Get them right: Abbreviations vs. acronyms vs. initialisms

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You could argue we're living in the Golden Age of Abbreviations. Thanks to the convenience (or curse?!) of text messages, Slack channels, social media, and other instant communications innovations, we can practically carry out entire conversations using shorthand like OMG, BRB, IKR, TY, LOL, ROFL, AFAIK — you get the picture.

Although the practice is accelerating, humans have been finding ways to shorten phrases using abbreviations since the ancient Greeks. We're a lazy species, I guess. In the 1800s, a different type of abbreviation — the initialism — arose while yet another — the acronym — came to be in the 1940s.

While they all simplify and expedite conversations, abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms are not the same. Of course they're not. This couldn't be easy, right?

Let's examine each of these elements of writing and figure out how to use them correctly.

Abbreviations

This one's simple. Any shortened form of a word or phrase is an abbreviation. Anytime you write an address in a letter or your phone's GPS (which is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System), you're using abbreviations like "Blvd." for "boulevard" or "St." for "street" or "IL" for "Illinois" and on and on. When you text people, you might type "LOL" or "CYA" or "WTF." There are probably millions of abbreviations in the English language. (LMK* if you uncover the real number. My research came up empty. Sorry.) (*Let me know, duh!)

Abbreviations are more than groups of letters or shorthand for larger words or phrases. Some abbreviations have become words on their own, like "info," "ad," and "app," which are short for "information," "advertisement," and "appplicaton," respectively. You knew that, right?

Even though abbeviations are an accepted part of casual and professional writing alike, use them in moderation. Too many abbreviations turns otherwise understandable copy into alphabet soup.

??Mistake alert ?? Many abbreviations paired with numbers are so well-known, you never have to worry about spelling them out. We're talking about constructions like 1 p.m., 23 B.C., Oct. 23, etc. Everyone should know what those abbreviations mean.

We'll talk more about how to punctuate and use capital letters with abbreviations in the next few sections.

Initialisms

Initialisms are exactly what their name suggests: An abbreviation made up of the first letters of a phrase in which the letters are pronounced individually. Think of it this way to help you remember: Your initials when used in written form or said aloud are an intialism. In my case, that would be BMM. Go on, make your jokes. I've heard 'em all.

We encounter initialisms all the time: FBI, NFL, GOP, EU, CDC, FAA, MBA, NHL, etc. (Hey, that last one's a Latin abbreviation for "et cetera," which means "the rest." Fun, eh?) Initialisms should be written in uppercase in all instances.

In copywriting, initialisms —?like all abbreviations —?should be used sparingly. And they should be spelled out on first reference if your audience is not familiar with them. Your job as a copywriter is to be clear, not confusing. Initialisms run the risk of confusing readers.

??Mistake alert ?? Be sure you use the right article —?"a" "an" or "the" —?before an initialism, or any abbreviation for that matter. How you pronounce your initialism tells you which article to use. If the initialism starts with a consonant sound, use “a”:

?? "In the news conference, a CDC expert said we could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives without rampant vaccine misinformation."

For initialisms that start with a vowel sound, you'll need "an":

?? "Dana Scully is an FBI agent that often finds herself in unbelievably dangerous situations involving aliens."

Acronyms

Acronyms are very similar to initialsms, as they are a bunch of letters packed together, but they can be pronounced as words, unlike the incorrect GIF below, which is an intialism.

AIDS, NATO, NASA, NASCAR, AWOL, OSHA, SCOTUS, SWAT, etc., are acronyms because we pronounce them as words.

Believe it or not, COVID-19 is an acronym. It's probably the most common and well-known acronym around today. It stands for "coronavirus disease 2019."

??Mistake alert ?? Using periods in acronyms or initialisms is not necessary in all cases. Associated Press style advises using periods in two-letter acronyms (U.S., U.K. [but EU is an exception]) but not in longer acronyms unless the acronym could be mistaken for an unrelated word. Further, AP suggests acronyms of six words or longer should be written with an initial cap then lowercase for the rest of the letters. (Captcha is an example of this. It stands for "Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.")

Do you need parentheses with acronyms and initialisms?

Sometimes, you'll see parentheses after a phrase that contains an acronym or intialism that will appear later in a piece of writing.

????♀? "She works for the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC). The ATAC is made up of local, state, and federal agencies that fight terrorism."

The theory is that you introduce the long version of a phrase with its acronym or initialism in parentheses so you can use the shortened version later without confusing readers. Don't do this.

Use the long form of your phrase with no parenthetical explanation. If readers would not understand what it means later in its shortened form, don't use the acronym or initialism. Find a different way to describe it.

????♀? "She works for the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council. The council is made up of local, state, and federal agencies that fight terrorism."

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