Abbreviations and acronyms

Abbreviations and acronyms are shorter versions of existing words and phrases. They’re designed to save time and take up less space (whether you’re typing or writing by hand), and can even make your writing easier to read.

What is an abbreviation?
Abbreviations are all around us, from common titles like Dr. and Prof. to the abbreviations you see on street signs. Specifically, abbreviations are shorter spellings of words and expressions we use every day.

What is an acronym?
You might already know some acronyms, like NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ATM (automated teller machine). An acronym is a stand-in for a string of words, usually an organization name, slogan, or something else equally wordy. Unlike abbreviations, they aren’t shorter spellings of words—they’re made up of the words’ initials.

Some common Abbreviations and Acronyms

401k    a common type of retirement savings plan in the US
acct.    account
ad    advertisement (American English)
advert    advertisement (British English)
approx.    approximately
APR    annual percentage rate (the interest rate for a whole year on a credit card, loan, mortgage, etc.)
ASAP    as soon as possible
ATTN
    attention (used to indicate who a letter is for — ATTN Rick Cutts, for example)
B2B    business to business
BA    Bachelor of Arts degree
BBA    Bachelor of Business Administration degree
BS    Bachelor of Science degree
cc    carbon copy (means that a duplicate copy has been sent to another person)
CEO    Chief Executive Officer
CFO    Chief Financial Officer
Co.    Company (as in John Smith and Co.)
COD    cash on delivery
corp.    corporation
CPA    Certified Public Account
CSR    customer service representative
dept.    department
div.    division
e.g.    example given
ea.    each
EST    Eastern Standard Time
ETA    estimated time of arrival
FAQ    frequently asked question
fwd.    forward
GDP    Gross Domestic Product (the value of all goods and services produced within a country within a period of time)
GNP    Gross National Product (the value of all goods and services produced by the nationals of a country)
govt.    government
HQ    headquarters
i.e.    in other words

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words. Most abbreviations
have a period at the end.
examples: km – kilometer August – Aug.
What does each abbreviation stand for? Write the full word or words on each
line.

1. Rd. ________________________
2. Hwy. ________________________
3. Mon. ________________________
4. Tue. ________________________
5. tsp. ________________________
6. min. ________________________
7. Thurs. ________________________
8. gal. ________________________
9. in. ________________________
10. Dec. ________________________
11. Apr. ________________________
12. Mr. ________________________
13. Fri. ________________________
14. Jan. ________________________
15. Sun. ________________________
16. Nov. ________________________
17. Jr. ________________________
18. Sat. ________________________
19. Mrs. ________________________
20. cm ________________________
21. m ________________________
22. ft. ________________________
23. sq. ________________________
24. Oct. _______________________

PRACTICE
Fill in the blanks with the correct initials, abbreviations, or acronyms.

1. The abbreviation for time Before Christ is written as _________________.
2. The time after noon is called Post Meridian and is written as _________________.
3. Additional information at a letter’s end is called a postscript and is written as ____________.
4. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an acronym known as _____________.
5. _________________ divers use a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
6. When Ms. Bean married Mr. Jones, she took on his last name and became ______ Jones.
7. The abbreviation for exempli gratia is _________, which means for example.
8. The abbreviation for et cetera is _________, which means and so forth.
9. Five and one-half written as a decimal would be __________.

Acronyms are made by combining initial letters (first letters) of a series of
words to make new words.
Directions: Write the initial letters of each word to make the acronym.

• United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund ________
• Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation __________
• Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus ___________
• National Association of Space Administration __________
• Federal Emergency Management Agency __________
• President of the United States ___________
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization ___________
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration _______

Directions: For each acronym (initialism) below, write a word for each letter. The first
one has been done for you. If you cannot decipher the letters, leave the line
blank for lookup later.

1. IDK – I don’t know
2. BFF – _____________________
3. IMO – _________________________
4. ATM _________________________________________
5. ASAP ________________________________________
6. BTW _________________________
7. RSVP ________________________________________
8. FBI __________________________________________
9. CIA __________________________________________
10. CD ________________________
11. DVD ____________________________
12. ESPN ____________________________
13. www _____________________________
14. CEO __________________________________
15. LOL __________________________________
16. Pls ___________

Look and match: Abbreviations and acronyms

1. A.S.A.P.
2. D.I.Y.
3. E.T.A.
4. Rd.
5. St.
6. AFAIK
7. BRB
8. CUL
9. LOL
10. NP
11. AM
12. PM
13. e.g.
14. i.e.
15. USA
16. UK
17. Xmas
18. D.O.B.
19. Bday
20. U

a. ‘post meridiem’ = after midday
b. As far as I know
c. As soon as possible
d. Be right back
e. ‘ante meridiem’ = before midday
f. Birthday
g. Christmas
h. Date of Birth
i. Do It Yourself
j. Estimated Time of Arrival
k. Exempli gratia (= for example)
l. Laughing out loud
m. No problem
n. Road
o. See you later
p. Street/Saint
q. Id est (= that is
to say)
r. United Kingdom
s. United States of America
t. you

Read the email, and complete the form about Ben:

From: Alex
Subject: Ben
How are you? It’s Ben’s bday next Friday (he’ll be 14), but he’s going to
throw a party the day after, Saturday 24th June, around 7 pm. I think it will
be at his place at 198 Abbey Rd. What present can we buy? Maybe
something about the USA? AFAIK, he’s really keen on travelling and is
crazy about the States because he went there with his parents last year.
Or what about some D.I.Y stuff? He likes building and making things
with his dad. What do you think?
We could go to get his present tomorrow after school, OK?
Please reply A.S.A.P.
CUL
Alex

Write a reply to Alex’s email. In your reply, you should:
– say that you are excited about Ben’s party
– say which present you would prefer to buy for Ben
– suggest where to buy the present
– confirm where and when you will meet Alex
Write your answer in about 100 words.
Use some natural abbreviations in your answer.