English, as a language, has abbreviations too. Abbreviations are nothing but short forms which are made by using the first letter of each word to form a new phrase.
Abbreviations are similar to acronyms and are a shorthand way of expressing an idea. In the current trend, we have the abbreviation widely known as ‘YOLO’ which means ‘You Only Live Once’. Just as you see here, the abbreviation ‘YOLO’ is made by taking out the first letter from each of the four words.
The unique part about abbreviations is that they are used in capital letters and are totally pronounced as a new word altogether.
“Acronyms” are blanket terms that also consist of initialisms. An initialism is also a phrase that is indicated by abbreviating the first letter of each word in it. It cannot be pronounced as a unique word.
Moreover, initialisms are pronounced by individually spelling each letter of the word. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is shortened to FBI, but this is always pronounced by saying each letter separately.
Here are some commonly used acronyms and initialisms which we use in our everyday lives and situations. There are some acronyms that are used in the world of emails and texting and instant messaging. This has given rise to a whole series of acronyms and initialisms which allow texters to complete their messages more quickly. Almost all are initialisms as they are pronounced letter by letter.
Here are some of them,
AFK – Away From Keyboard
BBIAB – Be Back In A Bit
BBL – Be Back Later
BBS – Be Back Soon
BEG – Big Evil Grin
BRB – Be Right Back
BTW – By The Way
EG – Evil Grin
FISH – First In, Still Here
IDK – I Don’t Know
IMO – In My Opinion
IRL – In Real Life
KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid
LMK – Let Me Know
LOL – Laughing Out Loud
NYOB – None of Your Business
OFC – Of Course
OMG – Oh My God
PANS – Pretty Awesome New Stuff
PHAT – Pretty, Hot, And Tempting
POS – Parents Over Shoulder
ROFL – Rolling On the Floor Laughing
SMH – Shaking My Head
TTYL – Talk To You Later
YOLO – You Only Live Once
WTH – What The Heck
While we use some of the acronyms in our daily lives, there are some acronyms used in the military and the government too. At times, it is difficult to understand what is being said in a government or official setting. Here are some common acronyms used in government and military settings.
ASAP – As Soon As Possible
AWOL – Absent Without Leave
CIA – Central Intelligence Agency
CPL – Corporal
CPS – Child Protective Services
CPT – Captain
CSI – Crime Scene Investigation
DAFB – Dover Air Force Base
DMV – Division of Motor Vehicles
DNC – Democratic National Committee
DOD – Department of Defense
DON – Department of the Navy
DZ – Drop Zone
FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation
FUBAR – F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition
GIB – GI Bill
MAJ – Major
MIA – Missing In Action
OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration
NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Navy SEALs – Navy Sea Air Land forces
POTUS – President of the United States
POW – Prisoner Of War
RNC – Republican National Committee
REAP – Reserve Education Assistance Program
SCOTUS – Supreme Court of the United States
SGT – Sergeant
SWAT – Special Weapons And Tactics
UN – United Nations
USAF – United States Air Force
There are some common informative acronyms too which are used to convey essential information quickly. They are mostly used in the medical field but are now used in our daily lives too.
ABS – Anti-lock Braking System
ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
AMA – Against Medical Advice
CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DARE – Drug Abuse Resistance Education
DOA – Dead On Arrival
DOB – Date Of Birth
DIY – Do It Yourself
ESL – English As A Second Language
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
GIF – Graphics Interchange Format
HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
ID – Identification
IQ – Intelligence Quotient
MD – Medical Doctor
OTC – Over The Counter
PPV – Pay Per View
PS – Post Script
RADAR – Radio Detection And Ranging
SONAR – Sound Navigation And Ranging
SUV – Sports Utility Vehicle
TBA – To Be Announced
UFO – Unidentified Flying Object
Acronyms used in business are,
ADP – Automated Data Processing
AKA – Also Known As
CAPTCHA – Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
CC – Copy To
CST – Central Standard Time
DAEMON – Disk And Execution Monitor
DBA – Doing Business As
DND – Do Not Disturb
EDS – Electronic Data Systems
EOD – End of Day
EST – Eastern Standard Time
ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
FYI – For Your Information
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
HR – Human Resources
MBA – Masters of Business Administration
MST – Mountain Standard Time
NASDAQ – National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation
OT – Overtime
POS – Point Of Service
PR – Public Relations
PST – Pacific Standard Time
SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
SMART Goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound Goals
TBD – To Be Determined
TED – Tell me, Explain to me, Describe to me
