Question from English4Today member Vin in the USA:

What is it called when letters are substituted for words, e.g., ‘LOL ‘stands for ‘Laugh out loud’.

Answer

Hi Vin, they are everywhere and they are called ‘acronyms‘!

An acronym was originally a pronounceable word made from the initial letters of other words. For example, NATO for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

As acronyms have invaded our lives more and more we have started to coin other shorthand versions such as TV for Television, USA for United States of America, IOU for I Owe You (a debt), MD for Medical Doctor, or CEO for Chief Executive Officer which are not acronyms in the original sense of being a ‘new pronounceable word’ made up of the first letters but which we still pull into our bulging bag of acronyms.

Acronyms are often used as mnemonics, a device for helping you remember something. You’ll often see this sort of usage in training manuals and self-help manuals. An illustration of this sort of acronym would be one that I found on a quick trawl of the Internet; taking the word ‘HOPE’ as an acronym for ‘Hanging Onto Positive Expectations’. You may remember other similar acronyms from your school days designed to help you remember a spelling rule, historical event or math equation. I remember, for example, ROYGBIV, a mnemonic acronym for remembering the colors of the rainbow – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet – a pretty senseless sounding acronym but one that has stuck in my mind since I was around seven years old!

But where acronyms have really exploded and become a sub-language of their own is through text messaging, the Internet and email where the ‘need for speed’ has led to the creation of hundreds of new acronyms that are used globally by millions of people. Your example, LOL for ‘Laugh Out Loud’ is one of the most used of these Internet acronyms. Here is a list of some of the other common Internet acronyms used in emails, SMS and text messaging. Hope it helps, CU!

Common Acronyms Used in SMS, Text and Internet Chat:

A

AFAIK

As far as I know

AFK

Away from keyboard

AKA

Also known as

AOL

America Online

ASAP

As soon as possible

ASL

Age, sex, location

ATM

At the moment

B

B/C

Because

B4

Before

BBIAB

Be back in a bit

BBL

Be back later

BCC

Blind carbon copy

BF

Boyfriend

BFF

Best friends forever

BFN

Bye for now

BOT

Back on topic

BRB

Be right back

BTW

By the way

C

CC

Carbon copy

CTN

Can’t talk now

CU

See you

CUL

See you later

CYA

See ya

CYE

Check your e-mail

D

DIY

Do it yourself

DL

Download

DW

Don’t worry

E

EG

Exempli gratia (Latin: For example)

EOD

End of discussion

ETA

Estimated time of arrival

F

F

Female

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

FOFL

Falling on the floor laughing