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Guide: English Abbreviations
English abbreviations and their meaning
Whether in text messages, social media, business correspondence or everyday use, English abbreviations are ubiquitous and contribute significantly to the efficiency and precision of our communication. Here we present a wide range of English abbreviations, from the common and daily used to specialized and industry-specific acronyms and abbreviations. In addition to the full written format, we also supply concise explanations of the meaning and use of these letter combinations.
THE GUIDE CONSISTS OF 6 PARTS:
General – English abbreviations in colloquial language
| Abbreviation | Written version | Meaning & application |
| AFK | Away From Keyboard | Similar to BRB, but often refers to a slightly longer period of time. |
| AKA | Also Known As | Used to introduce additional names or aliases for a person or thing. |
| BAE | Before Anyone Else | Term for a very important person in life. |
| BCC | Blind Carbon Copy | Email with multiple recipients, each invisible to the other recipients. |
| BFF | Best Friends Forever | Very good, close friends whose friendship endures. |
| BRB | Be Right Back | In chat, to say that you are not replying because you cannot participate in the conversation for a short time. |
| BTW | By The Way | Used to introduce an additional piece of information or question into the conversation. |
| CC | Carbon Copy | An email has additional recipients |
| DIY | Do It Yourself | Request or recommendation to do a certain task yourself instead of having others do it. |
| FOMO | Fear Of Missing Out | Describes the feeling of missing out on something important or fun, especially on social media. |
| FYI | For Your Information | Used to give someone (additional) information without expecting a response. |
| GTG | Got To Go | Used to end a conversation quickly because you have to leave. |
| IMO/IMHO | In My Opinion/In My Humble Opinion | Subsequent opinion/view should be considered subjective and not absolute. |
| LOL | Laughing Out Loud | Expression of amusement or amusement, often used in online chats or text messages. |
| NSFW | Not Safe For Work | Warns of content that may be inappropriate for the workplace. |
| OMG | Oh My God | Expression of surprise or astonishment. |
| PM | Private Message | A message that is only visible to a specific recipient, often in a chat room or on a social media platform. |
| P.S. | Postscript | Additional information or clarification after the main text of a message or letter. |
| RSVP | Répondez s'il vous plaît | Invitation to respond to an invitation to leave. |
| SMH | Shaking My Head | Expresses incomprehension, disbelief or disappointment. |
| TBA | To Be Announced | Information or details are still pending and will be revealed later. |
| TTYL | Talk To You Later | Used to end a conversation but signal the intention to continue talking later. |
| WIP | Work In Progress | This abbreviation is often used to indicate that a project or task is not yet complete and work is continuing. |
| YMMV | Your Mileage May Vary | Expresses that the results or experiences in a particular situation may vary from person to person. |
| YOLO | You Only Live Once | Emphasizes the attitude or action of doing something risky or out of the ordinary because you only live once. |
Marketing – English abbreviations in sales
| Abbreviation | Written version | Meaning & application |
| UGC | User Generated Content | Content created by users. |
| CTA | Call To Action | Prompt for readers to do something. |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management | Customer relationship management system. |
| PR | Public Relations | Communication between companies and the public. |
| DM | Direct Marketing | Direct advertising approach to customers. |
| B2C | Business to Client | Service provider sells its product to private customers. |
| B2B | Business to Business | Service provider sells its product to other companies. |
Technical – English abbreviations in IT & web development
| Abbreviation | Written version | Meaning & application |
| IP | Internet Protocol | Technology rules for Internet communication |
| P2P | Peer-to-Peer | Network without central servers |
| NFC | Near Field Communication | Short-range wireless technology. |
| API | Application Programming Interface | Allows programs to communicate with each other |
| CMS | Content Management System | Software to create web content |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language | Language to create web pages |
| SaaS | Software as a Service | Software used online instead of on the computer. |
| RSS | Really Simple Syndication | Allows web content to be subscribed to in a standardized form. |
| UI | User Interface | How users interact with a product |
E-Commerce – English abbreviations in online retail
| Abbreviation | Written version | Meaning & application |
| COD | Cash On Delivery | Payment is only made on delivery. |
| BOPIS | Buy Online, Pick-up In Store | Order online, collect offline. |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement | Contract on quality of service. |
| POS | Point of Sale | Location, online or offline, where the final sale takes place. |
| PCI DSS | Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard | Rules for the protection of credit card data. |
| ROI | Return on Investment | Profit compared to investment. |
Social Media – English abbreviations in social media
| Abbreviation | Written version | Meaning & application |
| SM | Social Media | Online platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. |
| PM | Private Message | Non-publicly visible message between users. |
| RT | Retweet | Used on Twitter (now X) synonymously for re-sharing a post. |
| CM | Community Management | Includes communicating with members (followers/fans), moderating content and answering questions, etc. |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions | A list of answers to frequently asked questions from the community |
Correspondence – English abbreviations in abbreviations in e-mails
| Abbreviation | Written version | Meaning & application |
| COB | Close Of Business | Similar to EOD, but more specific to the end of the business day |
| CSR | Corporate Social Responsibility | A concept that encourages companies to take responsibility for the impact of their activities on society |
| DM | Direct Message | A private message on social networks or email platforms |
| EOD | End Of Day | Commonly used to indicate a deadline |
| EOB | End Of Business | Used to indicate the time at which the working day or business hours end, Used to indicate when the working day or business hours end |
| EOM | End Of Message | Used at the end of a short email or message to indicate that no further reading is required |
| ETA | Estimated Time of Arrival | Commonly used in relation to deliveries or completion times |
| FTE | Full-Time Equivalent | A measure of an employee's working time |
| FYA | For Your Action (Oder: For Your Amusement) |
Used when an action is expected from the receiving party (Or: Used to share content that is humorous or entertaining) |
| FYI | For Your Information | Used to share useful information without expecting a response |
| KISS | Keep It Simple, Stupid | A principle that emphasizes the importance of simplicity |
| LTV | Lifetime Value | A measure of the total value of a customer over the entire duration of the business relationship |
| MOU | Memorandum Of Understanding | An informal contract between two parties |
| MRR | Monthly Recurring Revenue | A measure of a company's recurring revenue |
| NDA | Non-Disclosure Agreement | A contract, that restricts the sharing of confidential information |
| OOO | Out Of Office | A notice that someone is out of the office |
| POC | Point Of Contact | The person responsible for a particular project or task |
| PPE | Personal Protective Equipment | Employee protective equipment |
| QA | Quality Assurance | A process that aims to prevent errors and ensure the quality of a product or service |
| QC | Quality Control | The process of reviewing the quality of a product or service |
| RFQ | Request For Quotation | A request for a price quotation for specific goods or services |
| RFP | Request For Proposal | A document that represents a request for a proposal for a specific project or service |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement | A contract for the quality of service to be provided |
| SME | Subject Matter Expert | A person with specialized knowledge in a specific field |
| SWOT | Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats | An analytical method for evaluating business strategies |
| TBD | To Be Determined | Details that still need to be clarified |
| TL;DR | Too Long; Didn't Read | A short summary of a longer text |
| WFH | Work From Home | Refers to the ability to perform professional tasks from home |
| YTD | Year To Date | A time period that extends from the beginning of the current calendar or fiscal year to the current date |
Go beyond the words
Business English tips & tricks from the language lab
