We'll award the best or worst? BUT these youngsters got me all hung up trying to figure out the acronyms these days. True or False? It really shows how specific and isolating all these acronym s can be. Figuring out when an acronym is appropriate can be tricky, says Barnett.
A group of researchers in Australia, including a marine ecologist and a statistician, looked at almost 25 million scientific articles between and , searching for trends in acronym use. Try not to laugh when you notice what the acronym for said foundation is.
A word formed by combining the beginning letters of a name or phrase , as in WASP for w hite A nglo- S axon P rotestant, or by combining the initial syllables of a series of words, as in radar , which stands for ra dio de tecting a nd r anging. New Word List Word List.
Save This Word! See synonyms for acronym on Thesaurus. We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms. Words nearby acronym acromphalus , acromyotonia , acron , acroneurosis , acronychal , acronym , acroosteolysis , acropachyderma , acroparaesthesia , acroparesthesia , acropathy.
See Today's Synonym. Is there a difference between acronyms and abbreviations? But, there are slight differences. An abbreviation is any shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase. Did you catch the word any in there? An initialism is an abbreviation formed from initial letters. Acronym is a relatively new word made up of ancient parts.
In German, the term Akronym had been used since the s. Some initialisms become acronyms by virtue of being spoken out loud frequently enough to become more like a word than a set of letters: both ASAP and LOL are frequently pronounced as words. Some are only partially pronounced, like HVAC. Acronyms formed from the first parts of words rather than just the initial letters tend to become words themselves, like hazmat hazardous materials and motel motor hotel. These are sometimes called blends by linguists, and arguments about whether the new word was formed from initial letters or blended word parts enter the realm of the philosophical.
As you read earlier, acronyms are used in place of a phrase or string of words. They're almost always made up of the words' initials and are spelled in all caps. They can represent all kinds of things, from organizations to mnemonics to sandwiches. Like abbreviations , there's a lot of overlap between acronyms and initialisms —but remember, this doesn't really matter when it comes to using them. It might help to think of acronyms as something catchier than abbreviations after all, they represent longer phrases, so it helps if they're memorable.
They don't just shorten words; they stand for organizations, ideas, and other things you want people to remember. Acronyms are read differently from abbreviations. Take the word BLT. If you saw that on the menu at your favorite restaurant, there's a good chance you'd just order a BLT , not a bacon , lettuce , and tomato sandwich.
You wouldn't pronounce it built or belt either; you would say B-L-T. This is what makes acronyms unique—you can read them as they appear, even though they stand for something else. The pronunciation of acronyms can vary, however. Sometimes it's just a question of, " Can the acronym be pronounced as a word? However, there's no set rule that governs this. Knowing how to pronounce acronyms depends a lot your awareness of the world around you, but it's not the end of the world if you make a mistake.
Sometimes you may need to explain the acronym when using it in writing. Style guides suggest that you write the acronym first, followed by the full name or phrase in parentheses. You can also write them in the opposite order—whatever makes more sense. In short, if the acronym is more widely known, list it first; if it's more obscure, you may want to start with the entire phrase.
A lot of contemporary acronyms might need to be explained for different reasons this also applies to the chat abbreviations that we discussed earlier.
As always, this type of slang can be OK in certain contexts, but it might leave some readers feeling confused. As you now know, abbreviations and acronyms can save time and space, and they can make your writing easier to read. Below is a sample that contains the full form of several different words, phrases, and expressions.
Do you know which acronyms and abbreviations could be used as substitutes? AKA is an acronym for also known as. Even though it could be pronounced as a word it has the right combination of consonants and vowels , it's always pronounced literally— A-K-A.
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