FYI
There are lots of rules about abbreviations. And lots of instances where how they’re presented will depend on whether you’re dealing with a general abbreviation, an acronym or an initialism.
TL;DR
Even typing the last word of that blurb out, Microsoft Word is kind enough to highlight it with a little red squiggly line. Although acronyms and initialisms are two different types of abbreviations, the definition has of ‘acronym’ has slowly been expanding to include initialisms, which can cause confusion when they’re presented in text.
But let’s start at the beginning, with general abbreviations.
e.g.
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Letters or syllables are left out for the sake of speed and brevity, and you’re left with a collection of letters that represent a word or concept.
Typically, abbreviations should be punctuated with full stops. This is to prevent them from appearing to be a different or misspelt word. For example:
i.e.
e.g.
p.a.
etc.
Laser sharp
Acronyms are those abbreviations where the first letters of the words in a phrase or words are used to create a new word. For example:
Light
Amplification by
Stimulated = laser
Emission of
Radiation
Acquired
Immunodeficiency = Aids
Syndrome
What’s crucial here is that the acronym can be pronounced as a word. There are plenty of well-known examples of acronyms, like Nasa and Eskom. What’s not plentiful are rules on how to present them in text.
How you write acronyms out will depend on the style guide you’re working from. If there isn’t any clarity, though, a good rule to follow is to treat them like words: no full stops between the letters, and capitalisation only at the beginning of the sentence or if they’re proper nouns.
Of course, there are exceptions to the capitalisation rule, like RAM and OPEC, which is why it’s safest to look up each acronym you come into contact with.
ICYMI
Initialisms are similar to acronyms; they’re also made up of the initial letters to syllables of well-known phrases. Where they’re different is that you can’t pronounce an initialism as a word, so you say the individual letters. For example:
Central
Intelligence = CIA
Agency
Chief
Executive = CEO
Officer
Some writers and editors feel that a full stop should be placed after each letter to show that letters have been omitted (somewhat in line with how you use the apostrophe of omission). Others believe that it’s unnecessary as the added punctuation can make copy look messy and make it more difficult to read.
Again, the style guide you’re working with should tell you exactly how to deal with these abbreviations. If there’s no guidance, it’s probably best to present initialisms in all caps without any punctuation (unless they’re at the end of a sentence or in the possessive form)
TL;DR
- Abbreviations are the shortened form of words or phrases. They usually need some kind of punctuation.
- Acronyms can be said like words. They don’t usually need punctuation.
- Each letter of an initialism is pronounced. Because they’re presented in all caps, they don’t need punctuation either.
- What you ultimately need to use to decide whether to punctuate or not is the style guide for the content you’re working with.
