What is the difference between abbreviation acronym and initialism

CNN offers hour news coverage. There is no particular set of rules that applies to all abbreviations. This post and the comments that follow give quite a bit of information on the topic. If you have a question about a specific abbreviation, we will be happy to answer it. Has that always been the norm, or something new?

This is not something new. Initialism style does not have set rules; rather, it is most often determined by those who are forming the initialism.

Consideration should be given to how the initialism sounds when pronounced and how it looks in writing. If you settle on YOTY or YOY , you will technically have an acronym because people will naturally want to pronounce it as a word, which is fine too. As you pointed out, consistency is essential.

Our church is writing a procedures manual. Our official name as it appears on letterhead is the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany.

All three variations appear in the document. I was thinking the first time the name appears, use the official full name, but then everywhere following, Church of the Epiphany or Epiphany, as long as one is consistently used.

There is no rule regarding how to refer to a proper noun using a shortened version. Your proposal seems fine to us. Which is correct Mr. Is there are term for the ending in websites for example. What are these called? Periods are not necessary; however, there are no rules that apply to naming a business or using a shortened version.

How is SWOT written? Is it strengths, weaknesses… or Strengths, Weaknesses… In other words, are the initial letters capitalized or not in U. What do you call a word that sounds like the initials of something else? Perhaps it could qualify as a homonym. Leave a Comment or Question: Cancel reply. Please ensure that your question or comment relates to the topic of the blog post. Unrelated comments may be deleted. If necessary, use the "Search" box on the right side of the page to find a post closely related to your question or comment.

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Bob Bobson says:. December 24, , at pm. Fred Whalen says:. Use abbreviations sparingly. Only use abbreviations if they are widely known across the broad readership of Cochrane Reviews, are used frequently in a section or throughout the review, or enhance readability. Consider using an abbreviation only if the term has three or more words. All abbreviations used in the 'Abstract', 'Plain language summary', 'Main text', and 'Authors' conclusions' should be redefined at the beginning of these sections.

In figures and tables, all abbreviations should be listed at the end with their definitions. If the review or document is long, it may be sensible to explain each abbreviation in each section of the text.

To use an abbreviation, write the full name in the first instance and follow it immediately by the abbreviated version in brackets. Acronyms and Initialisms are taken at face value and encompass all starting letters in their entirety.

Thereby eliminating the need for u to question if it is an acronym or an initialusm. Both versions are pronounceable a d therefore constitutes them as Acronyms. No Initialisms here. What would NRG be? Is it an acronym because it sounds like a word or initialism because you have to pronounce each letter? Is there a more specific term for something like this? Along with anon, I have a question about the times where both meanings seem to be applicable.

Todays tv technology is all about flat screen tv sets. Recently a new awesome technology has come onboard called OLED. Lcd acronyms out to Liquid crystal display: El-see-dee when spoken. Led acronyms out to Light emitting diode:El-ee-dee when spoken. Oled acronyms out to Organic light emmiting diode but Oh-led when spoken.

Why not O. Does this mean that its a matter of if the resulting acronym is easy to pronunce? Elsehduh LCD is really hard to say. I kinda think I know what to do, now that I have it all written down. But please share your insight. The English language seems to have two big linguistic problems: one with prefixation, another with abbreviation.

Congratulations for your post. We definitely need more like this one. Also, abbreviations are read developing all the elements, while initialisms are simply spelled.

Keep the good work. Best regards, Sergi Medina. Its always been digital versatile disc. Its original use was a superior data storage medium than CD. On Long Island, the prestigious Sag Harbor Institute of Technology for some reason never identifies itself in acronym form. Can an acronym be used to describe when you take, say, the first letter in a series of sentences to form one word?

What kind of example should I use? Damn, last sentence; either way, let me know? Acronyns and initialisms are derived from usually the first letters of words, sentences, and phrases. Thanks for telling me exactly what I wanted to know, and concisely. I would definitely say that LOL is an initialism. From inception, it has always been referred to as the spoken letters L-O-L, which, in turn, makes it an Initialism. Language pronunciation always evolves to the convienience of a given majority.

Otherwise, Spanish and French would still be Latin and et cetera. Why would I want to wait eight weeks for a wagon train, going each way, fighting off undesirables, for a pair of boots that cost ninety- six cents, as Laura Ingalls had to do? I coo jez keel me a rabinin meek me apara moccasins, buh thad be polilcul eencoorec these dais…. This is a common error, the correct term is Digital Versatile Disk.