A word made from the first letters of a group of words, where each letter is pronounced separately.
An example of initialism is BBC.
NATO is a well-known initialism that stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
An abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately.
FBI is a common initialism.
The use of an initialism such as RSVP can sometimes confuse non-native English speakers.
Frequently Asked Questions
The word "initialism" in English means: A word made from the first letters of a group of words, where each letter is pronounced separately., An abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately..
The phonetic transcription of "initialism" is /ɪˈnɪʃəlɪzəm/ in British English and /ɪˈnɪʃəlɪzəm/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.
Example usage of "initialism": "An example of initialism is BBC.". More examples on the page.