Huh? "Abbreviations" are shortened terms for longer words or phrases (Acad == Academy; alt. == Altitude; etc. == et cetera
), whereas Acronyms are specific types of abbreviations using only the first letter of the words in the phrase/thing (AM == Ante Meridian; FM == Frequency Modulation).
Pronunciation is a new requirement to me, since (eg) "MCP" is an Acronym for Microsoft Certified Professional, but I'll be darned if I've ever heard it pronounced. I think it would come out poorly...
I guess we can agree to disagree. I can only speak on this due to my 30 years of military service...which I do not think anyone uses those more than military members. Especially those, like me, that predate the internet. So, I will let the internet define it "iaw" dictionary.com:
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Is there a difference between acronyms and abbreviations? Most people think they’re pretty similar … and they’re definitely used in similar ways. But, there are slight differences
What is an abbreviation?
An
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is any shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase. Did you catch the word
any in there? That means
abbreviation is the blanket term for all these shortened words we’ve all been using on social media.
Rly is a great example … we just took out the vowels—who needs ‘em—and now it’s an abbreviation.
What is an acronym?
For one,
acronyms are types of abbreviations.
Specifically, an
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is a specific type of abbreviation formed from the first letters of a multi-word term, name, or phrase, with those letters pronounced together as one term.
OPEC—or the O(rganization of) P(etroleum) E(xporting) C(ountries)—is an acronym because we pronounce it as one word,
oh-pek.
I will end with RADAR - RAdio Detection And Ranging // SONAR - SOund Navigation And Ranging
