ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
An abbreviation is a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent
the whole, as Dr. for Doctor. A short phrase or reduced form used to represent a larger,
more complex idea, situation, set of beliefs, etc. An abbreviation is written differently
from the expanded form but is pronounced the same. Abbreviations should generally be
avoided. However, it is appropriate to use standard abbreviations sometimes in scientific
writing. For the first reference to a term in the text, the term should be used in full with
the abbreviation included in brackets. For the remainder of the text the abbreviation
should be used. However, abbreviations should not be used in the abstract or in the title.
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Mr., which stands for mister and is pronounced mister
ft., which stands for feet and is pronounced feet
etc., which stands for et cetera and is pronounced et cetera
An acronym is often considered to be a type of abbreviation. Generally, if an
abbreviation is pronounced as a word rather than as the letters individually, it is
considered an acronym. Often the distinction isn't always made between acronyms and
abbreviations, especially when the abbreviation is more widely known than what it stands
for, such as "PVC" (polyvinyl chloride) and "ATM" (automated teller machine).
Technically, a word that is formed by combining some parts (usually the first
letters) of some other terms. For example, modem is the acronym derived
from modulator/demodulator. In everyday speech, the term is also used to refer
to initialisms, which are combinations of letters representing a longer phrase. For
example, CRT is an initialism for cathode ray tube. The difference is that an acronym is
pronounced as if it were a word rather than just a series of individual letters.
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FBI, which stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation, but is pronounced ef-bee-I
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NATO, which stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but is pronounced NAYtoe
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IUPAC, which stands for International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, but is
pronounced I-U-pak
Full form
Contraction
do not
don't
cannot
can't
will not
won't
must not
mustn't
he would
he'd
General Abbreviations
Abbreviations Meaning
Use
Assn.
Association
They named their
club; Assn. of Low and
Highs.
Ave.
Avenue
They said they would be
waiting at Lexington Ave.
Dept.
Department
The Arts Dept. is holding a
bake sale.
Est.
Established
Annabel’s est. 1963 in
London, England.
Fig.
Figure
Look to fig. 8 to see how the
process takes place.
We will reach the next camp
at 1500hrs.
Hrs.
Hours
Inc.
Apple Inc. was founded in
Incorporated the 1970s by Steve Jobs and
Steve Wozniak.
Mt.
Mount
Mt. Everest is the tallest
mountain on earth.
No.
Number
The address is
House no. 64, Mulberry
Lane.
Oz.
Ounces
The recipe needs 34 oz. of
honey.
Sq.
Square
The rent is 100 dollar
per sq. inch.
St.
Street
The shop is located at
Xyza St. near the
intersection.
Vs
Versus
The final match is going to
be Australiavs. India.
General Acronyms
Example
Acronym Full Form
What It Is
ATM
Automated Teller A computerised cash
Machine
dispenser
BPO
Business Process
The outsourcing of
Outsourcing
specific functions of a
business to a third
party.
An ability based
admission test
conducted by the Indian
Institute of
Management.
CAT
Common
Admission Test
DNA
The molecule in any
Deoxyribonucleic living being that
Acid
contains all the genetic
data of the living being.
DVD
Digital Versatile
Disk
A compact optical
storage disk, used for
storing videos and other
information.
FAQ
A common section in
Frequently Asked most sites containing
Questions
common queries from
the visitors.
HR
Human
Resources
The workforce of any
organisation can also
refer to the department
that is in charge of
human resources.