A. Abbreviations pronounced as individual letters
Most abbreviations are pronounced as individual letters.
Abbreviations for groups or organisations:
BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
CIA Central Intelligence Agency (US government agency collecting information about other countries)
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
MI6 Military Intelligence & (UK equivalent of CIA)
WHO World Health Organisation
Other abbreviations pronounced as individual letters:
ID Identity (an identity card or passport)
DNA deoxyribonucleic acid (chemical at the centre of living cells)
FAQ frequently asked questions
ATM automated teller machine (cash machine usually outside a bank)
Language help
When these abbreviations are stressed words in the sentence, the stress falls on the last letter, e.g. She works for the CIA. I heard it on the BBC.
B. Abbreviations pronounced as words
Abbreviations pronounced as individual words are called acronyms.
NATO /ˈneɪtəʊ/ North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
PIN /pɪn/ Personal Identity Number (e.g. for a bank or credit card)
SAD seasonal affective disorder (lacking energy and enthusiasm in winter in latitudes where there is little sunlight at that time)
AWOL /ˈeɪwɒl/ absent without leave [permission; usually used in military contexts]
Some acronyms have become so normal as words that people do not think of them as abbreviations any longer, and so they are not written in capital letters.
C. Clippings
Some words are often used in an abbreviated form in informal situations. We say, for example, kilo instead of 'kilogram' or gig for 'gigabyte'. Other examples include:
air con (air conditioning)
satnav (satellite navigation system)
mobile (mobile phone) or (US) cell (cellphone)
high-tech (high-technology)
D. Written abbreviations
Some abbreviations are most frequently used in writing.
PTO Please turn over (turn to the next page)
PS post script (written at the end of a message or letter, when you want to add something else)
RSVP Répondez s'il vous plaît (French, meaning 'please answer') (written at the end of an invitation, to indicate that you should reply)
RIP Rest in peace (often written on a headstone where someone is buried after they have died)
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