Acronyms Definition

An acronym is a kind of abbreviation. It is a word formed by taking letters from a phrase that is too long to use comfortably.

eg: Laser is an acronym of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

If the letters do not make a word, but are pronounced individually, as in the CIA or the BBC, it can be called an initialism. However, most native speakers do not make this distinction, and use acronym for both cases.

Examples

Click on the acronym to see what the letters stand for:

• CALL
• EFL
• ESOL
• EAP
• TEFL
• TESOL