RAM, ROM are acronyms as also NASA, ISRO, UNICEF, radar, sonar, laser, maser, etc. We know what these acronyms stand for.
But CPU, LED, USA, UNO are abbreviations.
So what is the difference between an acronym and an abbreviation?
An acronym is a type of abbreviation that is pronounced as a word. But an abbreviation is pronounced as a series of letters, like U, S, A or L, E, D.
The word abbreviation first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1940s. This word was probably influenced by the German word ‘akronym’ which appeared in the 1920s.
So now we know the difference. Let me leave you with one more example that we learnt early on in college:
BB ROY G B V G W
Is this an acronym or an abbreviation? What does it stand for?
Can you think of another one (acronym or abbreviation) that you learnt in school? There were at least two that you should remember, always.
BTW, it is tempting to assume that learning German should be easy.
More. Another day.
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