Differences Between Abbreviation and Acronym (With Examples)

Differences Between Abbreviation and Acronym: Any shortening or contraction of a word or phrase is referred to as an abbreviation. Acronyms, initialisms, and other word shortenings are examples of abbreviations. An acronym is a type of abbreviation made by combining the first letters of many words to create a new word. All acronyms are abbreviations, albeit not all abbreviations are acronyms. The main distinction between an acronym and an abbreviation is this. In this section, we’ll go through the differences between acronyms and abbreviations in greater depth.

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What is an Acronym?

The first letters of a collection of words are combined to form an acronym. An acronym is frequently treated as a distinct word. The ability to pronounce an acronym as if it were a separate word is its most important attribute. Because vowels make it easier to pronounce the word, acronyms have both consonants and vowels.

For example, AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome) is pronounced as a single word rather than as a series of letters. The majority of acronyms are expressed in capital letters. Some acronyms, on the other hand, have been in use for so long that they are now considered common terms. Examples include words like a laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation).

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Commonly used acronyms you should know:

DOB: Date Of Birth

FYI: For Your Information

HR: Human Resources

ATM: Automated Teller Machine

DND: Do Not Disturb

UFO: Unidentified Flying Object

ASAP: As Soon As Possible

HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus

DIY: Do it Yourself

IQ: Intelligence Quotient

PIN: Personal Identification Number

SOS : Save Our Souls

FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation

NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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What is an Abbreviation?

Words or phrases that have been shortened are known as abbreviations. A collection of letters derived from the original word or phrase is known as an abbreviation. There are several ways to abbreviate a term. Acronyms, initialism, and contractions are examples of these methods. Abbreviations come in a variety of forms, ranging from traditional titles such as Dr. and Prof. to abbreviations on street signs.

Typically used abbreviations you should know:

Km: kilometer(s)

Dept: department

Eng: England, English

Col: colonel

Geog: geography

Govt: government

Lit: Literary, literature

Ref: Reference

Viz: Videlicet, ‘namely’

Yr: Year

St: Saint

Subj: Subject

Univ: University

Vocab: Vocabulary

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Key Differences Between an Acronym and Abbreviation

1. An abbreviation or acronym is an abbreviated form of a word, a name, or a phrase. They’re usually made up of the first letter of the codeword. An abbreviation is an articulated version of the original term, but an acronym is a form of a new word. UNESCO, Laser, and Radar, for example, are acronyms, while UK and US are abbreviations. Radio Detection and Ranging are what Radar stands for.

This is the first time the term Radar has been defined in this way. The United Kingdom, which is essentially a description of the previous sentence, is represented by a shorthand for the UK. As a result, while any acronym can be an abbreviation, abbreviations cannot all be acronyms.

2. Another distinction between an acronym and an abbreviation is that an acronym is spoken like a word. For example, NATO is derived from the words North Atlantic Treaty Organization and is spoken as a new word, as opposed to an abbreviation, which is pronounced as a single letter.

For example, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is a British broadcasting corporation. It’s pronounced B, B, C, letter by letter. Similarly, I. Q. (intellectual quotient) is abbreviated as I. Q. and is pronounced as I and Q.

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3. Another distinction between an abbreviation and an acronym is that an acronym is a concise description with no periods between the words. An acronym is made up of words that give concepts or catchy phrases, but an abbreviation is only a brief condensed version of the term. For example, dept. is the abbreviation for the department, whereas TEAM stands for “everyone achieves better when we work together.”

4. An acronym is a collection of letters that stand for numerous words, whereas an abbreviation is a condensed version of a single word with a few letters. Acronyms can be letter-based, such as laser, syllable-based, such as sysadmin, or a combination of the two, such as WaSP, whereas abbreviations are short words. It can change from time to time, for example, Sgt for sergeant.

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Using Abbreviations

The most identifiable letters from words or statements are frequently used to create abbreviations. This allows them to be able to recall and read for others. It’s almost as if the letters are hints to the actual word or phrase. You may be questioning how abbreviations are pronounced now since you understand how they’re made. Even if you’re reading it out or in your brain, they’ve usually pronounced the same way as the original word.

This rule has a few exceptions, all of which are pronounced differently. For example, AM, PM, and Ph.D. are all pronounced exactly as they are written. This happens when the abbreviation becomes more well-known than the full phrase, which usually happens when the original is excessively long or outdated.

For example, AM stood for Ante Meridiem. (In Latin, it means “before noon.”) Fortunately, there aren’t many of these situations, so you won’t have to worry about making a mistake. Most acronyms, such as hr, min, and sec (which stands for an hour, minute, and second), are spoken as if they were words.

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Using Acronyms

As previously stated, acronyms are used to replace a sentence or a string of words. They’re usually always comprised of the initials of the words and written in all capitals. They can be used to represent a variety of things, including organizations, mnemonics, and sandwiches.

Abbreviations are read differently than acronyms. Take the word BLT for example. If that was on the list at your fancy restaurant, you’d probably order a BLT instead of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. You wouldn’t speak built or belt; instead, you would say B-L-T. This is what distinguishes acronyms from other words in that you could read them as they exist, even if they represent something different.

Acronyms, on the other hand, can have a variety of pronunciations. While some are spoken, as in the example above, others, such as UNICEF, POTUS, and NASA, can be pronounced as a word. “Could the acronym be spoken as a word?” is a question that arises from time to time. A lot of acronyms can’t since the vowels and consonants aren’t in the appropriate order. There is, however, no hard and fast law that controls this. Learning how to pronounce acronyms is highly dependent on your knowledge of the world around you, yet making a mistake isn’t the end of the world.

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Conclusion

The distinction between abbreviations and acronyms is explained above. Abbreviations and acronyms are condensed versions of words and phrases that let us communicate more quickly. Initialisms have the same effect. Consider your audience and examine accessible reference sources before using any form of abbreviation.