Have you ever been confused about which article (a, an, the) to use in front of an abbreviation? First, let's define abbreviation:

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole word. Some authorities consider acronyms and initialisms to be abbreviations.

"Hmmm," you say, "what is an acronym? I've heard the word, but it sounds more like a disease than something to do with grammar."

An acronym is a word (like radar or snafu or NASDAQ) formed from the initial letter or first few letters of a word or a series of words (example: radar comes from radio detecting and ranging).

ACRONYMS ARE PRONOUNCED AS COMPLETE WORDS.

Now, let's look at initialisms. An initialism is an acronym formed from initial letters (FEMA, NYSE, AFL-CIO, NAACP, IRS, SEC).

INITIALISMS ARE PRONOUNCED LETTER BY LETTER.

Now we're down to basics! If it is read as though all the words were spelled out (NAACP, TVA), the acronym is treated as a series of letters, and the choice depends on the pronunciation of the FIRST LETTER (an HMO facility; an M.B.A. degree; an R.S.V.P.; an LA-based company, a TVA product).

If it's generally pronounced as though it were a word (NATO, HUD), the article is determined by the pronunciation of the WORD (a RICO hearing; a MADD chapter; a SWAT team; a FICA increase).

Judy Vorfeld: Webmaster, Writer, Editor, and Photographer
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