Skip to Content

Important Abbreviation & Acronym List in English You Should Learn

Important Abbreviation & Acronym List in English You Should Learn

Sharing is caring!

Abbreviation! Acronyms! Following is a full list of important abbreviations and acronyms in English you should learn to expand your vocabulary.

Abbreviations vs Acronyms

Abbreviation and Acronym are similar to each other as they both are short forms of longer words; however, they are two different parts of the English language.

An abbreviation is a shortened version of one or two words which are still pronounced the same way, even if they are written as an abbreviation.

An acronym, on the other hand, is a shortened version of the phrase that is most often the name of something. They are pronounced as their short forms rather than their actual full form.

NATO is pronounced NAY-TOE and not as North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Acronyms are also pronounced by the individual alphabet like with U.N, FBI, etc.

Abbreviation List

Latin Abbreviation

Abbreviations         Full       Form     Meaning                                            Use
A.D Anno Domini In the year of our Lord Used to show years after the birth of Jesus Christ -1600 A.D
a.m Ante Meridian Before midday Used for the hours after midnight and before noon – 10a.m, 2a.m
c. / ca. Circa Approximately Used for years/months when not sure of exact date – ca. 1500
C.V Curriculum Vitae Course of Life A document summarizing a person’s education and experience.
e.g. Exempli gratia For example To give an example or instance of something – different cities, e.g. New York, Delhi, Beijing etc.
Et al. Et Alii And others Used to show that there are more names that are unmentioned on a list – Tom, Jane, Jack et al.
Etc. Et cetera And other things Used to signify similar things that are unmentioned on a list – milk, cheese, yogurt etc.
i.e. Id est In other words / That is Used in sentences to rephrase or show a connection between clauses – Jack, i.e. the most popular senior, likes Beth.
p.a Per Annum Through the year Used to show something in the manner of ‘yearly’ – He earns 2 million dollars p.a.
p.m Post meridian After midday Used to show the hours after midday and before midnight – 10 p.m, 2p.m
P.S Post Scriptum Something written after the main text was finished. Used mainly in letters to add something extra after the signoff – Yours Shirley,

P.S – I’ll be in Canada for 2 weeks.

R.I.P Requiescat in pace May he/she rest in peace Used as a prayer for someone who has died – May Janet R.I.P.
Stat Statim Immediately Used most often in the medical fields – This man needs a bypass stat.

Abbreviations Related to Names

Abbreviation      Meaning                           Use
Dr. Doctor Dr. Smith was also invited.
Gen. General (army) Gen. Luke ordered them to fire at the enemy.
Hon. Honorable Hon. James Smith gave away the prizes.
Mr. Mister Mr. Hall is in office at the moment.
Mrs. Mistress Mrs. Hall is waiting for her car.
Ms. Miss Ms. Jane Watson is here to see you.
Prof. Professor Prof. Jain is a popular faculty in college.
Rev. Reverend (clergyman) Rev. Jones blessed the house today.
Sr. / Jr. Senior / Junior Bates Sr. and Harry Bates Jr. were inspecting the grounds.
St. Saint St. Patrick is one of the most popular Irish saints.

General Abbreviations

Abbreviations Meaning Use
Assn. Association They named their club; Assn. of Low and Highs.
Ave. Avenue They said they would be waiting at Lexington Ave.
Dept. Department The Arts Dept. is holding a bake sale.
Est. Established Annabel’s est. 1963 in London, England.
Fig. Figure Look to fig. 8 to see how the process takes place.
Hrs. Hours We will reach the next camp at 1500hrs.
Inc. Incorporated Apple Inc. was founded in the 1970s by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Mt. Mount Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on earth.
No. Number The address is House no. 64, Mulberry Lane.
Oz. Ounces The recipe needs 34 oz. of honey.
Sq. Square The rent is 100 dollar per sq. inch.
St. Street The shop is located at Xyza St. near the intersection.
Vs Versus The final match is going to be Australia vs. India.

Abbreviations of Grammar

Abbreviation Meaning
Abbr. Abbreviation / Abbreviated
Adj. Adjective
Adv. Adverb
Obj. Objective
Pl. Plural
Poss. Possessive
Prep. Preposition
Pron. Pronoun
Pseud. Pseudonym
Sing. Singular
Syn. Synonym
Trans. Translation
V. / Vb. Verb

Acronym List

General Acronyms

Acronym Full Form What It Is
     
ATM Automated Teller Machine A computerised cash dispenser
BPO Business Process Outsourcing The outsourcing of specific functions of a business to a third party.
CAT Common Admission Test An ability based admission test conducted by the Indian Institute of Management.
DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid The molecule in any living being that contains all the genetic data of the living being.
DVD Digital Versatile Disk A compact optical storage disk, used for storing videos and other information.
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions A common section in most sites containing common queries from the visitors.
HR Human Resources The workforce of any organisation can also refer to the department that is in charge of human resources.
     
LCD Liquid Crystal Display A type of video display panel
LED Light Emitting Diode A glowing light source used in indicators.
     
PC Personal Computer A computer whose size, price and capabilities are useful for individual use.
RAM Random Access Memory A way/disk to store data on a computer
     
SONAR Sound Navigation And Ranging A technique that uses echoes to navigate or communicate usually used in submarines.
USP Unique Selling Proposition A term used to show how one product or service is different and unique from another.
VIP Very Important Person A person who gets special privileges due to their status or importance.
WWW World Wide Web Interlinked web documents accessed by the internet

Acronyms of Name

Acronym Full Form What It Is
AIDS Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome A disease of the immune system caused by the HIV.
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations A political and economic organisation based on geographical location.
CERN Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire – European Organization for Nuclear Research An international organisation that operates the largest particle physics laboratory
FIFA Federation Internationale de Football Association Organisation in charge of international association football.
InterPol International Criminal Police Organization. An international organisation helping police cooperation across countries.
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration An American government agency handling space research.
NASCAR National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. A family owned business sanctioning auto-racing events.
SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome A respiratory disease in humans which is fatal.
UN United Nations An international organisation for inter-country cooperation.
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Education Fund A UN program that provides humanitarian help to children.
YMCA Young Men’s Christian Association A worldwide association that helps to put Christian principles into action.
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus The virus that causes AIDS.

Acronyms of Education

Acronym Full Form
B.A Bachelor of Arts
B.Sc Bachelor of Science
M.A Master of Arts
M.B.A Master of Business Administration
MBBS Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
MD Medicinae Doctor – Doctor of Medicine
PhD Philosophiae Doctor – Doctorate of Philosophy

Abbreviations & Acronyms | Image

Important Abbreviation & Acronym List in English

Important Abbreviation & Acronym List in English You Should Learn

Avery

Tuesday 18th of January 2022

Ted Emmer, what do you mean?

Alex

Saturday 23rd of January 2021

Mrs. is not mistress an if you call her that you might get slapped.

MOHAMMED BILAL

Tuesday 12th of January 2021

MRP

Alexi Rivera

Sunday 1st of November 2020

nice its good

Ted Emmer

Monday 29th of July 2019

I strongly disagree with the meaning of the acronym, 'NASA'. Officially it stands for; National Aeronautics and Space Administration But reality suggests a very different meaning indeed, and it works much better for me that way, because it says exactly what its function is, unmistakably; (N)ever (A) (S)traight (A)nswer.

Jan

Wednesday 8th of January 2020

Ted what are you saying then?