Acronyms

Types of Acronyms

Acronyms can vary and be divided into smaller groups. Here are some acronym examples:

Word acronyms

These common acronyms use initials of words to form one new word:

• RAM - Random Access Memory

• NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• Laser - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

• Scuba - Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

• POTUS - President of the United States

• PAWS - Progressive Animal Welfare Society

• NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• ASAP - As Soon As Possible.

• AWOL - Absent Without Official Leave (or Absent Without Leave)

• IMAX - Image Maximum

• GIF - Graphics Interchange Format

• PIN - Personal Identification Number

• TIME magazine - The International Magazine of Events

• MASH - Mobile Army Surgical Hospital

Some acronyms have interesting origins:

Fig. 1 - Scuba is both an acronym and an anacronym.

Three-letter acronyms

TLAs, or three-letter acronyms, are a way of shortening three-word phrases; for example, the word 'FAQ' stands for Frequently Asked Questions.

Three-letter acronyms also include countries, people, and communication, and are popular in computer language.

Syllabic Acronyms

Syllabic Acronyms use syllables of words instead of initials to make new words.

Fig. 2 - NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.

In syllabic acronyms, usually, the first syllable (or two) is used from each main word:

Other groups

Some acronyms combine initials with words:

Another group of acronyms combines syllabic abbreviations with initialisms and are also pronounced as words. Both of the following acronyms consist of two syllabic abbreviations followed by a single acronymic letter for 'ranging':

Some acronyms are pronounced as letters, while others are pronounced as words:

Backronyms

A backronym (also called an apronym or reverse acronym) is an acronym deliberately created for a word that isn't an acronym, often for comic effect. Backronyms often turn up in topics surrounding transport, communication and business.

Fig. 3 - Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.

Macronyms

Macronyms (from macro + acronyms) are where one or more letters stand for acronyms or abbreviations themselves.

Recursive acronyms

A recursive acronym is an acronym that refers to itself. Usually, the first letter stands for the acronym itself.

The RAS syndrome

The RAS syndrome is where the acronym is repeated together with all or a part of its own abbreviated form. For example, RAS Syndrome stands for Redundant Acronym Syndrome (so is an example of what it stands for, i.e. 'syndrome' is repeated).

The term was coined in 2001 by 'New Scientist' writer Stanley Newman in a humorous diagnosis of people who added extra words to acronyms.

Many style guides advise against using redundant acronyms like these, but they continue to be widely used in colloquial speech.

Portmanteau:

A portmanteau is a type of word that could seem like an acronym but works a bit differently.

Portmanteau was originally a leather travelling bag that opened into two equal parts, however, it later came to be used to describe the combination of two words and their sounds into one.

Lewis Carroll first used portmanteau in this sense in Through the Looking-Glass (1871). We can find examples in the poem 'Jabberwocky', such as 'slithy' (which means 'slimy and lithe') and 'mimsy' (which means 'miserable and flimsy').

In one scene, Alice meets Humpty Dumpty who explains to Alice the practice of combining words in various ways:

Carroll uses the word portmanteau again in the introduction to his later poem 'The Hunting of the Snark':

Fig. 4 - Alice and Humpty Dumpty portmanteau illustration.

The following are considered as portmanteaus by some, and as acronyms by others.

Portmanteau is similar to a syllabic acronym in that it takes syllables and morphemes from different words. However, portmanteau creates a blend of two words, where two meanings and sounds are fused together. Syllabic acronyms, on the other hand, are representative of existing words or concepts.

Fig. 5 - 'Spork' is an example of a portmanteau.