An abbreviation is the short form of a word or phrase. There are four types of abbreviation: Acronyms, Contractions, Initial Abbreviations and Syllabic Abbreviations.
Acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation spoken like a word. Sometimes the word is written in capital letters sometimes in lowercase.
- Laser – Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation
- PIN – Personal Identification Number
- Radar – Radio Detection and Ranging
- UNICEF – The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
Contractions
A contraction is a shortened version of a word. A contraction often includes an apostrophe to replace the removed letters.
- Haven’t – Have not
- You’re – You are
- Mr. – Mister
- St. – Street
Initial Abbreviations
An initial abbreviation, or initialism, is an abbreviation whose letters each represent a word. The letters are spoken separately.
- VIP – Very Important Person
(vee-eye-pee) - CD – Compact Disc
(see-dee) - ASAP- As Soon As Possible
(a-s-a-pee) - FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
(f-a-q)
Syllabic Abbreviations
A syllabic abbreviation is formed from the initial syllables of several words.
- FedEx – Federal Express
- Interpol – International Criminal Police Organisation
- Gestapo – Geheime Staats Polizei
