ac·ro·nym/ˈakrəˌnim/ noun: an abbreviation formed from the initdial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA ).
Any given dictionary
Okay people, here’s another scorpion that’s been crawling around my pantry: the continued misuse of the word “acronym.” Say you see a word that’s printed in all-caps. How do you describe it? Well, that depends on how you say it.
Please direct your attention the ending of the above definition, the part that says “pronounced as a word.” This is important, because it means that if you have to read that all-caps word by spelling it out, then that word is not an acronym.
“PG&E,” for example, is not an acronym.
“NBA” is not an acronym.
“UFO” is not an acronym.
“BLM” is not an acronym.
“BRB,” “WTF”, and “LOL” are definitely not acronyms.
These all-caps abbreviations are only acronyms if you can read them out and pronounce them, like “POTUS,” or “NASCAR,” or “LASER.” You don’t read these out letter by letter, you sound them out phonetically. That’s what makes them acronyms.
Those former examples, which are not acronyms, are actually initialisms. That’s the correct term for them. Look now, and learn.
in·i·tial·ism/iˈniSHəˌlizəm/ noun: an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g., CPU ).
Any god-damned given dictionary
Again: if you have to read it out letter by letter, it’s an initialism. “CBS” is an initialism. “SUV” is an initialism. “LAPD” is an initialism. “KYS” is an initialism, and if you don’t start getting a grip on this, you’re going to be seeing that one from me quite a bit.
The point is that not every word in all-caps is an acronym, so stop calling them all that. Learn the difference between acronyms and initialisms, and get a leg up on the language we’ve agreed upon. Intelligent decisions begin with intelligent discussion.
LisVenderLand 