Consider VIP, which stands for Very Important Person. Instead of saying the whole phrase, we can shorten it to three letters. Initialisms are a convenient way of giving information quickly and are popular in technology and online communication - like texting or messaging (think of LOL and OMG).
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Sign up for freeTrue or false?An initialism is made with the initial letters of a group of words and pronounced as a word on its own.
Choose the correct ending. (There may be more than one correct answer):Initialisms are ...
True or false?Initialisms are often used in online communication.
True or false?An initialism is a type of abbreviation.
True or false?An initialism is pronounced letter by letter.
True or false?An initialism is made with the initial letters of a group of words and pronounced as a word on its own.
Choose the correct ending. (There may be more than one correct answer):Initialisms are ...
True or false?Initialisms are often used in online communication.
True or false?An initialism is a type of abbreviation.
True or false?An initialism is pronounced letter by letter.
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An initialism can also be made from the initial letters of brand names, for instance, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).
An initialism is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of words in phrases. It is usually pronounced as individual letters (not as a word on its own). For example, FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation. Initialisms are commonly used in academic, technical, and government settings as a shorthand for complex phrases or terminology.
Tip: Originally (in the 19th century), initialisms were referred to as alphabetic abbreviations, and were used by authors to conceal their identity.
Initialism examples includes DVD, CD, OED, FBI, and FAQ.
DVD is an initialism for Digital Video (or Versatile) Disc.
CD is an initialism for Compact Disc.
OED is an initialism for Oxford English Dictionary.
FBI is an initialism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
FAQ is an initialism for Frequently Asked Questions.
Now look at the following and decide what the initialisms are:
In everyday language, these become ATM, BRB and HTML respectively.
Terry the web designer realizes he needs money so he pops out from work to the ATM across the road. When he gets back he finds a note from a co-worker that says 'BRB'. Terry sits down and starts working on the HTML for their next project.
Fig. 2 - Initialism are also used in everyday language.
Initialisms are also popular in online texting. Take a look a the list of initialism examples below!
| Initialism Examples | |
|---|---|
| Examples | Explanation |
| ROFL | Rolling on the floor laughing |
| LMK | Let me know |
| LOL | Laugh out loud |
| ASAP | As soon as possible |
| FYI | For your information |
| IRL | In real life |
| FB | |
| MSG | Message |
| TTYL | Talk to you later |
| IMO | In my opinion |
| OMG | Oh my gosh/God |
Acronym is another quite recent word (from Greek acr- (tip, summit) and -onym meaning name). It is a different kind of abbreviation, and is made with the initial letters of a group of words and pronounced as a word on its own. For instance, NATO is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
RAM - Random Access Memory
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Laser - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
Scuba - Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
POTUS - President of the United States
PAWS - Progressive Animal Welfare Society
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
ASAP - As Soon As Possible.
AWOL - Absent Without Official Leave (or Absent Without Leave).
IMAX - Image Maximum.
GIF - graphics interchange format
PIN - Personal Identification Number.
TIME magazine - The International Magazine of Events.
MASH - Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
An initialism, by contrast, is a set of initials representing a name, company, or group, and which cannot be spoken as words: they are spoken letter by letter. For instance, CNN (Cable News Network) cannot be spoken as a word, nor can DVD or OMG.
Some initialisms have interesting histories; the two most often debated are 'OK' and 'SOS'.
The initialism OK is universally understood to mean 'accepted', 'yes,' 'good,' and so on. But what do the letters really stand for?
Many theories exist based on the similarity of OK to words in other languages. Some of these theories suggest that:
The Choctow theory was supported by US President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), who would write 'okeh' on papers he approved. This may be where the 'okay' form comes from.
The Choctow theory continued to be accepted in Webster's dictionary until the 1960s when the etymologist Allen Walker Read traced 'ok' back to a newspaper article printed in 1838 in Boston. The writer had used a humorous abbreviation 'ok' for the misspelt phrase 'orl correct' (for 'all correct'.) The editor liked the term and began to use it, then other newspapers began to use it too. 'Ok' was further popularized during the presidential election of 1840 by a politician called Martin Van Buren, who was given the nickname of "Old Kinderhook" because of his hometown of Kinderhook, NY.
(There are people today who still believe 'Old Kinderhook' is the real origin of 'ok').
Fig. 3 - The possible origins of 'O.K.'
SOS is the standard signal used in Morse code to call for help or rescue and is internationally recognized. But what does it really stand for? Save our socks?
The most popular explanation has been that it stands for 'Save Our Souls', followed by 'Save Our Ship'. However, neither of these apply. In fact, 'SOS' was first coined in 1910 as a Morse code signal to replace the earlier signal CQD. (Originally 'CQ' was used as the general alert to another ship, followed by 'D' for danger).
SOS is easy to type out in Morse code (‧ ‧ ‧ - - - ‧ ‧ ‧) and easy to understand, even in poor conditions, so it was adopted to replace CQD.
In different contexts SOS can also stand for:
Fig. 4 - SOS is the standard call for help.
The first Morse Code was devised by an American artist and inventor Samuel FB Morse during the 1830s. In 1848 German writer, musician and telegraph pioneer Friedrich Clemens Gerke simplified the system into the International Morse code used today.
Here's what the Merriam & Webster dictionary has to say about initialisms or acronyms:
Some people feel strongly that acronym should only be used for terms like NATO, which is pronounced as a single word, and that initialism should be used if the individual letters are all pronounced distinctly, as with FBI. Our research shows that acronym is commonly used to refer to both types of abbreviations.
( Merriam-Webster Dictionary )
There are different types of acronyms. Some are made up of syllables (eg FOREX = Foreign Exchange), others are made up of letters, and some are a mixture of both. No wonder it gets confusing! But as a rule of thumb, if you can say it as a word, the chances are that you can safely call it an acronym without getting called out by the grammar police!
If on the other hand, you can only really read it out as a string of letters, it is probably an initialism.
Both acronyms and initialisms are examples of abbreviations.
An initialism is an abbreviation that consists of the first letter or letters of words in a phrase, such as EU (for European Union) and BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). An initialism is also called an alphabetism.
Initialisms are usually written in capital letters, without spaces or full stops. Unlike acronyms, initialisms are not spoken as a single word; they are spoken letter by letter.
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Define initialism.
An initialism is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of words in phrases.
What are examples of initialisms?
Examples of initialisms include ASAP (As soon as possible), OED (Oxford English Dictionary), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).
What is the difference between an acronym and an initialism?
An acronym is an initialism that is pronounced as a word on its own; for instance, NATO is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
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