Acronym

The label acronym refers to a word formed by combining the first letters of the main words in a phrase. An acronym can be pronounced as a word and it has the same meaning as the original phrase

Examples are given below:

• LASER for Light Amplification by the Simulated Emission of Radiation
• SCUBA for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

Initialism

Note that an acronym is different from an initialism. While an initialism is also formed in the same way, it cannot be pronounced as a word.

Examples are:

• UNO for United Nations Organization
• BBC for British Broadcasting Corporation

Related posts:

1. Abbreviations and Acronyms