abbreviation OR acr shortening full form

onym?
Dr - Co. - Ltd - c.o.d - NASA - app application
laser - let's - DVD - radar -
a.s.a.p. - etc. - FAQ - HTML -
scuba - BBC - DVD - abbrv. - ad advertisement
Aids - FBA - NSA - phone -
DTRT - telly - Prof. - UK -
approx. - don't - PTO approx. approximately

We need to understand that an acronym

is just one type of abbreviation. Co. Company
An abbreviation is a short form of a
word or phrase. All of the short forms
that you see above ↑ are abbreviations. Prof. Professor

The four main types of abbreviation are:

 shortenings Contractions
 contractions A contraction is an abbreviation where the
 initialisms middle of the word or words has been
 acronyms cut out, for example:

Shortenings
contraction full form
A shortening is an abbreviation where the
end of the word has been cut off, for
example:
Blvd Boulevard

shortening full form

Dr Doctor
contraction full form initialism full form

Ltd Limited DVD digital versatile disc

ft foot, feet VIP very important person

don't do not Listen to how the initialisms are

pronounced, letter by letter:

Initialisms
An initialism is an abbreviation made
from the initial (first) letters of a group
of words. We say the initialism as
separate letters, for example:
Acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation made from
the initial (first) letters of a group of
words. We say the acronym as a word,
not as separate letters, for example:
acronym full form

initialism full form

Aids acquired immune deficiency
syndrome

BA Bachelor of Arts
NASA National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
BBC British Broadcasting
Corporation
UNESCO United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and
UN United Nations Cultural Organization
acronym full form

radar radio detection and ranging

scuba self-contained underwater

breathing apparatus

Listen to how the acronyms are

pronounced, as actual words:

One important difference between

acronyms and initialisms is that all
acronyms can be spoken like a word,
initialisms usually cannot or are not.
Notice that acronyms invariably contain
vowels, initialisms rarely do.