A
three-letter acronym,
three-letter abbreviation, or
TLA is an
acronym, alphabetism or initialismAcronyms and initialisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
or an
abbreviationAn abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
, consisting of three letters. These are usually the initial letters of the words of the phrase abbreviated, and are written in capital letters (upper case): three-letter abbreviations such as "etc." or "Mrs." would not be described as three-letter acronyms.
Most three-letter abbreviations are
initialisms i.e., all the letters are pronounced as letters, as in
LSDLysergic acid diethylamide, LSD-25, LSD, formerly lysergide, commonly known as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family...
.
A
three-letter acronym,
three-letter abbreviation, or
TLA is an
acronym, alphabetism or initialismAcronyms and initialisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
or an
abbreviationAn abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
, consisting of three letters. These are usually the initial letters of the words of the phrase abbreviated, and are written in capital letters (upper case): three-letter abbreviations such as "etc." or "Mrs." would not be described as three-letter acronyms.
Most three-letter abbreviations are
initialisms i.e., all the letters are pronounced as letters, as in
LSDLysergic acid diethylamide, LSD-25, LSD, formerly lysergide, commonly known as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family...
. Very few fit the narrow strict definition of
acronym which requires it to be pronounced as a single word, as in
DOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is a shorthand term for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions Windows 95, 98, and ME.Related systems...
, which is unusual in three-letter abbreviations.
When TLA is defined as
three-letter abbreviation, then TLA has the self-referential feature that TLA is its own TLA. Note that when TLA is defined as
three-letter acronym, this feature does not apply.
Examples
- Countries: USA and UAE
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
.
- Politicians: JFK
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and LBJ.
- Computer Terms: RAM
-Ram, ram, or RAM as a non-acronymic word:As a non-acronymic word Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:-Animals:*Bighorn Sheep, A North American mountain sheep species*Sheep, an uncastrated male of which is called a ram...
, CPU and DOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is a shorthand term for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions Windows 95, 98, and ME.Related systems...
.
- Corporations: IBM
International Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM, is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, Town of North Castle, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating...
and NEC, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
.
- Three Letter Agencies: CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government.It is an independent agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to senior United States policymakers....
, FBIThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency. The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, NSAThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States government, administered as part of the United States Department of Defense. Created on November 4, 1952 by President Harry S...
, SASThe Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries. The SAS forms a significant section of United Kingdom Special Forces alongside the Special Boat Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , and the...
.
- Television network
A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early...
s: ABCThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
(Australia, U.S.A.The American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
) and BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
(U.K.).
- Personal advertisement
A personal or personal ad is an item or notice traditionally in the newspaper, similar to a classified ad but in nature. In British English it is also commonly known as an advert in a lonely hearts column. With its rise in popularity, the World Wide Web has also become a common medium for...
s: SBM for Single Black Male.
- Chemistry, biology, pharmaceuticals: MSG
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a sodium salt of the naturally occurring non-essential amino acid glutamic acid. It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavour enhancer. It has the HS code 29224220 and the E number E621. Trade names of...
, GMOA GMO is a genetically modified organism.GMO may also refer to:* Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, a U.S. railroad carrier corporation*General Medical Officer, a designation for United States Army soldiers* U.S...
and LSDLysergic acid diethylamide, LSD-25, LSD, formerly lysergide, commonly known as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family...
.
- Clinical medicine: CHF and CAD
- Communications shorthand: LOL
LOL is an acronym or abbreviation of "laughing out loud", "lots of luck", "laugh out loud" or "lots of love"LOL or Lol may also refer to:* LOL , a 2006 independent film by Joe Swanberg...
and OMGOMG may refer to:*Oh My God, Oh My goodness, or Oh My Gosh, a common abbreviation used in SMS and Instant Messaging*omg!, a celebrity news and gossip website run by Yahoo!...
.
- Military and weaponry: BFR and RPG
A rocket-propelled grenade is any hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead....
- Wars and political conflicts: WWI
World War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
and HYW.
- ISO currency codes: USD
The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
, EURThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
and JPYThe is the currency of Japan. It is the third most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market after United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
- IATA airport codes: SFO
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, adjacent to the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
and LAXLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually...
.
- Academic testing: SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a non-profit organization in the United States, and was once developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service...
, ACT and GREGraduate Record Examination or GRE is a commercially run standardized test that is an admission requirement for many graduate schools principally in the United States, but also in other English speaking countries...
.
- Tombstones: RIP
The Latin phrase "Requiescat in pace" or "Requiescant in pace" is a short prayer that typically appears on headstones, often abbreviated "RIP" or "R.I.P."...
- Canine Registries: ACA
The American Canine Association also known as ACA is one of the largest registries of purebred dogs in the United States. Established in 1984, ACA is also considered America's largest veterinary health tracking canine registry. ACA has sanctioned dog shows in USA, Canada, Dominican Republic and...
and AKCThe American Kennel Club is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. Beyond maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official...
- Sports leagues: NFL
The National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
, NBAThe National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league, composed of thirty teams in North America . It is an active member of USA Basketball , which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body for basketball in the United States...
, MLBMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
, NHLThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league as a joint venture for its self perpetuating membership of 30 franchised member clubs located in the United States and Canada...
, MLSMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by United States Soccer Federation . The league comprises 15 teams, 14 in the U.S. and one in Canada...
(all North America); AFLThe Australian Football League is the major professional Australian national competition in the sport of Australian football and is arguably Australia's biggest sporting competition in terms of membership, corporate sponsorship and attendances .The league comprises 16 teams which play 22 home and...
and NRLThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL competition is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(Australia); NPB (Japan); ACB (Spain)
Wikipedia also has an exhaustive list of TLAs.
History and origins
The exact term
three-letter acronyms appeared in the literature in 1975. Three-letter acronyms were used as mnemonics in biological sciences, and their practical advantage was promoted by Weber in 1982. They are used in many other fields, but the term TLA is particularly associated with computing. The specific generation of three-letter acronyms in computing was mentioned in a JPL report of 1982.
In 1988, in a paper titled "On the cruelty of really teaching computer science" In 1988, eminent computer scientist Edsger W. Dijkstra wrote
"Because no endeavour is respectable these days without a TLA ..." By 1992 it was in a
MicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is a multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices...
handbook.
Use of "TLA" spread through both industry and academia, and it has now become a generally understood initialism. For a complete discussion of the various forms of abbreviations, acronyms and other letter substitutions, see
Acronym and initialismAcronyms and initialisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
.
Statistics
The number of possible three-letter abbreviations using the 26 letters of the alphabet from A to Z ( AAA, AAB ... to ZZY, ZZZ) is 26 × 26 × 26 = 17,576. Another 26 × 26 × 10 = 6760 can be produced if the third element is allowed to be a digit 0-9, giving a total of 24,336.
In
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
,
WWWThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents that runs over the Internet.WWW also refers to:* World without war, a Humanist Movement's Assosiate* WorldWideWeb, the world's first web browser...
is the longest possible TLA to pronounce, requiring nine
syllableA syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
s. Although in
written English it is an abbreviation, in
spoken English it may use more syllables than that which it is abbreviating.
See also Pronunciation of "www".
See also
Lists of TLAs
External links