an Initialism and an Acronym. Acronyms are usually all capitals, but use lower case for some familiar acronyms (taser,captcha, laser). Todays topic is the difference between abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. Both the Chicago Manual of Style (2003) and Copy-editing (1992) use stops after each initial, as well as space, as shown in the names above. The topic I'm looking for is not in the Style Manual. opens in a new windowDictionary.com entry for Initialism real-time reverse transcription PCR For content with many specialised acronyms and initialisms, provide a glossary a list of terms and their meaning that users can refer to. Check out how acronyms compare to initialisms. In text, use number when followed by a word, no. when followed by a numeral. Acronym. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acronym. nym a-kr-nim. Some common examples include: 1. 2023 LoveToKnow Media. Acronyms and initialisms are two types of abbreviation that typically consist of the first letter of each word in a phrase. However, articles are often omitted in front of abbreviations. It is the nature of active, living languages that as soon as a rule is set down, exceptions arise. If the acronym or initialism represents common nouns, dont begin each word of the full form with a capital letter. The Difference Between an Acronym and The names of government departments are often shortened, but not always in the same way. TOYOTA - Too Often Yankees Overprice This Auto. In addition, some style guides insist on including periods. Therefore, initialisms can come in handy. Use STI for sexually transmitted infection but not for soft tissue infection (SSTI okay for skin and soft tissue infection). Whether you punctuate or not, be sure to be consistent throughout your document. WebAn initialism for Consumer Value Store DARE: Drug Abuse Resistance Education: Epcot: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow: FIFA: Fdration Internationale de W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) (n.d.) G102: providing the expansion or explanation of an abbreviation, Techniques for WCAG 2.0, W3C website, accessed 7 January 2020. An abbreviation is a truncated word; an acronym is made up of parts of the phrase it stands for and is pronounced as a word (ELISA, AIDS, GABA); an initialism is an acronym that is pronounced as individual letters (DNA, RT-PCR). There are millions of common abbreviations used every day, including: St. or Ave. (instead of Street or Avenue) Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., and Sun. STI WebAcronyms are a subtype of initialism. Initialisms in government are so common that theyve coined their own joke: alphabet soup. The use of initialisms in politics around the world reflects a shared need to save time and space without losing specificity. Abbreviations can, however, be used in a heading if previously established. However, there are various exceptions to this rulefor example, substances (e.g., LSD) and medical conditions (e.g., RSI). aa (when followed by numbers [absolute or percentage]), BCG (but at first mention specify Mycobacterium bovis BCG), bp, kb, kbp (when used with a numeral, but spell out when not used with a numeral), BSE (can be used in the title if "bovine spongiform encephalopathy" is used in the abstract or, for letters, in the first paragraph of the text; can be used in the running head), CSIRO (The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the national government body for scientific research in Australia), DNA, RNA, cDNA, mRNA, tRNA, or rDNA (Note: c, complementary; m, messenger; t, transfer; r, ribosomal), EMBL (European Molecular Biology Nucleotide Sequence Database), F, M (male, female; use abbreviations in tables and figures only; write out in text), kbp, kb, and bp (when used with a numeral, but spell out when not used with a numeral), M, F (male, female; use abbreviations in tables and figures only; write out in text), PCR (Also see reverse transcription PCR and real-time reverse transcription PCR in the section above. Key: An [1]initialism is an acronym where the letters, which form the abbreviation, are pronounced as letters. See the section on Acronym Use with Virus Names. Initialism - definition of initialism by The Free Dictionary All acronyms are abbreviations, but not all abbreviations are acronyms. For some more entertaining abbreviations, check out our list of funny acronyms. Acronyms vs. Initialisms: Whats the Difference? Check out a few initialisms used in the medical field. Start typing in the Filter table box to find anything inside this acronyms list. GOV.UK (2016) AZ: abbreviations and acronyms, Style guide, GOV.UK, accessed 4 May 2020. The World Wide Web is the only thing I know of whose shortened form takes three times longer to say than what its short for Douglas Adams in The Independent on Sunday, 1999. Abbreviations are found in almost every area of life. The group was founded in 1920 during a convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, held only six months before the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote [T]hose at the state level say that some League officers would like to follow the lead of the AARP, now more recognized for its initials than for the stodgier and sometimes misleading name, the American Association of Retired Persons. We'll use your email address you provided in feedback above to invite you to participate in user research. Resize your browser to full screen and/or zoom out to display as many columns as possible. Write the term in full first and follow with the acronym or initialism in parentheses. Acronym Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Do not introduce an abbreviation in a heading. Technically, these are initialisms, which is a type of abbreviation. Now, its time for acronyms. blend. From there on, you can use the acronym alone: By 2020, the RSPB had over one million members. English speakers split the difference between initialisms and acronyms simply by pronouncing certain abbreviations per their individual letters, and other times as single words. Enter search terms into the textbox above and click "Search" to seach all articles in the journal. Start typing in the Filter table box to find anything inside this acronyms list. Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about initialism. Initialisms comprise the initial letters (or sounds) of the words in a term and are pronounced as letters, not as a word. An initialism is a shortened version of a word or phrase that is pronounced as a series of letters. It did not explicitly warn against their use. WebSome abbreviations look like acronyms (for example, mph and NY), but it's really just a coincidence. List of acronyms and initialisms - Simple English Wikipedia, the . However, initialisms are pronounced as a list of letters, not as a word: Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox. 2. It could be abbreviated into one sound like Rom. for Romeo and Juliet. Its a word comprised of the first initials of the other words, which is then pronounced as its own word. Examples of this would be things like RAM (Random Access Memory); LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation); NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), and OPEC (Organization of Sehl K (24 April 2019) The ultimate list of social media acronyms and abbreviations, Hootsuite Blog, accessed 8 January 2020. Why? Instead, each letter is pronounced separately: FAQ frequently asked questions TBA As well as the initial letters of words, definitions in the digital edition allow for initial syllables for acronyms and initial sounds for initialisms. 'ACLU' is an initialism. Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. You can find them all over the place from the different departments to laws. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. FBI and CIA are examples of initialisms because theyre made up of the first letters of Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency, respectively, but they cant be pronounced as words. . The word initialism only applies when the resulting thing is read as an abbreviation; for example DIY, which comes from "do it yourself," is pronounced by saying the names of the letters. Nordquist, Richard. Initialism Examples By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. (for centimeter or inch) We submitted it under GenBank accession no. 2 Bcc and Cc. ). ABC123. If youre learning English, youve probably noticed that it comes with quite a few rules As the old rule goes, a noun is a person, place, or thing. But did English has eight types of pronouns, and relative pronouns are one of them. Initialism nov (with organism name), subsp. When you first introduce an acronym or initialism in a piece of writing, you should use the full phrase followed by its abbreviation in parentheses: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was founded in 1889. Check out a few initialisms used in the medical field. ALS: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is just one of many diseases more widely referred to by its initialism. The unwieldy full name is necessary for doctors to specify the particular nature of the illness, but an abbreviation serves for quicker communication. Acronyms and initialisms might also be misread by screen readers. opens in a new windowList of Common Abbreviations Alienating the audience: how abbreviations hamper scientific communication, The ultimate list of social media acronyms and abbreviations, G102: providing the expansion or explanation of an abbreviation, H28: providing definitions for abbreviations by using the abbr element, PDF8: Providing definitions for abbreviations via an E entry for a structure element, Understanding Success Criterion 3.1.4: abbreviations, How to create content that works well with screen readers. Common examples JEEP - Just Expect Every Problem. HONDA - Hang On, Not Done Accelerating. Rest in peace (this can also be an initialism, as some people say r i p), Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound (commonly used when setting goals). Spell out on first mention and use only if it occurs a substantial number (>3 times) of times (subject to editorial discretion). for post script. and cf. Acronyms are commonly used to create memorable names for brands, organizations and groups of people who regularly use the same phrases like the military. But what exactly do they mean? Commonly assumed to stand for save our ship, but technically, the international distress signal doesnt stand for anything, Subscriber Identity Module (as in a SIM card), An initialism that stands for Uniform Resource Locator, An abbreviation commonly thought to stand for Wireless Fidelity, but technically, it doesnt stand for anything, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, An abbreviation for statim, which is Latin for immediately. However, if you are confident that your readers will already be familiar with the abbreviation (e.g., UFO, TV), theres no need to spell out the full version. People could come across the shortened form without reading the text where it is first defined. Popular chat and text messaging abbreviations, Originated from the name of the Adidas sportswear founder, Latin translation of the German company founders name, Isnt an acronym for photofit but the name of the computer program, Named after the Swedish founders of clothing chain. They replace full names and special terms in text. If the acronym or initialism represents common nouns, dont begin each word of the full form with a capital letter. If the acronym or initialism represents a proper noun, start each word with a capital letter (excluding words such as of and and). Avoid using the plural or possessive of an acronym or initialism when you define it. The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition (2010) briefly addresses the question of whether the spelled-out form of an initialism or acronym should be initial-capped if the short form is capitalized, at 10.6 Capital versus lowercase for acronyms and initialisms:. Seth Stevenson: In 1985, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network became just ESPN, with no reference to the original meaning. Mrs. = Mistress (pronounced missus) Ms. = (pronounced miss or miz) Sr. = Senior Jr. = Junior Dr. = Doctor Mr. Green asked Ms. Grey if she had met Dr. Jekyl. ROFL means Rolling on floor laughing. Initial letter. WebList of acronyms and initialisms Page Talk Read Edit Change source View history Tools Contents Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9 [ change If they used an acronym or initialism, quote it. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'initialism.' Allan M. Siegal and William G. Connolly: Although full first names with middle initials (if any) are preferred in most copy, two or more initials may be used if that is the preference of the person mentioned: L.P. Arniotis, with athin space between initials. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with FTHC (an, Athletes from Russia, a country officially banned from the Olympics, competed under the banner of R.O.C., the, Gallucci argued that the Trump goal, which went by the, Post the Definition of initialism to Facebook, Share the Definition of initialism on Twitter. Top Parental Control Software Check out the list to see some common abbreviations that you might use everyday. Initialisms also include words made from the initial letters of a Phrase but NOT pronounced as a normal word - it is instead pronounced as a string of letters. They communicate terms in as few letters as possible to make content easier and faster to read. WebExamples: radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging), snafu (Situation Normal All Fucked Up, and sonar (SOund Navigation And Ranging). It comes down to how you pronounce an abbreviation that is going to make it an initialism, an acronym or both. Accessed 1 May. Copyright 2023 Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. This is particularly important if the content contains many specialist shortened forms. OK is technically an acronym. Using Sentence Case for Titles, Headings, and Headlines, 140 Key Copyediting Terms and What They Mean, How to Write a Bibliography For a Science Fair Project, 10 Tips for Using Abbreviations Correctly, Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia, M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester, B.A., English, State University of New York. What is the difference between the words acronym and initialism? Various celebrated names are rarely given in any other form: C. P. E. Bach, T. S. Eliot, P. G. Wodehouse. There are a few of them out there. cycle threshold The term was preceded in English by the word initialism, meaning an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of a phrase, and which has been in use since the late 19th century. The sixth edition included and sometimes other letters in its definitions for acronyms and initialisms. Abbreviation Here are some well-known examples of acronyms: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts). Another Zany Detroit Assassin!)