Abbreviation

An abbreviation is a way to shorten a phrase. Many common abbreviations tend to shorten the word being referenced by literally shortening the word but not creating a new one. Here are some abbreviation examples:

Ave., which is an abbreviation for “avenue”
Dec., which is an abbreviation for “December”
Etc., which is an abbreviation for “et cetera”
Photo, which is an abbreviation for “photograph”
Exam, which is an abbreviation for “examination”

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Initialism

An initialism is another type of abbreviation similar to an acronym—but not exactly the same. Initialisms also use the first letter of each word in the phrase, but instead of combining the letters to form a new word, like with “NASA,” you pronounce each letter individually. Here...

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Acronym

An acronym is a type of abbreviation that shortens a phrase by combining the first letter (or letters) of each word in the phrase to form a new pronounceable word. Here are some acronym examples:

NASA, which stands for National Aeronautical and Space A...

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Types of Abbreviations

Technically, acronyms and initialisms are types of abbreviations. Not all abbreviations, though, are acronyms or initialisms—those terms refer to specific types of abbreviations formed from taking the first letters of words in a longer phrase or name.

The real conf...

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