Acronym - Comparing A Few Examples of Each Type

Comparing A Few Examples of Each Type

  • Pronounced as a word, containing only initial letters
    • AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome
    • NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
    • Scuba: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
    • Laser: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
  • Pronounced as a word, containing non-initial letters
    • Amphetamine: alpha-methyl-phenethylamine
    • Gestapo: Geheime Staatspolizei (secret state police)
    • Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization
    • Nabisco: National Biscuit Company
  • Pronounced as a word, containing a mixture of initial and non-initial letters
    • Necco: New England Confectionery Company
    • Radar: radio detection and ranging
  • Pronounced as a word or spelled out, depending on speaker or context
    • FAQ: ( or ef-a-cue) frequently asked question
    • IRA: When used for Individual Retirement Account, can be pronounced as letters (i-ar-a) or as a word .
    • SAT(s): ( or ess-a-tee) (previously) Scholastic Achievement (or Aptitude) Test(s)(US) or Standard Assessment Test(s) (UK), now claimed not to stand for anything.
    • SQL: ( or ess-cue-el) Structured Query Language.
  • Pronounced as a combination of spelling out and a word
    • CD-ROM: (cee-dee-) Compact Disc read-only memory
    • IUPAC: (i-u-) International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
    • JPEG: (jay-) Joint Photographic Experts Group
    • SFMOMA: (ess-ef-) San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
  • Spelled out only
    • BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
    • OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer
    • USA: The United States of America
  • Spelled out, but with a shortcut
    • AAA:
      • (triple A) American Automobile Association; abdominal aortic aneurysm; anti-aircraft artillery; Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
      • (three As) Amateur Athletic Association
    • IEEE: (I triple E) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
    • NAACP: (N double A C P) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
    • NCAA: (N C double A or N C two A or N C A A) National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • Shortcut incorporated into name
    • 3M: (three M) originally Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    • E3: (E three) Electronic Entertainment Exposition
    • W3C: (W three C) World Wide Web Consortium
    • C4ISTAR: (C four I star) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance
  • Multi-layered acronyms
    • NAC Breda: (Dutch football club) NOAD ADVENDO Combinatie ("NOAD ADVENDO Combination"), formed by the 1912 merger of two clubs, NOAD (Nooit Opgeven Altijd Doorgaan "Never give up, always persevere") and ADVENDO (Aangenaam Door Vermaak En Nuttig Door Ontspanning "Pleasant by entertainment and useful by relaxation") from Breda
    • GAIM: GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger
    • GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program
    • VHDL: VHSIC hardware description language, where VHSIC stands for very-high-speed integrated circuit.
  • Recursive acronyms, in which the abbreviation refers to itself
    • GNU: GNU's not Unix!
    • WINE: WINE Is Not an Emulator (originally, WINdows Emulator)
    • PHP: PHP hypertext pre-processor (formerly personal home page)
    • These may go through multiple layers before the self-reference is found:
      • HURD: HIRD of Unix-replacing daemons, where "HIRD" stands for "HURD of interfaces representing depth"
  • Pseudo-acronyms, which consist of a sequence of characters that, when pronounced as intended, invoke other, longer words with less typing (see also Internet slang)
    • CQ: cee-cue for "seek you", a code used by radio operators
    • IOU: i-o-u for "I owe you" (a true acronym would be IOY)
    • K9: kay-nine for "canine", used to designate police units utilizing dogs
    • Q8: cue-eight for "Kuwait"
  • Acronyms whose last abbreviated word is often redundantly included anyway
    • ATM machine: Automated Teller Machine machine
    • HIV virus: Human Immunodeficiency Virus virus
    • PIN number: Personal Identification Number number
    • LCD display: Liquid Crystal Display display

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