Common English Abbreviations And Their Meanings (2023)

Because English abbreviations and acronyms are common in everyday conversation, knowing them is extremely beneficial while learning the language. They can be used by English speakers when talking, playing games,

sending emails, and occasionally in conversation. They are typically used to save time and speed up communication.

Studio English likes to introduce you to standard English word abbreviations that will help you understand English better.

Read on to know more.

What Is An Abbreviation In English?

In English, an abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase.

We shorten a word or phrase when we abbreviate it.

Abbreviations can be created by combining the first letters of a word or phrase.

When writing or speaking, it takes less time to pronounce or write the first initial of each word,

or a shortened form than it does to spell out every single word.

Using acronyms and abbreviations in everyday speech, therefore, enhances and speeds communication.

How Do You Abbreviate English?

Initials and acronyms are two frequent ways to abbreviate for English language. An initial is the first letter of a word.

Initials are commonly used to refer to country and organization names.

• USA United States of America
• BBC British Broadcasting Corporation

Initials are also the first letters of people’s names. When filling out official forms,

we are sometimes asked to provide our surname and initials, which are essentially English name abbreviations.

• J. K. Rowling (formal
• Joanne Kathleen Rowling (informal)

We may also use acronyms to abbreviate English.

Acronyms are words made out of the first letters of other words that are spoken as full words:

• NATO /ˈneɪtəʊ/ North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

• SATs /sæts/ standard attainment tests

• CD-ROM /si: di: ˈrɒm/ compact disc read-only memory

• radar /ˈreɪdɑ(r)/ radio detection and ranging

One of the most significant English grammar abbreviations lists is that,

if you need to use an indefinite article, before an acronym or initialism,

consider the word’s initial sound (rather than the initial letter) to guide your decision.

How To Abbreviate “Number” In English

One of the English common abbreviations that can be a little confusing is the abbreviation of “number”.

“Number” is abbreviated “no.” and “numbers” is abbreviated “nos.” which is not related to the actual word except for the first letter.

In fact, this abbreviation is actually a symbol that is called the numero sign.

The numero sign or numero symbol “№” is a typographic abbreviation of the word number(s) indicating ordinal numeration,

especially in names and titles.

• Customer no. 7, please check your account.

• What are the cards nos.?

How To Pronounce Abbreviations In English?

As a part of your best online platform to learn English, you may come across some abbreviations in your speaking assignments.

How do we pronounce abbreviations in English? Well, it depends on the abbreviation or its type.

Acronyms, for example, are pronounced as a single word.

The word radar is abbreviated for radio detection and ranging and it’s pronounced as a single word: radar /ˈreɪdɑ(r)/.

Abbreviations that are intended to shorten the word are frequently pronounced as the full word.

Dr is pronounced doctor, and oz is pronounced ounce.

Other abbreviationssuch as initials are pronounced letter by letter.

For example, we say ATM letter by letter which is an abbreviation for automated teller machine.

What Are Some Popular Abbreviations?

Here is an English abbreviation list of the most popular various abbreviations that you may come across:

English Phrases Abbreviations

• Aka – ‘Also Known As’

When someone or something has a different name, this abbreviation is used.

For example:

He thinks that “he-who-must-not-be-named”, aka Voldemort, is actually a good person. Can you believe that!

• ASAP – ‘As Soon As possible’

This acronym is often used in emails to refer to something that must be done soon.

It is also used in speech and in writing.

For example:

Please sent me this report ASAP.

• FYI – ‘For Your Information

FYI stands for ‘for your information. This is used when you want someone to know something you know.

For example:

FYI, the coffee machine got broken this morning.

• TBH – ‘To Be Honest’

This is a great statement to say when you want others to know you’re being honest about something.

TBH is an acronym used in chat-based interactions, whereas ‘To be honest’ is used in both spoken and written English.

For example:

I didn’t really like the party he threw for his daughter TBH.

• R.S.V.P. – Répondez s’il vous plaît

Although it’s one of the English common abbreviations, it actually stands for a French phrase.

It stands for ‘Répondez s’il vous plaît’.

This phrase means “please respond” and is used when you need someone to confirm their participation in an event,

such as a party or a social gathering.

For example:

We are going to have to reprint the wedding invitations because they forgot to write R.S.V.P at the end,

and I won’t take it!

• ETA – ‘Estimated Time of Arrival’

When discussing a journey, this is used to let someone know what time you expect to arrive at your destination.

You probably saw it multiple times displayed on your GPS device.

For example:

Hey, we’ll be there on time! The conference starts at 11 a.m. and the ETA says 10:50 a.m.

• BTW – ‘By the way

During a conversation, the phrase ‘By the way’ is used in both written and spoken English to introduce a new,

less significant but still relevant topic. BTW is a pretty casual method of abbreviating the phrase.

For example:

You can order from this restaurant. The chef, whom I know personally BTW, makes the best pizza you can ever taste.

• DIY – ‘Do It Yourself

This phrase refers to doing something yourself rather than hiring someone else to do it for you.

It is usually used to refer to house maintenance tasks such as constructing or decorating.

For example:

Sorry for the mess, my husband is newly obsessing over those DIY videos and trying everything he sees.

English Words abbreviations

1. NVM – Nevermind
2. advert; ad – Advertisement
3. Decaf – decaffeinated
4. Exam – examination
5. Memo – memorandum
6. Photo – photograph
7. Mister – Mr
8. Ounces – oz
9. Street – St
10. Kilometers – km
11. Pounds – lb.
12. Inches – in.
13. Centimeters – cm
14. Limited – Ltd (company).
15. Am. and Amer. – American

English Academic Abbreviations

1. B.S. – Bachelor of science
2. B.A. – Bachelor of Arts
3. M.A. – Master of Arts
4. M.B.A. – Master of Business Administration
5. Ph.D. – Doctor of Philosophy

English Country Abbreviations

Here are twenty of the most common country abbreviations in English.

You can check out more English country abbreviations from Sustainable Sourced LLC.

1. At: Austria
2. Au: Australia
3. Be: Belgium
4. Br: Brazil
5. Ca: Canada
6. Ch: Switzerland
7. Co: Colombia
8. De: Germany
9. Es: Spain
10. Eg: Egypt
11. Fi: Finland
12. Fr: France
13. Gb/ UK: United Kingdom
14. Ie: Ireland
15. Iq: Iraq
16. Lb: Lebanon
17. Ml: Mali
18. No: Norway
19. Ps: Palestine
20. Sa: Saudi Arabia

What Are Some Slang Abbreviations?

Slang abbreviations often stem from the internet. How teenagers use the English language in their posts, stories,

and tweets produce new abbreviations every day.

Here are some English abbreviations slang that you can come across on the internet:

• SMH – Shaking My Head

This can be used to express irritation or any other emotion that a shake of the head might convey.

For example:

The lecture has been going on for 2 hours and we still have more! SMH.

• IKR – I Know, Right?

IKR shows agreement with whatever has been said in front of you.

For example:

• I can’t believe they’re closing this cafe, it was amazing!
• IKR!

• IMMD – “It Made My Day”

Used to show happiness or joy, This is usually used after mentioning something that was the highlight of your day.

For example:

When you sent me those date selfies last night IMMD, hope you had a great night!

• SNH – Sarcasm Noted Here

When you say something sarcastic and want the other person to note your tone, you say SNH.

For example:

You should feel bad you missed that baby shower last night, it was … delightful. SNH.

• MFW – My Face When

This usually follows an emoji or a meme of a facial expression that imitates what you’re feeling.

mfw.webp

For example:

*heart eyes emojis* MFW he said he bought me that new Louis Vuitton bag!

• TL;DR – Too Long; Didn’t Read

You’ll probably see those in the comment sections when the post is too long.

It can’t also be used in a group chat when you open the group chat after 2 hours of your friends chatting about different things and it’s hard to read the 5421 messages they sent.

For example:

Sorry guys I was asleep when you were agreeing on that game night. TL;DR though, can someone tell me where are we meeting?

What Are Popular Texting Abbreviations?

Texting can be the fastest form of communication nowadays, even faster than phone calls.

That’s why people created abbreviations to save time and effort when you’re communicating.

Here are some popular text abbreviations you can use the next time you chat with your friends:

1. ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
2. LOL: Laugh out loud
3. ICYMI: In case you missed it
4. NVM: Nevermind
5. HMU: Hit me up
6. TL;DR: Too long, didn’t read
7. LMK: Let me know
8. TBH: To be honest
9. TBF: To be frank
10. TGIF: Thank goodness it’s Friday
11. RN: Right now
12. IDK: I don’t know
13. FWIW: For what it’s worth
14. IMO: In my opinion
15. BRB: Be right back
16. BTW: By the way
17. TTYL: Talk to you later

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