what is it called when you have abbreviations for words

Consider it an FAQ about abbreviations! You can find abbreviations discussed in the Publication Manual in section 4.22 (starting on p. In many cases the acronym becomes the standard term and the full form is only used in explanatory contexts.Abbreviations in APA Style-specifically, how to use acronyms, which are abbreviations made up of the first letters of each word in a phrase. They are pronounced as words rather than as a series of letters, for example, AIDS, laser, scuba, UNESCO, and do not have periods. 4 Acronyms are initialisms that have become words in their own right, or similar words formed from parts of several words. Practice varies with regard to periods, with current usage increasingly in favor of omitting them, especially when the initialism consists entirely of capital letters. 3 Initialisms are made up of the initial letters of words and are pronounced as separate letters: CIA (or C.I.A.), NYC, pm (or p.m.), U.S. Another kind of contraction is the type with an apostrophe marking the omission of letters: can't = cannot, didn't = did not, you've = you have. Such forms are invariably followed by a period.

Sometimes shortenings are altered to facilitate their pronunciation or spelling: bike = bicycle2 Contractions are abbreviated forms in which letters from the middle of the full form have been omitted, for example, Dr.

Some become the standard forms, and the full forms are then regarded as formal or technical, for example, bus = omnibus, taxi = taxicab, deli = delicatessen, zoo = zoological garden. Such shortenings are often but not always informal.

In the cases when they form words in their own right, the period is omitted, for example, hippo = hippopotamus, limo = limousine.

1 Shortenings of words usually consist of the first few letters of the full form and are usually spelled with a final period when they are still regarded as abbreviations, for example, cont. Types of abbreviations: There are four main kinds of abbreviations: shortenings, contractions, initialisms, and acronyms.

What is it called when you have abbreviations for words