Acronym

===Current use===
Acronyms are used most often to abbreviate names of organizations and long or frequently referenced terms. The [[Military|armed forces]] and government agencies frequently employ acronyms; some well-known examples from the United States are among the "[[alphabet agencies]]" (jokingly referred to as "[[Alphabet soup (linguistics)|alphabet soup]]") created under the [[New Deal]] by [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] (himself known as "FDR"). Business and industry also coin acronyms prolifically. The rapid advance of science and technology also drives the usage, as new inventions and concepts with multiword names create a demand for shorter, more pronounceable names.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} One representative example, from the U.S. Navy, is "COMCRUDESPAC", which stands for "commander, cruisers destroyers Pacific"; it is also seen as "ComCruDesPac". Inventors are encouraged to anticipate the formation of acronyms by making new terms "YABA-compatible" ("yet another bloody acronym"), meaning the term's acronym can be pronounced and is not an offensive word: "When choosing a new name, be sure it is 'YABA-compatible'."<ref>K. D. Nilsen & A. P. Nilsen (1995) ''The English Journal'' Vol. 84, No. 6., "Literary Metaphors and Other Linguistic Innovations in Computer Language"</ref>

Acronym use has been further popularized by text messaging on mobile phones with [[short message service]] (SMS), and [[instant messenger]] (IM). To fit messages into the 160-character SMS limit, and to save time, acronyms such as "GF" ("girlfriend"), "LOL" ("laughing out loud"), and "DL" ("download" or "down low") have become popular.<ref>{{cite book |last=Crystal |first=David |author-link=David Crystal |title=[[Txtng: The Gr8 Db8]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-954490-5}}</ref> Some [[Linguistic prescription|prescriptivist]]s disdain texting acronyms and abbreviations as decreasing clarity, or as failure to use "pure" or "proper" English. Others point out that languages have always [[language change|continually changed]], and argue that acronyms should be embraced as inevitable, or as innovation that adapts the language to changing circumstances. In this view, the modern practice is just the "proper" English of the current generation of speakers, much like the earlier abbreviation of corporation names on ticker tape or newspapers.

Exact pronunciation of "word acronyms" (those pronounced as words rather than sounded out as individual letters) often vary by speaker population. These may be regional, occupational, or generational differences, or simply personal preference. For instance, there have been decades of online debate about how to pronounce [[GIF]] ({{IPAc-en|g|ɪ|f}} or {{IPAc-en|dʒ|ɪ|f}}) and [[BIOS]] ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aɪ|oʊ|s}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aɪ|oʊ|z}}, or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aɪ|ɒ|s}}). Similarly, some letter-by-letter initialisms may become word acronyms over time, especially in combining forms: ''IP'' for ''[[Internet Protocol]]'' is generally said as two letters, but ''[[IPsec]]'' for ''Internet Protocol Security'' is usually pronounced as {{IPAc-en|ˌ|aɪ|ˈ|p|i:|s|ɛ|k}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɪ|p|s|ɛ|k}}, along with variant capitalization like "IPSEC" and "Ipsec". Pronunciation may even vary within a single speaker's vocabulary, depending on narrow contexts. As an example, the database programming language [[SQL]] is usually said as three letters, but in reference to [[Microsoft SQL Server|Microsoft's implementation]] is traditionally pronounced like the word ''[[sequel]]''.

====Expansion at first use====
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2015}}
In writing for a broad audience, the words of an acronym are typically written out in full at its first occurrence within a given text. Expansion At First Use (EAFU) benefits readers unfamiliar with the acronym.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Chelsea |title=An Abbreviations FAQ |url= https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2015/10/an-abbreviations-faq.html#Q2 |access-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200603074708/https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2015/10/an-abbreviations-faq.html#Q2 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Another text aid is an abbreviation key which lists and expands all acronyms used, a reference for readers who skipped past the first use. (This is especially important for paper media, where no search utility is available to find the first use.) It also gives students a convenient review list to memorize the important acronyms introduced in a textbook chapter.

Expansion at first use and abbreviation keys originated in the print era, but they are equally useful for [[E-text|electronic text]].

====Jargon====
While acronyms provide convenience and succinctness for specialists, they often degenerate into confusing [[jargon]]. This may be intentional, to exclude readers without domain-specific knowledge. New acronyms may also confuse when they coincide with an already existing acronym having a different meaning.

Medical literature has been struggling to control the proliferation of acronyms, including efforts by the American Academy of Dermatology.<ref name="PMID19150279">{{Cite journal |last1=Patel |first1=C. B. |last2=Rashid |first2=R. M. |title=Averting the proliferation of acronymophilia in dermatology: effectively avoiding ADCOMSUBORDCOMPHIBSPAC |journal=Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=340–344 |date=February 2009 |pmid=19150279 |doi=10.1016/j.jaad.2008.10.035}}</ref>

====As mnemonics====
Acronyms are often taught as [[mnemonic]] devices: for example the colors of the rainbow are [[ROY G. BIV]] (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). They are also used as mental checklists: in aviation [[GUMPS]] stands for gas-undercarriage-mixture-propeller-seat belts. Other mnemonic acronyms include [[CAN SLIM]] in finance, PAVPANIC in English grammar, and [[PEMDAS]] in mathematics.

====Acronyms as legendary etymology====
{{See also|Backronym}}
It is not uncommon for acronyms to be cited in a kind of [[false etymology]], called a [[folk etymology]], for a word. Such etymologies persist in popular culture but have no factual basis in [[historical linguistics]], and are examples of language-related [[urban legend]]s. For example, "[[Police officer|cop]]" is commonly cited as being derived, it is presumed, from "constable on patrol",<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/cop.asp |title=Does Cop = 'Constable on Patrol'? |date=May 3, 2007}}</ref> and "[[Posh (nautical term)|posh]]" from "[[port outward, starboard home]]".<ref name="posh">{{Cite book |title=Port Out, Starboard Home: And Other Language Myths |publisher=Penguin Books |last=Quinion |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Quinion |isbn=978-0-14-101223-0 |date=2005}}; published in the US as {{Cite book |title=Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds |last=Quinion |first=Michael |date=2006 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-085153-8 |url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/ballyhoobuckaroo0000quin_z4e2 |via=Internet Archive |access-date=March 4, 2020}}</ref> With some of these specious expansions, the "belief" that the etymology is acronymic has clearly been [[tongue-in-cheek]] among many citers, as with "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden" for "[[golf]]", although many other (more [[wikt:credulous|credulous]]) people have uncritically taken it for fact.<ref name="posh" /><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/golf.asp |title=See article at Snopes |date=February 20, 2002 |publisher=Snopes.com |access-date=September 16, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220506042707/http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/golf.asp |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Taboo word]]s in particular commonly have such false etymologies: "[[shit]]" from "ship/store high in transit"<ref name="Wilton" /><ref name="etymonline.com2">{{cite web |url= http://www.etymonline.com/baloney.php |title=Etymonline.com |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=September 16, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220417143143/http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/fuck.asp |archive-date=April 17, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> or "special high-intensity training" and "[[fuck]]" from "for unlawful carnal knowledge", or "fornication under consent/command of the king".<ref name="etymonline.com2" />