4 Words That Should NOT Be Abbreviated

NASA will install a new laser that travels at 671,000,000 mph; the ETA of their new toy is Jan. 5th, 2025.

As far as I know, nothing about that sentence is true (NASA, unfortunately, does not discuss their new gadgets and findings with me personally). But what IS true is that the sentence contains no fewer than five abbreviations, and that’s for one simple compound sentence that’s barely twenty words long. And what’s wild is that you probably understood it just fine!

Abbreviations are so much a part of our lives that we sometimes hardly notice they’re there. “Laser” was so common an abbreviation that it became its own word, with a dictionary definition that doesn’t even mention it’s an acronym until you scroll way down to “word history.”

But as often as we use abbreviations, there are a few instances when we should NOT abbreviate. Check out four of those instances here, and keep reading to find seven words that should ALWAYS be abbreviated!

US as a Noun

Traditionally, you should spell out “United States” when referring to the country as a noun.

My friend from Japan visited the US for the first time last summer.

My friend from Japan visited the United States for the first time last summer.

When referring to the country as an adjective, however, abbreviating to “US” is just fine.

Per 2023 data, the top US exports are oil, aircraft parts, and gasoline.

Spelling out “United States” when referring to the country as a noun is simply a matter of editorial tradition, but that might be changing in the near future. Some style manuals are already reversing their views on this topic.

The Exception

The Chicago Manual of Style has always demanded that the abbreviation “US” be reserved for the adjective form and “United States” be spelled out when used as a noun. However, the most recent edition states, “In a departure, Chicago now permits the use of US as a noun, subject to editorial discretion and provided the meaning is clear from context.”

Chicago is not the only style manual out there, though, and many other manuals still require “United States” to be spelled out. Check the style guide you follow to find out which rule it lists, or just spell out “United States” to be safe!

Acronyms Being Used for the First Time

Any time you use an acronym for the first time in your text, you should spell it out fully and put the acronym in parentheses. That way, your readers know what the acronym means and aren’t left without any clue what you’re talking about.

The DVC is Disney’s time-share program.

Someone without much knowledge of the Disney company would have no idea what “DVC” stands for.

The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is Disney’s time-share program.

It’s totally fine to introduce new acronyms to your text; just be sure you define them first! Some papers also include an acronym list to help their readers keep them all straight, but that’s usually only necessary if you’re writing a technical or scientific paper that uses a lot of them.

The Exception

Some acronyms have become so common that you can count on just about all readers knowing what they stand for. A few examples are NASA, laser, ATM, GPS, and IQ.

If you’re not sure whether an acronym is common knowledge or not, it’s safer to just spell it out the first time.

“For Example” and “That Is” Outside of Parentheses

“For example” and “that is” are the spelled-out versions of the common Latin abbreviations “e.g.” and “i.e.” Most publishers do not permit “e.g.” and “i.e.” to exist outside of parentheses or footnotes.

I wanted to see all the tourist sites, e.g., the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the Rockefeller Center.

You can either put parentheses around the “e.g.” or “i.e.” statement OR change the abbreviations to “for example” or “that is.”

I wanted to see all the tourist sites (e.g., the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the Rockefeller Center).

I wanted to see all the tourist sites, for example, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the Rockefeller Center.

e.g. = “for example”

i.e. = “that is”

etc. = and so on, and so forth, and the like

Names

Most of the time, personal names should not be abbreviated. This prevents confusion or mix-ups, and given names are usually not so long that they cannot be spelled out in a reasonable space.

Benj. Frankl. is famous for inventing the lightning rod and bifocals.

Benjamin Franklin is famous for inventing the lightning rod and bifocals.

The Exceptions

There are several exceptions to this rule:

• Initials standing for personal names may be used and should be followed by a period and a space.

Samuel L. Jackson is a famous American film producer and actor.

• An entire name may be abbreviated if understanding is not compromised; in this case, spaces and periods should be omitted.

In November 1932, FDR was elected president.

• If someone commonly uses a nickname, that may be used instead of their entire given name.

Did you know Greg’s full name is Gregory?

ALWAYS Abbreviate These 7 Words

Some words make a lot more sense when you DO abbreviate them. Take this example from The Copyeditor’s Handbook to see what I mean:

Researchers are examining samples of deoxyribonucleic acid in an effort to determine why some people who test positive for human immunodeficiency virus do not develop acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

It’s technically a correct sentence, but doesn’t this next sentence (with several abbreviations replacing some of those long words) read so much easier?

Researchers are examining samples of DNA in an effort to determine why some people who test positive for HIV do not develop AIDS.

Here’s a rapid-fire list of some words that should almost ALWAYS be abbreviated.

Social Titles

Always abbreviate titles like Mr., Mrs., and Ms. when they come before a name (whether it’s the person’s full name or just their last name).

Mr. and Mrs. Jones are late to the event.

Military, Political, and Other Titles

Like social titles, military and political titles are usually abbreviated when they come before someone’s name. These include titles like Gen., Col., Sen., and Rep.

The result could depend upon Sen. Lucy Bishop’s vote.

Name Suffixes

Speaking of names, suffixes like Jr. and Sr. are also always abbreviated.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Academic Degrees

Academic degrees such as B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. should also be abbreviated.

Jamie Brown, Ph.D., will be our guest speaker today.

Time Markers

When writing the time, abbreviate markers like A.M. and P.M. Additionally, year markers like B.C. and A.D. should also be abbreviated.

10 A.M.; 1700 A.D.

Business Suffixes

Suffixes that come after business names—like Inc., Co., and Ltd.—are also abbreviated.

Monsters, Inc.

Abbreviations That Have Become Common

Some words or phrases have been abbreviated so frequently that they don’t need to be spelled out at any point in your writing. These include abbreviations like ATM, DIY, DNA, GPS, JPEG, and NASA.

The Golden Rules: Consistency and Understanding

Getting in the weeds about what to abbreviate and what to spell out can get a little bit tricky and confusing, but the most important thing to remember is to maintain consistency and understanding.

Make sure your document is consistent: if you abbreviate a certain word once, do so throughout the paper (don’t switch back and forth between spelling it out and abbreviating it). The only time you might spell out a word after you’ve introduced its abbreviation is if you don’t mention it for a long time and think the audience might have forgotten what the abbreviation stands for. That judgment is up to you.

Know the conventions of your field and follow those. If you’re writing a scientific paper intended for an audience that is knowledgeable about that subject, you can probably abbreviate a lot more than if you were writing a paper for people who know very little about the topic. Know your audience and cater to their understanding.

Your readers’ understanding should always be your first priority. Think about which abbreviations they will already recognize and which might require an explanation. Readability is more important than any hard-and-fast rule!

Sources:

• The Chicago Manual of Style. 17th ed. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
• Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor’s Handbook. 3rd ed. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: Univ of California Pr, 2011.