Initials - Meanings

This page explains common English initials that learners often see or hear in everyday conversation, writing, and media.

Initials Quiz #1

A Initials

AA

- Alcoholic's Anonymous - a group that helps people recover from alcohol abuse

My boss has been going to AA meetings for over a year.

AGM

- Annual General Meeting - the annual meeting of an organization

My sister attended the AGM of the condominium owners last night.

AI

- Artificial Intelligence - used for robots etc.

Several professors at our university have been researching AI for many years.

AKA

- also known as

We ate at the small family restaurant, AKA the best restaurant in the city.

I forget the criminal's name, but he is AKA "Dr. Death."

AM

- Ante Meridiem - the Latin which means before noon

I always get up at 7:00 AM.

AOB

- Any Other Business - used in meetings etc.

The organizer of the meeting wrote AOB at the bottom of the meeting information sheet.

AOK

- great, doing well

The man said that he was feeling AOK after the accident.

ASAP

- As Soon As Possible

I want to finish the first draft of the letter ASAP.

ATM

- automated teller machine

I went to the ATM to get some money.

AWOL

- Absent Without Leave - often used in the military

The military police were searching for the soldier who had gone AWOL.

B Initials

BA

- Bachelor of Arts - from a university

The man received a BA in economics from his university.

B & B

- Bed and Breakfast - a small inn or hotel that serves breakfast

My sister wants to open a B & B when she quits her job.

B & E

- Break and Enter - a criminal act of breaking into a house or building to steal something

When I was going to university there was a B & E in my apartment.

BLT

- Bacon and Lettuce and Tomato - a type of sandwich

We went into the restaurant and ordered a BLT sandwich.

BO

- Body Odor - smell of sweat from the human body

The BO from the man in the elevator was very bad.

BSc

- Bachelor of Science - from a university

My cousin received a BSc in computer science from his university.

BTW

- By the way - used to add new information or add a comment to a conversation or to begin to talk about something that is related to the topic

BTW, I forgot to tell you that the meeting for Saturday has been cancelled.

BYOB

- Bring Your Own Bottle/Beverage - used for a party or dinner where each person must bring something to drink

I will have a dinner party at my house and I told everyone that it was BYOB.

C Initials

CA

- Chartered Accountant

We went to see a CA to get our income tax finished on time.

cc

- send a copy to someone - cc means carbon copy which was the copy made with a piece of carbon paper you used with an old typewriter

I had to cc the email to my boss.

CEO

- Chief Executive Officer of a company or other organization

My uncle was the CEO of a large computer company.

CFO

- Chief Financial Officer of a company or other organization

I have an appointment to meet the CFO of the company.

CIA

- Central Intelligence Agency - US spy and security organization

The CIA was involved in the efforts to free the kidnapped air force pilot.

C/O

- Care Of - used when you want to send something to someone at the address of another person

I did not know my friend's address so I sent a letter to him C/O another friend of ours.

COD

- Cash On Delivery - used when a delivery person receives cash when they deliver something

I decided to send away for some books and the company said that they would send them COD.

COO

- Chief Operating Officer of a company or other organization

I will meet the COO of the company tomorrow.

CPA

- Certified Public Accountant

The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.

D Initials

DA

- district attorney

The office of the DA will make a statement about the murder soon.

DIY

- Do-It-Yourself

I went to a DIY store and bought the materials to build a bed.

DJ

- Disc Jockey

My cousin worked in the summer as a disc jockey while he was going to university.

DM

- Direct Message - this is a private message that you can send on social media

You can DM me later and tell me your schedule.

DNA

- Deoxyribonucleic Acid - the main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms

My university has spent a lot of money in the study of DNA.

DOA

- Dead on Arrival - a person is dead when he or she arrives at a hospital (after an accident for example), this can also be used in business when a plan or product or proposal is going to fail before it arrives for discussion

Sadly, the man was DOA when the ambulance arrived at the hospital.

Our proposal was DOA before it was presented at the sales conference.

DOB

- Date of Birth

The application form has a space for DOB.

DUI

- Driving Under the Influence

The man was sent to jail for several months on a charge of DUI.

E Initials

EFL

- English as a Foreign Language - learning English in a country where English is not the main language

The government is planning to spend more money on EFL classes.

e.g.

- for example - this comes from the Latin word "Exempli Gratia" which means for example

The company has many factories around the world - e.g. Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Korea.

ER

- Emergency Room - the place in a hospital which deals with emergency situations

The victims of the accident were taken to the ER.

ESL

- English as a Second Language - learning English in a country where English is the primary language

The number of ESL classes at the college is increasing.

ESP

- Extrasensory Perception

The movie was about a young boy who had the ability of ESP.

ETA

- Estimated Time of Arrival

"What will your ETA be when you return home next month?"

F Initials

FAQ

- frequently asked questions

The website had much information in the FAQ section.

FBI

- Federal Bureau of Investigation

The killers were found in a nationwide search by the FBI.

FYI

- For Your Information

I wrote FYI on the information bulletin and sent it to the other members of the staff.

G Initials

GI

- Government Issue - stamped on US military equipment - GI is also used to mean a US soldier

The man went to the store and bought a GI Joe doll for his son.

GMT

- Greenwich Mean Time - Greenwich is a place in England which is used as the standard for time around the world

The rocket will be launched at 10:00 AM tomorrow GMT.

GP

- General Practitioner - a general doctor

I went to see a GP when I broke my leg last summer.

H Initials

HQ

- Headquarters

The HQ of our company is located in a small town.

HR

- Human Resources (Department)

I must talk to HR about the mistake on my pay check.

I Initials

ID

- identification - an official card or document with your name and photograph or other information on it that shows who you are

I need some ID to get my package from the post office.

They will always ask for photo ID at the airport.

i.e.

- in other words, that is to say - i.e. is used to clarify, explain, or rephrase something that you just mentioned - it comes from the Latin words "id est"

The meeting starts at 8:00 PM - i.e. we cannot be late.

The restaurant will be closed during the holiday - i.e. from Tuesday until Saturday.

IMHO

- in my humble opinion - this is used often in emails when you want to tell someone your opinion

IMHO, we are making a big mistake if we continue with this project.

IMO

- in my opinion - this is used often in emails when you want to tell someone your opinion

IMO, the movie was terrible although I know many people love it.

IOU

- I Owe You - a signed paper stating that you promise to pay a debt

I gave my friend an IOU when I bought his television.

IQ

- Intelligence Quotient - a measure of a person's intelligence

The IQ of the new student is very high.

J Initials

JP

- Justice of the Peace (a person in the court/justice system who can do some minor duties and perform marriages etc.)

The young couple went to a JP when they decided to get married.

K Initials

KO

- Knockout

The boxer won the match in the fifth round by a KO.

L Initials

LLB

- Bachelor of Laws

My cousin received his LLB and will begin to practice law soon.

LOL

- laugh out loud, laughing out loud - this is used in texts or emails to show that you think something is funny

My friend always uses lol in his text messages and email messages.

M Initials

MA

- Master of Arts

My cousin's wife has recently decided to study for her MA in economics.

MC

- Master of Ceremonies

My cousin was the MC for my sister's wedding.

MD

- Doctor of Medicine

The woman received her MD when she was 26 years old and has been practicing medicine since then.

MIA

- Missing In Action

There are several MIA soldiers in the small country.

MP

- Member of Parliament - used in the United Kingdom and Canada etc.

There were several MPs at the restaurant where we had dinner.

MP3

- MPEG-1 audio layer 3 - a method to compress digital audio

The students listened to their MP3 players as they worked in the computer lab.

MSc

- Master of Science

The woman has an MSc in computer science and she found a job easily.

N Initials

N/A

- not applicable/available - this is often found on a survey or application form where information is not available or not necessary

You can write down N/A on the application form if you do not have a driving license.

NASA

- National Aeronautics and Space Administration - the US space organization

According to a spokesperson for NASA the rocket will be launched next week.

NATO

- North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The members of NATO are gathering for an important meeting next month in Brussels.

NB

- note well, pay special attention to this - this is from the Latin for "Nota Bene"

Our teacher told us to memorize the information in our text that is marked NB.

O Initials

OBO

- or best offer

The piano is being sold for $300 obo.

OD

- Overdose - on drugs

The man died because of a drug OD.

OMG

- Oh My God - this is used when something is surprising or shocking

OMG, our team just traded our best player.

OR

- Operating Room - in a hospital

Before entering the OR the doctors carefully washed their hands.

OT

- overtime

I have to work some OT this weekend.

P Initials

PA

- Public Address (System)

Every morning the children listened to the latest school information over the PA.

PC

- Politically Correct - language that is not harmful or insulting to others

The university has a policy that says that all material published in the school newspaper must be PC.

PC

- Personal Computer

The PC industry has been growing rapidly in recent years.

P.E.

- Physical Education

My P.E. class is held indoors during the winter months.

Phd

- Doctor of Philosophy

After receiving his Phd in history my friend got a job at a university.

PIN

- personal identification number - a secret number that a person uses with a bank or other card

The man forgot his PIN number when he tried to use one of his bank cards.

PLO

- Please Leave On - used when you want to leave something on a blackboard or whiteboard

Although the teacher wrote PLO on the blackboard, the information was erased during the lunch break.

PM

- Post Meridiem - Latin for after noon

The meeting started at exactly 1:00 PM.

PO

- post office

I went to the PO to get a package.

POW

- Prisoner of War

The negotiations regarding POWs continued for many years after the Vietnam war.

PR

- Public Relations

With good PR the politician was able to gain the support of many people.

PS

- Postscript - written at the end of a letter when you want to add some extra information

After finishing the letter, I wrote PS to include something very important that I had forgotten.

PTA

- Parent-Teacher Association

We got home late last night after attending our son's PTA meeting.

PTO

- Please Turn Over - written on a piece of paper to tell someone to look at the other side

I wrote PTO on the letter to make sure that my friend looked at the other side.

PVR

- Personal Video Recorder - a recording device that you can record TV programs with

The hard drive of our PVR is full so we cannot record any more TV shows until we delete something.

Q Initials

Q & A

- Questions and Answers - a situation where the people who are listening to a speaker have a chance to ask questions during or at the end of a presentation

There is always a Q & A session after each speaker at the conference.

R Initials

RCMP

- Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Canada's national police force

The movie was about the RCMP and it took place in northern Canada.

RE

- regarding, in regard to, in reference to

I will phone later today re: your comments about the new product.

Re: your recent order - it has arrived and will be shipped tomorrow.

RIP

- Rest In Peace - this is from the Latin "Requiescat In Pace" - used when talking about someone who is dead and is sometimes written on a gravestone

At the end of the movie, RIP was written on the gravestone of the character who had been killed.

RN

- registered nurse

My aunt is an RN.

RSVP

- Repondez S'il Vous Plait - the French which means please reply

The invitation said RSVP so I sent a note to say that I would attend the party.

S Initials

SOB

- Son Of a Bitch - a swear word used in anger or when you want to insult someone

The man called me a SOB when I drove in front of him in the parking lot.

SOS

- these letters have no meaning but they are the international code (Morse code) that is used as a call for help

The sinking ship sent out an SOS signal.

The lost hikers sent an SOS message with their phone.

SPCA

- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The man called the SPCA to tell them about the poor treatment of the dog.

SWAT

- special weapons and tactics

The police called for the SWAT team to deal with the man with the gun.

T Initials

TA

- Teaching Assistant

After leaving university, my friend was able to get a job as a TA at the junior college.

TB

- Tuberculosis

The number of TB cases has been increasing around the world recently.

TBA

- To Be Announced - used when something will be announced at a later time

I looked in the television guide to see what the 7:00 movie would be but it said TBA.

TBD

- To be Determined or Decided - this is used when you want to say that something like location or time will de decided later

The concert will be next week but the time is written on the poster as TBD.

TGIF

- Thank Goodness It's Friday

The restaurant has a large TGIF sign on the door and all drinks are half price.

THX/THNX/TX

- thank you, thanks - this is used to casually say thank you in texts or social media or in emails

The woman often writes THX in her emails.

TKO

- Technical Knockout

The boxer won the fight with a TKO.

TLC

- Tender Loving Care

With lots of TLC the house plants did very well under my sister's care.

TL;DR

- Too Long; Didn't Read - used to introduce a short summary of a longer message or article

TL;DR - here is the information that you requested.

TP

- Toilet Paper

I went to the store to buy some TP.

U Initials

UFO

- Unidentified Flying Object

The number of UFO sightings has increased dramatically recently.

UPS

- United Parcel Service

My friend will send the package by UPS.

UV

- Ultraviolet - a type of light ray

We used sunscreen in order to protect ourselves from UV rays.

UX

- User Experience - this is the experience that a person has when interacting with a website or a product - it tells us if the product or website is easy and efficient and pleasant to use

The computer company spends much money on UX.

V Initials

VCR

- Video Cassette Recorder

The electronics store does not sell VCR's anymore.

VDU

- Video Display Unit

The VDU was beginning to cause problems with my eyes so I went to an eye doctor.

VHF

- Very High Frequency

The television was not working because of a problem with the VHF connection.

VIP

- Very Important Person

The football player was given the VIP treatment when he visited his hometown.

VP

- Vice President

After serving as vice president for many years the man was appointed company president.

VR

- Virtual Reality - the images and sounds produced by a computer that lets a person interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) environment

The VR equipment at the computer store was fun to use

VTR

- Video Tape Recorder

We stopped using the VTR in the classroom many years ago.

W Initials

WC

- Water Closet - toilet

When we entered the park we went directly to the sign that said WC.

Y Initials

YMCA

- Young Men's Christian Association

The English classes at the YMCA were recommended to the students last year.

YWCA

- Young Women's Christian Association

My friend stayed at the YWCA when she visited New York City last summer.

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