Merry Xmas! This informal greeting includes an abbreviation. The Greek word for Christ (Christos) begins with the Greek letter chi, which in English is X; therefore, Christmas is abbreviated as Xmas.
The terms acronym, initialism, and abbreviation can be confusing. They tend to get lumped together as acronyms. But they each mean something different.
acronym
A word formed from the first letters of each term in a phrase. An acronym is pronounceable as a single word.
Scuba—self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
abbreviation
A shortened form of a word or phrase.
Mr.—mister
initialism
A shortened form of a word that’s not pronounceable as a word; it’s spoken as individual letters.
FBI—Federal Bureau of Investigation
Sometimes it’s good to use shortened forms of words or phrases. It saves time for writers and readers.
Certain professions rely on shortened terms. For instance, physicians do a large amount of documentation. Writing abbreviations such as Rx (treatment) or DX (diagnosis) saves time. Educators often use initialisms for phrases that are used frequently; for instance, ESL (English as a second language) and SST (Student Study Team).
But before using a shortened term in your writing, it’s important to define it. I often edit copy that includes acronyms or initialisms that haven’t been defined within the text. Who wants to stop and search for what those letters might mean?
It’s best to explain anything that might not be familiar to your readers. Don’t assume what they know. Give them the information they need to make sense of your message.
Here are some important things to remember about using shortened forms of words or phrases:
• Only define your acronym or initialism once.
• Define it the first time you use it by writing the full term followed by the shortened term in parentheses. For instance: My student was an English language learner (ELL). Later in the text I can write: This ELL student has done all of his homework.
• Once you’ve introduced the full term, use the shortened term throughout. Don’t switch between the two.
• Remember that the shortened term might require an article before it (a, an, or the). Say the shortened term aloud to determine if an article is needed.
• Be sure that you’re using the established abbreviation for the term. Don’t make up your own.
So what does knowing the difference between acronym, initialism, and abbreviation mean for you? It’s good to know that there is a difference, and it’s good to know how to use these shortened terms in your writing.
To communicate your message effectively, it’s essential that you don’t leave your readers baffled by a cryptic message of jumbled letters.
