291+ Examples of English Abbreviations With Their Meanings

In this comprehensive list, you’ll find 291+ of the most common and well-known English abbreviations, arranged in alphabetical order.

Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone curious about the shorthand we use every day, this guide will help you navigate the alphabet soup of abbreviations in modern communication.

If you’ve ever found yourself puzzled by an unfamiliar abbreviation, you’re not alone. From FAQs to VPNs, abbreviations are everywhere in the English language and understanding them is crucial both in casual conversations and professional settings.

So, what are abbreviations?

What Are Abbreviations?

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases that you use to save time, space, or effort in writing and speaking. They condense longer terms into a few letters or symbols, making communication quicker and more efficient.

Whether you’re texting a friend, writing a report, or navigating a busy workplace, abbreviations are a handy tool that you likely encounter daily. They help you convey complex ideas or common phrases with just a few characters, streamlining your communication in almost any context.

291+ Common Abbreviations

It doesn’t matter if you’re reading a document, participating in a meeting, or scrolling through social media, knowing what abbreviations stand for can save you time and help you communicate more effectively. Here are our 291+ of the most common English abbreviations:

• AA – Alcoholics Anonymous
• AAA – American Automobile Association
• AARP – American Association of Retired Persons
• AB – Antibiotics
• ABC – American Broadcasting Company
• AC – Air Conditioning
• ACA – Affordable Care Act
• ACC – Atlantic Coast Conference
• ACL – Anterior Cruciate Ligament
• ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union
• AD – Anno Domini (In the year of our Lord)
• ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADR – Alternative Dispute Resolution
• AE – After Effects
• AFAIK – As Far As I Know
• AKA – Also Known As
• AM – Ante Meridiem (Before Noon)
• AMA – American Medical Association
• AMEX – American Express
• API – Application Programming Interface
• AP – Associated Press
• ASAP – As Soon As Possible
• ATM – Automated Teller Machine
• BA – Bachelor of Arts
• BAE – Before Anyone Else
• B2B – Business to Business
• B2C – Business to Consumer
• BBC – British Broadcasting Corporation
• BCC – Blind Carbon Copy
• BC – Before Christ
• BCE – Before Common Era
• BFF – Best Friends Forever
• BG – Background
• BID – Twice a Day (Bis in Die)
• BIO – Biography
• BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• BLM – Black Lives Matter
• BLS – Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BMI – Body Mass Index
• BOM – Bill of Materials
• BP – Blood Pressure
• BRB – Be Right Back
• BRB – Battle Royale (video games)
• BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
• BSC – Balanced Scorecard
• BTW – By The Way
• CAD – Computer-Aided Design
• CAO – Chief Administrative Officer
• CAPEX – Capital Expenditure
• CBS – Columbia Broadcasting System
• CC – Carbon Copy
• CC – Credit Card
• CD – Compact Disc
• CEO – Chief Executive Officer
• CFO – Chief Financial Officer
• CIA – Central Intelligence Agency
• CIO – Chief Information Officer
• CIS – Commonwealth of Independent States
• CMO – Chief Marketing Officer
• CMS – Content Management System
• CO – Commanding Officer
• COB – Close of Business
• COD – Cash on Delivery
• CPA – Certified Public Accountant
• CPC – Cost Per Click
• CPM – Cost Per Mille (Thousand)
• CRM – Customer Relationship Management
• CSI – Crime Scene Investigation
• CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility
• CSV – Comma-Separated Values
• CTA – Call to Action
• CTO – Chief Technology Officer
• CV – Curriculum Vitae
• CYA – Cover Your Ass
• DBA – Doing Business As
• DC – Direct Current
• DDoS – Distributed Denial of Service
• DIY – Do It Yourself
• DM – Direct Message
• DNS – Domain Name System
• DOB – Date of Birth
• DoD – Department of Defense
• DOJ – Department of Justice
• DOM – Document Object Model
• DPI – Dots Per Inch
• DVD – Digital Versatile Disc
• DVR – Digital Video Recorder
• EAP – Employee Assistance Program
• EBITDA – Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization
• ECG – Electrocardiogram
• EDI – Electronic Data Interchange
• EDT – Eastern Daylight Time
• EEOC – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• EIN – Employer Identification Number
• EMT – Emergency Medical Technician
• EOD – End of Day
• EOF – End of File
• EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
• EPO – Exclusive Provider Organization
• ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
• ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
• ETC – Et Cetera
• ETL – Extract, Transform, Load
• EU – European Union
• FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
• FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation
• FCC – Federal Communications Commission
• FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency
• FIFO – First In, First Out
• FINRA – Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
• FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
• FRB – Federal Reserve Board
• FTE – Full-Time Equivalent
• FTP – File Transfer Protocol
• FYI – For Your Information
• GAAP – Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
• GAM – Game
• GAS – Gear Acquisition Syndrome
• GDP – Gross Domestic Product
• GIF – Graphics Interchange Format
• GM – General Manager
• GMO – Genetically Modified Organism
• GPS – Global Positioning System
• GSA – General Services Administration
• GST – Goods and Services Tax
• GUI – Graphical User Interface
• HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• HMO – Health Maintenance Organization
• HQ – Headquarters
• HR – Human Resources
• HTML – HyperText Markup Language
• HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol
• HTTPS – HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure
• IA – Information Architecture
• IBAN – International Bank Account Number
• IC – Integrated Circuit
• ICO – Initial Coin Offering
• ID – Identification
• IDK – I Don’t Know
• IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• IFRS – International Financial Reporting Standards
• IG – Instagram
• IMAX – Image Maximum
• IMHO – In My Humble Opinion
• IMO – In My Opinion
• IP – Internet Protocol
• IPO – Initial Public Offering
• IQ – Intelligence Quotient
• IR – Infrared
• IRC – Internet Relay Chat
• IRS – Internal Revenue Service
• IRL – In Real Life
• ISP – Internet Service Provider
• IT – Information Technology
• IV – Intravenous
• JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group
• KPI – Key Performance Indicator
• LAN – Local Area Network
• LASER – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
• LGBTQ – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning
• LLC – Limited Liability Company
• LMAO – Laughing My Ass Off
• LMK – Let Me Know
• LOL – Laugh Out Loud
• LTD – Limited
• MBA – Master of Business Administration
• MBTI – Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• MC – Master of Ceremonies
• MIA – Missing in Action
• MIMO – Multiple Input, Multiple Output
• MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• MLM – Multi-Level Marketing
• MO – Modus Operandi (Method of Operation)
• MOU – Memorandum of Understanding
• MPG – Miles Per Gallon
• MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• MS – Microsoft
• MVP – Most Valuable Player
• NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• NDA – Non-Disclosure Agreement
• NEET – Not in Education, Employment, or Training
• NGO – Non-Governmental Organization
• NIC – Network Interface Card
• NIMBY – Not In My Backyard
• NIST – National Institute of Standards and Technology
• NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• NPO – Non-Profit Organization
• NSA – National Security Agency
• NYSE – New York Stock Exchange
• OCR – Optical Character Recognition
• OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer
• OPEC – Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
• OS – Operating System
• P2P – Peer to Peer
• PA – Public Address
• PC – Personal Computer
• PDF – Portable Document Format
• PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
• PGA – Professional Golfers’ Association
• PIN – Personal Identification Number
• PMP – Project Management Professional
• PNG – Portable Network Graphics
• POC – Point of Contact
• POS – Point of Sale
• PR – Public Relations
• PSA – Public Service Announcement
• PTO – Paid Time Off
• PTSD – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• QA – Quality Assurance
• QC – Quality Control
• QR – Quick Response
• RAM – Random Access Memory
• R&D – Research and Development
• RIP – Rest In Peace
• ROI – Return on Investment
• ROM – Read-Only Memory
• RSS – Really Simple Syndication
• RSVP – Répondez S’il Vous Plaît (Please Reply)
• SaaS – Software as a Service
• SAT – Scholastic Assessment Test
• SBA – Small Business Administration
• SCOTUS – Supreme Court of the United States
• SD – Standard Definition
• SDK – Software Development Kit
• SEO – Search Engine Optimization
• SFTP – Secure File Transfer Protocol
• SIM – Subscriber Identity Module
• SKU – Stock Keeping Unit
• SME – Small and Medium Enterprises
• SMH – Shaking My Head
• SMS – Short Message Service
• SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
• SOS – Save Our Souls (distress signal)
• SQL – Structured Query Language
• STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
• SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
• TBA – To Be Announced
• TBD – To Be Determined
• TBF – To Be Fair
• TBH – To Be Honest
• TCB – Taking Care of Business
• TCP – Transmission Control Protocol
• TED – Technology, Entertainment, Design
• TGIF – Thank God It’s Friday
• TLC – Tender Loving Care
• TMI – Too Much Information
• TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language
• TOS – Terms of Service
• TPS – Transactions Per Second
• TSH – Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone
• TSP – Thrift Savings Plan
• TTYL – Talk To You Later
• TV – Television
• UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
• UI – User Interface
• UML – Unified Modeling Language
• UN – United Nations
• URL – Uniform Resource Locator
• USB – Universal Serial Bus
• USD – United States Dollar
• USP – Unique Selling Proposition
• UTI – Urinary Tract Infection
• UX – User Experience
• VAT – Value-Added Tax
• VC – Venture Capital
• VIP – Very Important Person
• VOIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol
• VPN – Virtual Private Network
• VR – Virtual Reality
• WAN – Wide Area Network
• WAP – Wireless Access Point
• WEP – Wired Equivalent Privacy
• WHO – World Health Organization
• Wi-Fi – Wireless Fidelity
• WIP – Work In Progress
• WTO – World Trade Organization
• WWW – World Wide Web
• XaaS – Anything as a Service
• XML – eXtensible Markup Language
• YTD – Year To Date
• ZIP – Zone Improvement Plan (Postal Code)
• YOLO – You Only Live Once
• Y2K – Year 2000
• YW – You’re Welcome
• ZBB – Zero-Based Budgeting
• ZOO – Zoological Park
• ZZZ – Sleeping (used in comics)
• 2FA – Two-Factor Authentication
• 3D – Three-Dimensional
• 4G – Fourth Generation (wireless technology)
• 5G – Fifth Generation (wireless technology)

The Different Types of Abbreviations

Abbreviations come in several different forms, each serving a unique purpose. Here are the main types:

1. Acronyms: These are abbreviations formed from the initial letters of a phrase, and they are usually pronounced as a word. For example, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
2. Initialisms: Similar to acronyms, initialisms are also formed from the first letters of a series of words, but each letter is pronounced separately. Examples include FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and DIY (Do It Yourself).
3. Shortenings: These involve truncating a longer word to create a shorter version, typically retaining the first few letters. Examples include approx. (approximately) and Jan. (January).
4. Contractions: Contractions are formed by omitting certain letters from a word, often replacing them with an apostrophe. They are commonly used in informal writing. Examples include can’t (cannot) and don’t (do not).
5. Clippings: Clippings are abbreviations where a word is shortened by removing the end, beginning, or middle of the word, usually without adding an apostrophe. For example, phone (telephone) and ad (advertisement).
6. Syllabic Abbreviations: These combine the initial syllables of the words in a phrase. For example, Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) and Gastro (gastroenterology).

Each type of abbreviation serves a specific purpose and can make communication more concise and efficient, depending on the context in which you use them.

When Should You Use Abbreviations?

You should use abbreviations when they enhance clarity, efficiency, and understanding in your communication. Here are some key situations when abbreviations are appropriate:

1. When Brevity Is Important: Use abbreviations in situations where space is limited or time is a factor, such as in text messages, notes, or presentations. Abbreviations help you convey your message quickly without sacrificing clarity.
2. In Professional or Technical Writing: In fields like medicine, technology, or finance, abbreviations are commonly used to refer to complex terms or processes that professionals in the field will easily recognize. For example, using MRI instead of “Magnetic Resonance Imaging” or ROI instead of “Return on Investment” makes the writing more concise.
3. When the Audience Is Familiar with the Abbreviations: Use abbreviations when you know your audience will understand them. For instance, in industry-specific documents, emails, or reports, it’s common to use abbreviations that your colleagues or readers are familiar with.
4. In Casual or Informal Communication: In everyday conversation, text messages, or social media posts, abbreviations like LOL (Laugh Out Loud) or BTW (By The Way) are widely understood and help keep the tone light and informal. There are hundreds of text message abbreviations like these.
5. To Avoid Repetition: When a term is repeated often in a document, you can introduce it in full the first time and then use an abbreviation for subsequent references. For example, you might write “World Health Organization (WHO)” initially and then simply “WHO” thereafter.
6. When Established by Convention: Some abbreviations are standard and expected in certain contexts, like Mr., Dr., Inc., or e.g. In such cases, using the full form might seem awkward or overly formal.

However, be cautious not to overuse abbreviations, especially if they might confuse your audience. If there’s any doubt that your reader might not understand an abbreviation, it’s best to use the full term or provide the abbreviation in parentheses after the first use of the full form.

Concl.

Mastering abbreviations is a powerful skill that can enhance your communication, making it more concise, efficient, and effective. From casual conversations to professional environments, knowing when and how to use abbreviations can help you convey complex ideas quickly and clearly.

This list of 291+ common abbreviations serves as a comprehensive reference, offering you a valuable resource to understand and utilize these shorthand forms in your daily life. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or simply someone eager to improve your language skills, familiarizing yourself with these abbreviations will make your communication smoother and more impactful.

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James Prior

The founder of DoTEFL, James is passionate about helping others fulfill their dreams through teaching and traveling abroad.

James has been helping people teach English abroad for over twelve years. He’s traveled to over 30 countries, lived in 3, and taught English in Chile and online.

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