Acronym vs. abbreviation

[Lebrian]

thanks! now I understand what acronym and abbreviation are. ex: UNICEF is acronym. Is it correct? ATM is abbreviation. I think so. I like this site. I'm looking forward to your help.

[Torsten]

Hi Lebrian,

Yes, UNICEF is an acrononym because you can read as one word. ATM is an abbreviation because you pronounce every single letter like in the alphabet.
If you like, you can take this test and let me know how many questions you got right on the first attempt. Keep up the great work.

Best regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Anubala]

Today I came to know that my favorite channel HBO (home box office) is an acronym
-- annu

[Henoc]

Dear Torsten,
I thank you very for these very clear explanations, and everyone for their replies that helped me increase my knowledge. However, I have a couple of questions:
1. Do you separate letters in abbrevations with dots?
2. How do you write them(abbrevations)? I mean with capital letters, small letters,...

[Arumugam]

So LASER is acronym.

How are they are forming abbreviation ?

[Mnanka]

Dear Torsten
Thanks so much for the lessons i'm very happy with them.I was having the problem to get in the FORUM that's why i didn't wrote any thing since i started.

I will send you my quetions next time, currently i have no problem.

Gilbert.

[Torsten]

[Noren]

Dear sir, Torsten
I was unaware of this and I was clarified by your answer. Can U give me more examples on this? And I have a question for you about this, what's the difference between "Anyway and Anyways"? Thank you.

Noren Limbu (Nepal)

[Torsten]

Hi Noren Limbu,

Welcome to english-test.net and many thanks for your questions. Here are some more abbreviations: NBA, CSI, OJ

And these are acronyms: NATO, NASA, NAFTA

As for the difference between anyway and anyways please read anyway vs. anyways.

Best regards,
Torsten
PS: What does "U" mean?
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Ms.Unique]

Hello Torsten,

Thanks alot for explaining the difference, I would have never known it all my life.

Regards,

[Noren]

Dear Sir,
It's nothing, a short form of YOU.

Noren

[Casafon]

Hi Laura,
it is very funny to hear about abbreviatios and acronyms in English. A think that some languages use abbreviations much more than others. For example Germans use to create a lot of acronyms for a lot things of the every day life. Just to give an example they say brassiere with the abbreviation of a German word that sounds BH (for Buestenhalter), and the english, I think, also use the acronym Bra. Germans also use the abbreviation AB for an answerphone. That was really difficult to me as a foreigner when I went for the first time to Germany. I thought that being able to speak German would be enough to understand the Germans. But I had to learn also all these abbreviations which are used very often. I also didn't expect it because in Italian we seldom use them. We wouldn't use an abbreviation for the name of a region or of a country (as Mass. for Massachussets), we always speak the entire word. Particularily for words often used in the everyday life.
Bye bye
paolo

[Carlos Henrique]

I don't know forwhere staring this subject ,then I hope finish it asap that is a acrounymous and an example for that subject. The english is a great and useful language to learn, in Uk there are some differences that can be pointed, or perceived something to the persons listen .In contrast to other places of UK.

[Anubala]

Dear Torsten
PS: What does "U" mean?
is PS acronym? please let me know full form of it.

Thanks
annu

[Katty_Meo]

I dont quite understand this: "Jan is an abbreviation for January"==> I got this sentence in a dictionary, so according to Torsten's explanation, "Jan" here will be pronounced "J-A-N" like FBI?! Quite complicated!><!