What is the difference between an acronym and an initialism? 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. English speakers split the difference between initialisms and acronyms simply by pronouncing certain abbreviations per their individual letters, and other times as single words. This is particularly important if the content contains many specialist shortened forms. STI CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. For When 'Lowdown Crook' Isn't Specific Enough. 2023. 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). EtymologyFrom the Latin, "standing at the beginning". Saving Lives, Protecting People, Challenges in Forecasting Antimicrobial Resistance, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OIE, World Organisation for Animal Health. Examples: FBI HTML IBM DVD BTW (by the way) Note that most people Kate Stone Lombardi: Take the League of Women Voters. Press Esc to cancel. WebExamples of initialisms are: DVD - Digital Versatile Disc CD - Compact Disc ATM - Automated (or Automatic) Teller Machine BRB - Be Right Back NMHU - Not Much Abbreviations can, however, be used in a heading if previously established. 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:. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. 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. For When 'Lowdown Crook' Isn't Specific Enough. Examples include scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) and gif (graphics interchange format). Spell reverse transcription at first use; do not use an en dash between reverse transcription and PCR. This post will explain the rules you should follow when using initialisms and acronyms in your writing. Well add the best acronyms to ADDucations acronyms list. and 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. Avoid using the plural or possessive of an acronym or initialism when you define it. Initialisms . I need more detail to answer my question. In these instances, write the abbreviation, then spell out in parentheses, even if it appears only once in the article. What is the difference between the words acronym and initialism? Therefore, initialisms can come in handy. ASAP, however, also qualifies as an acronym because it is made up of the initial letters of the phrase it comes from: as soon as possible. You dont need to define some acronyms and initialisms on first use. (vs. number) Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! CDC twenty four seven. WebAn initialism is a term formed by abbreviating a phrase by combining certain letters of words in the phrase (often the first initial of each) into a single term. WebExamples: radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging), snafu (Situation Normal All Fucked Up, and sonar (SOund Navigation And Ranging). 'UNICEF' is an acronym. Any opinions expressed in the examples do not Youve now walked into the fun world of abbreviations. 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. nym a-kr-nim. LMFAO means Laughing my freaking *a* off. Find her on Mastodon. Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed by using the first letter of each word in a phrase. Latin abbreviations, such as etc. Another Zany Detroit Assassin!) Be aware that some acronyms are now treated as ordinary words (e.g., scuba, gif, and radar). This page was updated Thursday 8 December 2022. We'll use your email address to invite you to participate in user research. Learn a new word every day. 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. No. Send us feedback about these examples. It did not explicitly warn against their use. An initial is the first letter of each word in a proper name. When shes not writing you can find her watching the latest and greatest movies, listening to a true-crime podcast (or two), blasting 90s music and hiking with her dog, Ryker, throughout the Finger Lakes. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: We take your privacy seriously. The names of government departments are often shortened, but not always in the same way. Abbreviations can be shortened forms of any kind. (preferred over ssp. 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. SOB Youve looked at abbreviations that can be acronyms, initialisms and both, but what about those abbreviations that are neither? Words in English: Types of Word Formation Bach, T.S. Use STI for sexually transmitted infection but not for soft tissue infection (SSTI okay for skin and soft tissue infection). Abbreviations are just words or phrases that are shortened. Examples of well-known initialisms include CEO for Chief Executive Officer and NSF for the National Science Foundation. Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations say what? I want to receive exclusive email updates from YourDictionary. Check out how acronyms compare to initialisms. Pingback: Best 17 What Is Initialism - Mitadoor ng Nai, Listeners to my Savvy Psychologist podcast really seemed to respond to my boundary episodes. Accessed 1 May. Acronyms and Initialisms- Uppercase, Lowercase Accessed 1 May. For example, a user might click straight to a section that only includes the shortened form. Your email address will not be published. Reload page for original sort order. If the acronym or initialism represents common nouns, dont begin each word of the full form with a capital letter. Acronym used in mathematics to remember the trigonometric functions sine, cosine, and tangent. Click the icon to reveal any hidden columns. It is an abbreviation of "oh As a general rule, all non-standard abbreviations/acronyms should be written out in full on first use (in both the abstract and the paper itself) and followed by the abbreviated form in parentheses, as in the American Psychological Association (APA). In text, use number when followed by a word, no. when followed by a numeral. One moose, two moose. Type above and press Enter to search. Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. initialism real-time reverse transcription PCR 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. 4 Communication Assassins Hurting Your Relationships, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, Best 17 What Is Initialism - Mitadoor ng Nai, Initialisms are made from the first letter (or letters) of a string of words, but cant be pronounced as words themselves. Initialisms are always written in capital letters, and, like acronyms, they only need periods after each letter if youre following a style guide that requires them. OK is technically an acronym. Initialism. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initialism. Here is an example: 1. Start typing in the Filter table box to find anything inside this acronyms list. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acronym.' International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), Challenges in Forecasting Antimicrobial Resistance (Length: 22:34). Some people feel strongly that acronym should only be used for terms like NATO, which is pronounced as a single word, and that initialism should be used if the individual letters are all pronounced distinctly, as with FBI. Narod S, Ahmed H and Akbari M (2016) Do acronyms belong in the medical literature? Some specific examples follow: amino acid When quoting an exact phrase, write exactly what the speaker said. Key: An [1]initialism is an acronym where the letters, which form the abbreviation, are pronounced as letters. The following are used without spelling out on first mention (list not comprehensive). Initialisms Include the glossary at the end of the content or on a separate webpage. Web Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022 The outbreak which researchers call by its initialism, HPAI is relatively novel to this part of this world. Big businesses might use acronyms to make them stand out or just to shorten a long name. When letters make sounds that aren't associated w One goose, two geese. 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. In short: An abbreviation is when a phrase or word is shortened to a word or letters. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! Nglish: Translation of acronym for Spanish Speakers, Britannica English: Translation of acronym for Arabic Speakers, Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about acronym. W3C (n.d.) Understanding Success Criterion 3.1.4: abbreviations, Understanding WCAG 2.1, W3C website, accessed 5 May 2020. cit. In most cases, initialisms are preceded by an article (i.e., a, an, or the). Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data. there are only a few unfamiliar shortened forms, each one is only in a very limited section of text. Delivered to your inbox! When letters make sounds that aren't associated w One goose, two geese. Acronyms vs. Initialisms: Whats the Difference? WebABC is an initialism for American Broadcasting Corporation. The government is not without its acronyms. 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. LMK means Let me know. Copyright 2023 Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. WebFewer examples The plural of an initialism is the initialism plus s. DVD was originally used as an initialism for the unofficial term digital videodisk. Definition and Examples of Initial Letters From there on, you can use the acronym alone: By 2020, the RSPB had over one million members. Click the iconto reveal any hidden columns. Affiliations may be abbreviated at the authors discretion in the Address for Correspondence. . This makes it easy for users to recognise the shortened form in later content. Cherry). The fascinating story behind many people's favori Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! WebThese are also examples of common initialisms, because the letters dont form a word. 2023. A new word formed by joining the start of one word with the end of another. Todays topic is the difference between abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. When preparing content for well-established publications, such as professional journals, look at the author guidelines and examples of the content. 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. Recursive acronym (over 195,000 definitions) Examples: ALA, ANWB, BBB, IEEE, MoMA, NEA , UCLA, UN, WTO Slang & Pop Culture Check out a few that you might already know. 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). HOLDEN - Hope Our Luck Doesn't End Now. List of acronyms and initialisms - Simple English Wikipedia, the If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page. Matthew Cohen/Rd.com, Nicole Fornabaio/Rd.com, We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), This $12 Root Spray Conceals Gray Strands Until Your Next Wash Day, Word Power Vocabulary Quiz: Words That Shine, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Abbreviations for ante meridiem and post meridiem, An abbreviation meaning in case you missed it, An abbreviation meaning for what its worth, Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. (American style) Mr Green asked Ms Grey if she had met Dr Jekyl. You can then see how some abbreviations can be both initialisms and acronyms. 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. All rights reserved. opens in a new windowAn excellent discussion by HTML developers about acronyms and abbreviations. On subsequent occurrences, use the abbreviation, VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) test. Yes! The name of the famous Swedish pop group combines the first initial of its members namesAgnetha, Bjrn, Benny, and Anni-Frid. nov (with organism name), subsp. Happy learning! each one is spelt out when first mentioned. Thankfully, you don't have to know whether something is an abbreviation, initialism, or acronym to use it properly. 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.