The 37 Most Common English Acronyms & Abbreviations
Acronyms and abbreviations are such a huge part of the language, but sometimes we forget how important they are.
Today we’re going to take you on a tour of the 37 most common English acronyms and abbreviations that every English learner should know.
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Transcript From Video
Hey RealLifers, what’s going on?
Today I have a special lesson for you, on abbreviations and acronyms, so stay tuned.
Aww yeah. Well, we have a special lesson today on abbreviations andacronyms in English, so, let me share with you 37 of these.
So, the first one, ASAP – As Soon as Possible.
FYI
FYI – For Your Information
RSVP
RSVP – this is a French word, most native English speakers don’t know what this means in French, but we use it for… to reserve, make a reservation for a party, so, to respond. It means Répondez S’il Vous Plaît.
ETA
ETA means Estimated Time of Arrival
AKA
AKA means Also Known As
FAQ
FAQ means Frequently Asked Questions
ATM
ATM means Automated Teller Machine, but also At the Moment, which is more like Internet speech, or text.
TBA
TBA – To Be Announced
TGIF
TGIF – Thank God it’s Friday
RIP
RIP, what you see on graves at the cemetery is Rest in Peace
P.S.
PS, what you write at the end of letters, Post Script [English. In Latin: Post Scriptum]
ESL & EFL
ESL, like when you see it with English, English as a Second Language
EFL – English as a Foreign Language
DIY
DIY – Do it Yourself. Like a project that you might do it yourself, without professional help.
ID
ID. It means your Identification. This is what you present when you go to a bar, if you look like you’re underaged.
IQ
IQ is your Intelligence Quotient, which is what a lot of intelligence tests will measure.
GMO
GMO means Genetically Modified Organism, so make sure you don’t eat GMO’s.
PC
PC – Personal Computer
PR
PR – Public Relations
SOS
SOS, what you might see if you’re stranded or stuck on a desert island, you might write in the sand SOS – Save Our Souls. This is to get help. (Note: also, this may also mean “Save Our Ship”).
AWOL
AWOL means Absent Without Leave. Leave is to have permission to leave, to be on vacation. So, this comes from the military. You might say this when you have a friend or somebody that’s missing, so that person is AWOL.
MIA
Another way to say the same thing is MIA – Missing in Action.
POW
POW, another military term, is Prisoner of War.
AD & BC
So, now some historical terms.
So, AD, which means past the year 0, like, we’re in 2014 AD. AD means Anno Domini, which is a Latin word.\
CE & BCE
BC is Before Christ. But nowadays they’re using CE for the modern era, so, we’re in 2014 CE, which is AD, which is secular, not really attached to religion. *Correction- CE and BCE mean Common Era and Before Common Era.
And then BCE is Before Common Existence, it’s the same as BC.
i.e.
So, sometimes when you’re writing, or you’re reading, you might see IE, which means in other words. So, in Latin, I’m not going to try to pronounce this, but here it is on the screen.
e.g.
And EG, which means for example, and here it is in Latin. So, you might use those in writing, and you might recognize this when you’re reading something.
DOB
So, DOB means Date of Birth. You might see this on an application.
OCD
OCD means Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, so it’s a mental disorder.
MD
MD means Medical Doctor.
HR
HR means Human Resources, and DOA means Dead on Arrival. You might hear this in like a police show or something.
So, to finish, I’m going to give you 3 colloquial ones, which I think are pretty interesting, but they’re a little bit more relaxed than the other ones.
BYOB
So, the first one is BYOB. You might see this on an invitation to a party. This means Bring Your Own Beer. Bring Your Own Beer or Bring Your Own Booze, which is another word for alcohol.
OG
OG, which means Original Gangster, or…
SOL
And the final one is SOL, which means Shit Out of Luck. Shit Out of Luck. It means that you are out of luck and you have no chance.
So, those are 37 abbreviations and acronyms for you today. I hope it’s been helpful today.
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Thank you very much.
what is the meaning of A.M. and P.M. we used it for greetings.. good am and good pm..
ante meridiem (before noon) / post meridiem (after noon)
Do not use am.pm to say good morning, good evening. That is not correct. You can say, I go to school at 8 am. Or I wake up at 8 in the morning. Good morning. Good evening.
AM = Ante meridiem: Before noon
PM = Post meridiem: After noon
Most of these are initialisms, not acronyms.
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/initialisms-and-acronyms/
The more you know!
twhatever……….. helped me!;-)
I had always understood “S.O.S.” to stand for “Save Our Ship,” in Morse Code.
Save our Souls
I suppose it would also be appropriate to distinguish more fully between acronyms and initialisms. An acronym is pronounced (and written, sometimes without periods between the letters) as if it was a single word, such as “NATO” (for North Atlantic Treaty Organization”) and “Radar” (for “RAdio Detecting And Ranging”), versus an initialism, the individual letters of which are pronounced as separate syllables, such as C.I.A. (for “Central Intelligence Agency”) and “F.B.I, (for “Federal Bureau of Investigation”).
But this distinction is often lost in more common parlance today, so that the term “acronym” is also used for an “initialism.”
Hey Jim, I didn’t know that, but that’s definitely noteworthy. Thanks for reading and sharing your knowledge!
I’ve always understood “BCE” to be “Before Common Era”, not “Before Common Existence”. The latter would seem to be more existentialist in meaning — rather than simply applying to time as measured by a calendar.
Hey there GOVB you’re absolutely right! Thanks for letting us know!
Hi – I’ve actually always understood, and been taught at school, that BCE stands before ‘Before Christian Era’ – still a shift towards secularity, but as the start of this time period is inextricably linked with ‘the birth of christ’, it views it from a historical perspective. Of course, this is still a very Western-centric point of view, but then so is this conception of the year 0. Anyway, that’s what it means, at least in the UK!
I never knew of “BCE” in any context, only the more traditionalist B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Medieval Latin for “anno Domini”) meaning “in the year of the Lord,” including the 33 years in the life of Jesus Christ plus those following his death after crucifixion. I am an agnostic, by the way. But my doubt of things theological never extended so far I would object to using those Gregorian and Julian calendar terms, nor to removing “In God We Trust” (or, in your country’s case, “God Save the Queen”) from the currency of the realm.
Then again, I had my formal schooling long ago, before the so-called “secular humanists” (most of them communists) reared their ugly heads and inflicted such propaganda into the educational systems. Were I a citizen of someplace in Great Britain, I’d have been a Tory and supporter of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, and now a supporter of Brexit. As a citizen of the United States, I support conservative policies and politicians, in general.
I love “Hyacinth Bucket” (“that’s bou-quet”), by the way! My favorite Britcoms are “Keeping Up Appearances” (starring Dame Patricia Routledge) and “As Time Goes By” (starring Dame Judi Dench). I realize these British television series’ were probably both in original production before your birth, or at least the former one was. But perhaps you have heard of them, or maybe even seen them in rerun syndication?
Some more recent Britcoms I’ve enjoyed somewhat have been “My Family,” “The Old Guys” and “Vicious.” I thoroughly enjoyed Jane Asher in “The Old Guys.” I am old enough I remember when it was Miss Asher who was the girlfriend of Sir Paul McCartney (before he was knighted, of course). And of course Miss Asher’s brother was Peter Asher, of the well-known pop duo Peter & Gordon, who later went on to produce many great hits for singer Linda Ronstadt.
I also get a kick out of thee elitist entertainers who proclaim themselves for Labor and Marxist ideology, yet leave their legal residencies in Great Britain to become tax exiles. In their warped minds it is okay to levy heavy taxation on Great Britain’s citizens who may not afford to leave the country, so long as they don’t have to pay their fair share. Isn’t the hypocrisy just lovely?
This is also why President Donald Trump wants to impose heavy tariffs on these huge United States-based businesses who then take their companies elsewhere to escape U.S. taxation and regulations (both of which President Trump hopes to reduce anyway), leaving massive unemployment behind them. President Trump has stated if these businesses then want to sell their goods and services in the U.S., they will have to pay the price for having abandoned their original home. I quite approve of nationalism, so long as it is consistent and sincere.
Below are some more Acronyms
OK-Orl Korrect(All Correct)
Electronics
MCB-Miniature Circuit Breakers
Food
FSSAI-Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Newspapers
BIS Hallmark-Bureau of Indian Standards
FMCG-Fast Moving Consumer Goods
RAC-Reservation Against Cancellation
Computer
Wi-fi- Wireless Fidelity
SD Card-Secure Digital
POS-Point of Sale
TV
NDTV-New Delhi TV
DD-1-DoorDarshan-1
ESPN– Entertainment and Sports Programming Network
Newspaper
PIL-Public Interest litigation
PSU-Public Sector Undertaking
CII – Confederation of Indian Industry
GST-Goods and Service Tax
NSG-Nuclear Suppliers Group
DoT-Department of Telecommunications
GoI-Government of India
Washington DC-District of Columbia
Delhi NCR-National Capital Region
Inc.-Incorporated
AMC-Annual Maintenance Contract
PCB-Printed Circuit Board
Electronics
MSME-Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
DLF-Darbari Lal Foundation Limited
DSLR-Digital Single Lens Reflex
IPS-In-Plane Switching
OTG-On The Go
HTC-High Tech Computer Corporation
Vehicles
ABS – Anti-lock Braking System
SUV-Sports Utility Vehicle
AKA – Also Known As
Infrastructure
BOT – Build Operate Transfer
OFC-Optical Fiber Cable
AHU-Air Handling Unit
Medicine
OTC – Over The Counter
Dx-Diagnosis
Rx-Treatment
OT-Operation Theater/ Over Time
Computer
CAPTCHA – Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
Shares
NASDAQ – National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation
SENSEX-Sensitive Index
ZIP-Zone Improvement Plan
PVR-Priya Village Roadshow
NOIDA-New Okhla Industrial Development Authority
TRP-TV Rating Point
ISBN-International Standard Book Number
AMD-Advanced Micro Devices
AT&T-American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation
EDS-Electronic Data Systems
CAE-Canadian Aviation Electronics
VMWare-Virtual Machine [soft]ware
SC-Supreme Court
Updated Acronyms
DTH-Direct to Home
IQ-Intelligence Quotient
FM-Frequency Modulation
RJ-Radio Jockey
EMI-Equated Monthly Installments
FIR-First Information Report
BPO-Business Process Outsourcing
OK-Orl Korrect(All Correct)
DTS Theater-Digital Theater Sound
BSF soldiers-Border Security Force
CCTV-Closed Circuit TV
PoP-Plater of Paris
PVC pipes-Poly-Vinyl Chloride
RCC-Reinforced Cement Concrete
MCB-Miniature Circuit Breakers
ACC Cement-Associated Cement Companies
MRF-Modi Rubber Factory
LPG-Liquefied Petroleum Gas
IPC Code-Indian Penal Code
ISI mark-Indian Standards Institute
BIS Hallmark-Bureau of Indian Standards
ISO-International Standards Organization
TIN-Tax Information Network
JEE Exam-Joint Engineering Entrance
GATE-Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
Medical
OTC-Over The Counter
ICU-Intensive Care Unit
OPD-Out Patient Department
OT-Operation Theater/ Over Time
CT Scan-Computer Tomography
MRI scan-Magnetic Resonance Imaging
ECG-Electro Cardio Gram
Vehicles
TP(Permit)-Temporary Permit
ABS – Anti-lock Braking System
SUV-Sports Utility Vehicle
TVS
BMW
Food
FSSAI-Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Computer
MP3- MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3
Wi-fi- Wireless Fidelity
SD Card-Secure Digital
QR Code-Quick Response Code
POS-Point of Sale
GSM-General Packet Radio Service
GPRS-Global System for Mobile communications
GPS-Global Positioning System
IMEI-International Mobile Equipment Identity
MODEM-Modulator Demodulator
DSLR-Digital Single Lens Reflex
IPS-In-Plane Switching
OTG-On The Go
HTC-High Tech Computer Corporation
DTP-Desktop Publishing
TV
NDTV-New Delhi TV
DD-1-DoorDarshan-1
ESPN– Entertainment and Sports Programming Network
Banks
IFSC-Indian Financial System Code
MICR-Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
ICICI-Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India
HDFC-Housing Development Finance Corporation
HSBC-HongKong Shangai Banking Corporation
IRDA-Insurance Regulatory Development Authority
General
FMCG-Fast Moving Consumer Goods
DLF-Darbari Lal Foundation Limited
RPM-Rotations Per Minute
UFO-Unidentified Flying Object
PIL-Public Interest litigation
SC-Supreme Court
PSU-Public Sector Undertaking
CII – Confederation of Indian Industry
GST-Goods and Service Tax
NSG-Nuclear Suppliers Group
DoT-Department of Telecommunications
GoI-Government of India
MoU-Memorandum of Understanding
RAC-Reservation Against Cancellation
Delhi NCR-National Capital Region
Inc.-Incorporated
MSME-Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
NHAI-National Highway Authority of India
ESMA-Essential Services Maintenance Act
POCSO-Protection of Children against Sexual Offences
IRCTC-Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation
Washington DC-District of Columbia
AKA – Also Known As
ZIP-Zone Improvement Plan
AMC-Annual Maintenance Contract
PCB-Printed Circuit Board
TRP-TV Rating Point
ISBN-International Standard Book Number
NOIDA-New Okhla Industrial Development Authority
PVR-Priya Village Roadshow
HP-Helwett Placard
Infrastructure
BOT – Build Operate Transfer
OFC-Optical Fiber Cable
AHU-Air Handling Unit
Computer
AMD-Advanced Micro Devices
AT&T-American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation
EDS-Electronic Data Systems
CAE-Canadian Aviation Electronics
VMWare-Virtual Machine [soft]ware
HCL-Hindustan Computers Limited
WIPRO-Western India Products
SAP-Software Application Product
IBM-International Business Machines
CTS-Cognizant Technology Solutions
ETA-End Time of Accomplishment
NASSCOM-National Association of Software and Services Companies
CAPTCHA – Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
ODC-Offshore Development Center
SLA-Service Level Agreement
PDF-Portable Document Format
SEZ-Special Economic Zone
Shares
SEBI-Securities Exchange Board of India
NASDAQ – National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation
SENSEX-Sensitive Index
IPO-Initial Public Offering
Science
RADAR-Radio Detection and Ranging
LASER-Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation
RDX-Research Department Formula X
STEM-Science Technology Engineering and Maths
TED Talks-Technology Entertainment and Design
You left two of the best out. SNAFU & FUBAR both are military terms. SNAFU used for Situation Normal, All F*cked Up. FUBAR used to describe something as F*cked Up Beyond All Recognition/Any Repair/All Reason.
Hey John, Yeah I recently learned those terms. Definitely really cool terms, especially when applying them to the life of a startup :0) Thanks for reading and contributing.
How about “Govt”?
But, OG and SOL? No.
SOS is actually none of those listed. It was initially created simply for the sake of simplicity of 3 dots, 3 dashes and then 3 more dot and it would be noticeable as well. The origin of SOS stems from Germany, and the meanings people attach to it came later on.
Hey Brian, thanks for your input. I wasn’t aware o that! I just shared what I had learned.
DTH-Direct to Home
IQ-Intelligence Quotient
FM-Frequency Modulation
RJ-Radio Jockey
EMI-Equated Monthly Installments
FIR-First Information Report
BPO-Business Process Outsourcing
OK-Orl Korrect(All Correct)
DTS Theater-Digital Theater Sound
BSF soldiers-Border Security Force
CCTV-Closed Circuit TV
PoP-Plater of Paris
PVC pipes-Poly-Vinyl Chloride
RCC-Reinforced Cement Concrete
MCB-Miniature Circuit Breakers
ACC Cement-Associated Cement Companies
MRF-Madras Rubber Factory
LPG-Liquefied Petroleum Gas
IPC Code-Indian Penal Code
ISI mark-Indian Standards Institute
BIS Hallmark-Bureau of Indian Standards
ISO-International Standards Organization
TIN-Tax Information Network
JEE Exam-Joint Engineering Entrance
GATE-Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
Medical
OTC-Over The Counter
ICU-Intensive Care Unit
OPD-Out Patient Department
OT-Operation Theater/ Over Time
CT Scan-Computer Tomography
MRI scan-Magnetic Resonance Imaging
ECG-Electro Cardio Gram
Vehicles
TP(Permit)-Temporary Permit
ABS – Anti-lock Braking System
SUV-Sports Utility Vehicle
TVS
BMW
Food
FSSAI-Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Computer
MP3- MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3
Wi-fi- Wireless Fidelity
SD Card-Secure Digital
QR Code-Quick Response Code
POS-Point of Sale
GSM-Global System for Mobile communications
GPRS- General Packet Radio Service
GPS-Global Positioning System
IMEI-International Mobile Equipment Identity
MODEM-Modulator Demodulator
DSLR-Digital Single Lens Reflex
IPS-In-Plane Switching
OTG-On The Go
DTP-Desktop Publishing
CAPTCHA – Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
ODC-Offshore Development Center
SLA-Service Level Agreement
ETA-End Time of Accomplishment
PDF-Portable Document Format
SEZ-Special Economic Zone
HTC-High Tech Computer Corporation
AMD-Advanced Micro Devices
AT&T-American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation
EDS-Electronic Data Systems
CAE-Canadian Aviation Electronics
VMWare-Virtual Machine [soft]ware
HCL-Hindustan Computers Limited
WIPRO-Western India Products
SAP-Software Application Product
IBM-International Business Machines
CTS-Cognizant Technology Solutions
NASSCOM-National Association of Software and Services Companies
HP-Helwett Placard
TV
NDTV-New Delhi TV
DD-1-DoorDarshan-1
ESPN– Entertainment and Sports Programming Network
Banks
IFSC-Indian Financial System Code
MICR-Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
ICICI-Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India
HDFC-Housing Development Finance Corporation
HSBC-HongKong Shangai Banking Corporation
IRDA-Insurance Regulatory Development Authority
General
FMCG-Fast Moving Consumer Goods
DLF-Darbari Lal Foundation Limited
RPM-Rotations Per Minute
UFO-Unidentified Flying Object
PIL-Public Interest litigation
SC-Supreme Court
PSU-Public Sector Undertaking
CII – Confederation of Indian Industry
GST-Goods and Service Tax
NSG-Nuclear Suppliers Group
DoT-Department of Telecommunications
GoI-Government of India
MoU-Memorandum of Understanding
RAC-Reservation Against Cancellation
Delhi NCR-National Capital Region
Inc.-Incorporated
MSME-Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
NHAI-National Highway Authority of India
ESMA-Essential Services Maintenance Act
POCSO-Protection of Children against Sexual Offences
IRCTC-Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation
Washington DC-District of Columbia
AKA – Also Known As
ZIP-Zone Improvement Plan
AMC-Annual Maintenance Contract
PCB-Printed Circuit Board
TRP-TV Rating Point
ISBN-International Standard Book Number
NOIDA-New Okhla Industrial Development Authority
PVR-Priya Village Roadshow
Infrastructure
BOT-Build Operate Transfer
OFC-Optical Fiber Cable
AHU-Air Handling Unit
Shares
SEBI-Securities Exchange Board of India
NASDAQ – National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation
SENSEX-Sensitive Index
IPO-Initial Public Offering
Science
RADAR-Radio Detection and Ranging
LASER-Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation
RDX-Research Department Formula X
STEM-Science Technology Engineering and Maths
TED Talks-Technology Entertainment and Design
Bangalore related
BMTC-Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation
BBMP-Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
BMRCL- Bangalore Metropolitan Railway Corporation Limited
BESCOM-Bangalore Electricity Company
BIAAPA-Bangalore International Airport Area Planning Authority
BSNL-Bharath Sanchar Nigam Limited
BWSSB-Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board
BEL-Bharath Electronics Limited
BHEL-Bharath Heavy Electronics Limited
BEML-Bharath Earth Movers Limited
HAL-Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
APMC-Agricultural Produce Marketing Corporation
RTO-Regional Transport Office
BTM Layout-Bannerghatta Tavarekere Madiwala Layout
JP Nagar-Jaya Prakash Narayan Nagar
ISKON-International Society for Krishna CONsiousness
HSR Layout-Hosur Sarjapura Road Layout
RV Road-Rastriya Vidyalaya Road
MS Palya-Mohamed Sultan Palya
RT Nagar-Rabindranath Tagore Nagar
SP Road-Sardar Patrappa Road
useful to me
Good, revising forgotten ones and learning new .
i.e. stands for “id est” and means ” that is”
shouldn’t AD goes before the year?
i. e. : in extenso (more precisely, or here is a more complete explanation)
e. g. : example given
Is this right ?
MMORPG
Browser MMORPG
I don’t think that this answers the OP’s question in any way.
Hi Adam, what does need to be clarified for you?
Awesome, thanks