Acronyms and initialisms

Acronym vs initialism illustration: comparing the acronym laser—pronounced as a word— and the initialism FBI—pronounced by saying the letters

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We all know that you make an acronym by taking the initial letters of a set of words and putting them together. So Random Access Memory becomes RAM, or the United States becomes the US. But I only found out recently that these two examples are actually different.

An acronym is when the initials of a set of words are said as a word, like laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), radar (radio detection and ranging), sonar (sound navigation and ranging), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

An initialism, by contrast, is when a set of initials are pronounced as letters when you say them, like FBI, CIA, US, BBC or CD.

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This sketch was revised for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Here's the original .

Published 21 Jul 2018

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Eponym

RAS Syndrome is Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome. It's when an acronym is followed by a word that's also part of the acronym. Some examples you may come across: ATM machine - Automated Teller Machine PIN number - Personal Identification Number ISBN number - International Standard Book Number PDF format - Portable Document Format LCD display - Liquid Crystal Display HIV virus - Human Immunodeficiency Virus DC Comics - Detective Comics RSVP please - Répondez S'il Vous Plaît — Reply please MLS soccer - Major League Soccer PAT testing - Portable Appliance Testing While, in principle, the following word is redundant were we to spell out the acronym, that we tend to include it in everyday speech means it's usually serving a helpful function. Quite often, it's clarifying what you're talking about given many people won't know what the acronym actually stands for (see TLAs). By the way, ATM is technically an initialism, while PIN is an acronym. I'd guess you've probably come across RAS Syndrome, too. However, I didn't realise there was a name for it until recently, even though it was coined in New Scientist magazine back in 2001. Also see acronym or initialism, TLAs, Capitonym, pleonasm…RAS Syndrome is Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome. It's when an acronym is followed by a word that's also part of the acronym. Some examples you may come across: ATM machine - Automated Teller Machine PIN number - Personal Identification Number ISBN number - International Standard Book Number PDF format - Portable Document Format LCD display - Liquid Crystal Display HIV virus - Human Immunodeficiency Virus DC Comics - Detective Comics RSVP please - Répondez S'il Vous Plaît — Reply please MLS soccer - Major League Soccer PAT testing - Portable Appliance Testing While, in principle, the following word is redundant were we to spell out the acronym, that we tend to include it in everyday speech means it's usually serving a helpful function. Quite often, it's clarifying what you're talking about given many people won't know what the acronym actually stands for (see TLAs). By the way, ATM is technically an initialism, while PIN is an acronym. I'd guess you've probably come across RAS Syndrome, too. However, I didn't realise there was a name for it until recently, even though it was coined in New Scientist magazine back in 2001. Also see acronym or initialism, TLAs, Capitonym, pleonasm

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