Acronyms
are formed by combining the initial letters or syllables of two or more words. The combination is pronounced as a single word:
AIDS acquired immune deficiency syndrome
BIOS Basic Input Output System
DOS Disk Operating System
FAQ frequently asked questions
laser light amplification by stimulated emission of
radiation
Oxfam Oxford committee for Famine relief
radar radio detecting and ranging
RAM random access memory
ROM read-only memory
SAD seasonal affective disorder
SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
scuba self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
UNPROFOR United Nations Protection Force
WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get
Abbreviations
are also formed from the initial letters of words, but unlike acronyms, they are spoken by spelling out each letter:
ATM automated teller machine
BST British Standard Time
cpu central processing unit
DVD digital video disk
EC European Community
HTML hypertext markup language
http hypertext transfer protocol
ISD international subscriber dialling
IT information technology
o.g. own goal
OTT over the top
PC personal computer (also political correctness)
PRP performance-related pay (also profit-related pay)
RSI repetitive strain injury
UFO unidentified flying object
UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees
URL Universal Resource Locator
VCR video cassette recorder
WWW World Wide Web
The following abbreviations are now widely used in e-mail messages and in online discussion groups:
AFK away from keyboard
BTW by the way
FWIW for what it’s worth
FYI for your information
IMHO in my humble opinion
IMO in my opinion
LOL laughing out loud
Clipping
is a type of abbreviation in which one or more syllables are omitted or ‘clipped’ from a word. Most commonly, the beginning of the word is retained:
ad (or advert) advertisement
decaff (also decaf) decaffeinated coffee
demo demonstration
exam examination
improv improvisation
lab laboratory
memo memorandum
movie moving picture
photo photograph
pub public house
Clipping
is a very common method of creating familiar personal names, including Fred (from Frederick), Tim (from Timothy) and Seb (from Sebastian).
are formed by combining the initial letters or syllables of two or more words. The combination is pronounced as a single word:
BIOS Basic Input Output System
DOS Disk Operating System
FAQ frequently asked questions
laser light amplification by stimulated emission of
radiation
Oxfam Oxford committee for Famine relief
radar radio detecting and ranging
RAM random access memory
ROM read-only memory
SAD seasonal affective disorder
SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
scuba self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
UNPROFOR United Nations Protection Force
WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get
Abbreviations
are also formed from the initial letters of words, but unlike acronyms, they are spoken by spelling out each letter:
ATM automated teller machine
BST British Standard Time
cpu central processing unit
DVD digital video disk
EC European Community
HTML hypertext markup language
http hypertext transfer protocol
ISD international subscriber dialling
IT information technology
o.g. own goal
OTT over the top
PC personal computer (also political correctness)
PRP performance-related pay (also profit-related pay)
RSI repetitive strain injury
UFO unidentified flying object
UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees
URL Universal Resource Locator
VCR video cassette recorder
WWW World Wide Web
The following abbreviations are now widely used in e-mail messages and in online discussion groups:
AFK away from keyboard
BTW by the way
FWIW for what it’s worth
FYI for your information
IMHO in my humble opinion
IMO in my opinion
LOL laughing out loud
Clipping
is a type of abbreviation in which one or more syllables are omitted or ‘clipped’ from a word. Most commonly, the beginning of the word is retained:
ad (or advert) advertisement
decaff (also decaf) decaffeinated coffee
demo demonstration
exam examination
improv improvisation
lab laboratory
memo memorandum
movie moving picture
photo photograph
pub public house
Clipping
is a very common method of creating familiar personal names, including Fred (from Frederick), Tim (from Timothy) and Seb (from Sebastian).
