An initialism is a word that is formed using the first letters of the words in a phrase -- it is pronounced like a series of letters, not like a word. Some common initialisms include UFO (which stands for "Unidentified Flying Object") and LOL (which stands for "Laughing Out Loud").

Note: Some people consider both of these to be acronyms.

Some common acronyms (and initialisms) include:

AC - Air Conditioning AD - Anno Domini ("In the Year of Our Lord") AKA - Also Known As AM - Ante Meridiem (before noon) AM - Amplitude Modification (radio) ASAP - As Soon As Possible ATM - Automated Teller Machine B&B - Bed and Breakfast BC - Before Christ or Because BCE - Before the Common Era BLT - Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato BTW - By The Way CC - Credit Card CIA - Central Intelligence Agency CO - Commanding Officer CST - Central Standard Time DOA - Dead on Arrival DOT - Department of Transportation DST - Daylight Saving Time EST - Eastern Standard Time ET - Extra-Terrestrial FAQ - Frequently-Asked Questions FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation FDR - Franklin Delano Roosevelt FM - Frequency Modification (radio) FYI - For Your Information GI - Government Issue GMO - Genetically Modified IM - Instant Message IMO - In My Opinion IMHO - In My Humble Opinion HAZ-MAT - Hazardous Material HMO - Health Maintenence Organization ID - Identification IQ - Intelligence Quotient

ISBN - International Standard Book Number JFK - John Fitzgerald Kennedy JV - Junior Varsity KO - Knockout laser - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation LCD - Liquid Crystal Display LED - Light Emitting Diode LOL - Laughing Out Loud MC - Master of Ceremonies MLK - Martin Luther King, Jr. MO - Modus Operandi MRE - Meals Ready to Eat MS - Manuscript MST - Mountain Standard Time MTG - Magic: The Gathering MTD - Month To Date NIB - New In the Box NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement NASA - National Aeronautical and Space Administration NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization NBA - National Basketball Association NIB - New In the Box NIMBY - Not In My Backyard OJ - Orange Juice OPEC - Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries PBJ - Peanut Butter and Jelly PC - Politically Correct PI - Private Investigator PIN - Personal Identification Number PM - Post Meridiem (after noon) POTUS - President of the United States POW - Prisoner of War PPS - Post-Postscript PS - Postscript

PR - Public Relations PSI - Pounds Per Square Inch PST - Pacific Standard Time Q&A - Question and Answer R&R - Rest and Relaxation RAM - Random Access Memory RGB - Red, Green, Blue RIP - Rest in Peace (from the Latin, "Requiescat In Pace") ROM - Read Only Memory ROTC - Reserve Officers Training Corps ROYGBIV - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet RPG - Role Playing Game RSVP - Répondez S'il Vous Plaît (in French, this means "Please respond") RV - Recreational Vehicle scuba - Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus SNAFU - Systems Normal, All Fouled Up SOP - Standard Operating Procedure SOS - Save Our Souls (decided after the fact - SOS was chosen because it was short in Morse code) SPF - Sun Protection Factor (how sunscreen lotion is rated) TBA - To Be Announced TEOTWAWKI - The End Of The World As We Know It TGIF - Thank God It's Friday TLC - Tender Loving Care TV - Television UFO - Unidentified Flying Object UN - United Nations UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund UPC - Universal Product Code VIP - Very Important Person VP - Vice President WASP - White Anglo Saxon Protestant WHO - World Health Organization WOM - Word of Mouth WoW - World of Warcraft WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get YTD - Year To Date ZIP (code) - Zone Improvement Plan

Acronym Worksheets and Activities:

Acronym Definition - Multiple Choice Comprehension Quiz Answer 8 multiple-choice questions on the definition of acronym; a lesson in using a dictionary. Go to the answers.	Match the Acronyms #1 Match each acronym to what it stands for. The acronyms are USA, DC, NY, ET, UFO, TLC, HMO, RIP, VIP, VP, POTUS, ASAP, PB&J, BLT, OJ. Or go to the answers.	Match the Acronyms #2 Match each acronym to what it stands for. The acronyms are IQ, DST, EST, CST, MST, PST, FYI, FBI, CIA, PI, MC, MC, GMO, NIMBY, TBA, ETA. Or go to the answers.
Acronym Spelling Word Questions Use the list of words to answer simple questions about acronyms. Words: NASA, scuba, laser, RSVP, RAM, FBI, PIN, zip, POW, ASAP, FAQ, BLT. Or go to the answers.	Write Eight Sets of Acronyms Think of and write eight acronyms and the phrases that they stands for. Sample answers: NASA/National Aeronautical and Space Administration, ROM/Read Only Memory, LOL/Laughing out loud, ROTC/Reserve Officer Training Corps, FAQ/Frequently-Asked Questions, UFO/Unidentified Flying Object, ET/Extra-Terrestrial, PS/postscript.	Find an Acronym for Each Letter See if you can think of and write down an acronym for each letter of the alphabet. Or go to a sample answer page.

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