Abbreviations vs Acronyms vs Initialisms

Many researchers and other professional writers use abbreviations in their scientific and medical writing. These abbreviations help to condense the text and create technical language for specialists in a particular field. And in some cases, these abbreviations become more well known than the expanded terms, such as DNA (the abbreviation for “deoxyribonucleic acid”) and MRI (the abbreviation for “magnetic resonance imaging”).

Abbreviations come in many forms and can include acronyms and initialisms. But what is the difference between abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms? Here are the definitions and a few examples of each.

Abbreviation

An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word or phrase.

Examples

vs = versus
dept = department
ave = avenue
etc = et cetera

Acronym

An acronym is a type of abbreviation that uses the first letters of words in a phrase to make a new pronounceable word.

Examples

ASAP = as soon as possible
LASER = light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
FOMO = fear of missing out
CRISPR = clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats

Note that because acronyms are a type of abbreviation, these examples could also be included with the examples for broader abbreviations.

Initialism

An initialism is a type of abbreviation that uses the first letters of words in a phrase to make a term that you pronounce with each letter.

Examples

VIP = very important person
LOL = laugh out loud
CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NIH = National Institutes of Health

Note that because initialisms are also a type of abbreviation, these examples could also be added to the examples for broader abbreviations.