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Acronym

An acronym is a set of initials pronounced as a word, such as NATO or laser, or, in Spanish usage, a word formed by blending parts of several words

What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.

What it is and how it works

Spanish usage, following the Real Academia Española, covers two cases. In the first, the initials are read as a single word rather than letter by letter: NATO is an acronym, while BBC, which is spelt out, is an initialism. In the second, fragments of words are combined, as in docudrama (documentary and drama); in English this second type is usually called a blend or portmanteau.

In branding, acronyms shorten long names and make them easier to remember and pronounce, and some end up replacing the full name. It is worth checking how they sound and what they mean in other languages before adopting them, and not confusing them with a monogram, which is a graphic solution built from initials.

Related concepts