An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word.
Within abbreviations there are sub-categories:
acronym: a new word created from first letters, and read like a complete word
initialism: a new word created from first letters, but read letter-by-letter
Abbreviations (shortened words)
| app application (as in ‘mobile application’ for phones) | Ms. Miss |
| approx approximately | n.b. note (nota bene) |
| blog web log | no. number |
| e.g. for example (exampli gratia) | op operation |
| est. established | stat statim (= immediately) |
| etc. etcetera (= and so on) | tbsp tablespoon |
| frat fraternity (often used for university fraternities that party, rather than more serious fraternities) | temp temporary |
| ID identification | tsp teaspoon |
| i.e. that is (Latin term ‘id est’) | vet veteran |
| misc. miscellaneous | vet veterinarian |
| Mr. Mister | vs. versus |
| Mrs. Mistress (however Mrs is pronounced ‘missus’) |
A comprehensive list of acronyms and abbreviations can be found at abbreviations.com
Acronyms
| aga Aktiebolaget Gasaccumulator | mooc massive open online class |
| AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (later stage of HIV) | nimby not in my back yard |
| asap as soon as possible | PIN personal identification number |
| AWOL absent without leave (= they have left, but they shouldn’t have) | radar radio detection and ranging |
| BASE jummping building, antenna, span, Earth | SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome |
| captcha completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart | scuba self-contained underwater breathing apparatus |
| care package Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (previously Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe; care packages were started during WWII) | SIM card subscriber identification module |
| E-fit electronic facial identification technique | snafu situation normal, all f**ked up |
| Gestapo Geheime Staatspolizei (German; translated: secret state police) | sonar sound navigation and ranging |
| GIF graphics interchange format | Soweto south west townships |
| gulag Glavnoye Upravleniye Ispravitelno-trudovykh Lagerey (Russian; translation: Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps) | swag stuff we all get |
| humvee high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV has been changed to humvee) | taser Thomas Swift’s electric rifle |
| laser light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation | zip code zone improvement plan |
The website Acronym Finder can help you find the meaning to acronyms you don’t recognise or know.
Initialisms
| AA Alcoholics Anonymous (a group that helps people with drinking problems) | GI galvanised iron (now noted as ‘government/general issue’). GI is an American soldier, and the acronym describes their equipment. |
| AD anno Domini (‘in the year of the Lord) | GMT Greenwich Mean Time |
| ADD Attention Deficit Disorder (a problem of not being able to stay still or concentrate for long) | HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
| BA Bachelor of Arts | LGBT+ lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, plus others |
| B & B bed and breakfast | MA Master of Arts |
| BC Before Christ | MBA Master of Business Administration |
| BYOB bring your own bottle (on party invitations, or at restaurants = bring whatever you want to drink) | MIA missing in action (= they went to do something, and haven’t come back) |
| CCTV closed-circuit television | MRI magnetic resonance imagining |
| CD compact disc | NGO non-governmental organization |
| CEO Chief Executive Officer | OR operating room |
| CFO Chief Financial Officer | PA personal assistant |
| DIY do it yourself | PhD Doctor of Philosophy |
| DUI driving under the influence (= drunk driving, or driving whilst on drugs) | p.s. post script |
| DVD digital video disc (or digital versatile disc) | RIP requiescat in pace (now adapted to ‘rest in peace’) |
| EMT emergency medical technician | RnB rhythm and blues |
| ER emergency room | RSVP repondez s’il vous plait (French; translated: please reply) |
| ETA expected time of arrival | UAE United Arab Emirates |
| IB International Baccalaureate | USA United States of America |
| IPO initial public offering | USB universal serial bus |
Company & Organisation Names
| BBC BBC – British Broadcasting Corporation | IKEA Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (founder’s name and home) |
| BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke (German; translation: Bavarian Motor Works) | IOC International Olympic Committee (original French: CIO – Comité international olympique |
| BRIC Brazil, Russia, India, China | MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| CIA Central Intelligence Agency | NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| CCP Chinese Communist Party | NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| CNN Cable News Network | NBA National Basketball Association |
| DHL Dalsey, Lynn, Hillblom (company founders) | NHS National Health Service |
| ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network | NRA National Rifle Association |
| EU European Union | NSA National Security Agency |
| FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation | QANTAS Queensland and Northern Territories Air Service |
| FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French; English = International Federation of Association Football) | UN United Nations |
| GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters | WHO World Health Organization |
| IBM International Business Machines Corporation | WTO World Trade Organization |
SMS Language
| 143 I love you (1 letter in ‘I’, 4 letters in ‘love’, 3 letters in ‘you’) | hmu it me up (i.e. message me) |
| 1432 I love you too (2 = too) | h/t hat tip (a tip of the hat = thanks or well done) |
| 2day today | ic I see |
| 2nite tonight | iirc if I remember/recall correctly |
| 4 for | imho in my honest opinion |
| afaik as far as I know | imo in my opinion |
| b/c because | lbs laughing but serious |
| brb be right back | lmao laughing my ass off (= that was very funny) |
| cu see you | lol laugh out loud (= that was funny) |
| cu l8r see you later | np no problem |
| da the | roflmao rolling on the floor laughing my ass off (= that was hilarious) |
| dws dealing with sh*t (i.e. busy) | teh the |
| F2F face-to-face | thx thanks |
| ffs for f***s sake | tl;dr too long, didn’t read |
| fwb friends with benefits (i.e. a friend you have sex with) | ttyl talk to you later |
| fya for your amusement | wtp what’s the plan? |
| fyi for your information | wyd what you doing? |
| gr8 great | xx kisses |
A longer list of chat slang can be found here