Although abbreviations and acronyms appear to be similar, they have few differences. According to dictionary abbreviations are a shortened form of a word or phrase for (e.g. Dec. for December, Mr for Mister etc.), while acronym is nothing but an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. IIT for Indian Institute of Technology).
Let us see how are these two are different from each other and when should you use them.
8 Rules for Abbreviations and Acronyms
Following are eight rules you should follow while using abbreviations and acronyms, based on these rules you decide which one to use.
- Before using abbreviations and acronyms, the first rule is to put the reader first.
- They can be used in casual as well as formal writing.
- Only abbreviate terms that appear three or more times in the paper, these terms may be misinterpreted, as they may also be used to abbreviate another term that will be more recognisable to the reader. Do not abbreviate terms that appear times fewer after their first use.
- When referring to a term or name of an organisation for the first time, always spell it out and then add the abbreviated name beside it. For example, ‘National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’.
- Using a period at the end, when writing abbreviations is up to the writer. It is generally used to make the abbreviation easily readable.
- Acronyms may have several meanings; they are sometimes misunderstood by the reader. For e.g. internet users misinterpret lol (laughing out loud) to ‘lots of love’.
- Pronunciation of Acronyms is different from abbreviations, they are pronounced as a word or spelt letter by letter (e.g. HP is pronounced as ‘H-P’ and not as HAP or HIP).
- Sometimes you have to explain the acronym while writing them. Write the acronym first, followed by the full name or phrase in parentheses or vice-versa. If the acronym is more widely known, list it first;
Try using the above mentioned rules next time you encounter an Acronym or an Abbreviation. Have a look at list of common English abbreviations before you go.
How about sharing these 8 rules with others ?. Let them also have a clear overview of how to use these shortened from of words.
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