Your quick reference guide to acronyms and initialisms: Workplace abbreviations
Modern workplace communication is packed with acronyms and initialisms, and while they're great for efficiency, they can be confusing if you don't know the code. This cheat sheet is your quick reference guide to the most common business abbreviations. Keep it handy for those moments when you need a fast translation.
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What are Acronyms, Initialisms and Abbreviations?
Acronyms = Pronounced as new words
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
- SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)
- UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
Initialisms = Each letter is said separately
- CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
- LOL (Laugh Out Loud)
Acronyms and initialisms are both forms of abbreviations (shortened forms of words or phrases).
Pro tip: In everyday conversation, people often say "acronym" for both — but now you know the technical difference!
Essential Business Initialisms A-Z
Speak each letter separately.
- API - Application Programming Interface
- ASAP - As Soon As Possible
- B2B - Business to Business
- B2C - Business to Consumer
- BCC - Blind Carbon Copy
- CCO - Chief Compliance Officer (or Chief Customer Officer)
- CEO - Chief Executive Officer
- CFO - Chief Financial Officer
- CHRO - Chief Human Resources Officer
- CMO - Chief Marketing Officer
- COO - Chief Operating Officer
- CPO - Chief Product Officer
- CRM - Customer Relationship Management
- CSO - Chief Security Officer (or Chief Strategy Officer)
- CTA - Call to Action
- CTO - Chief Technology Officer
- EOD - End Of Day
- ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning
- ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
- FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
- HR - Human Resources
- IT - Information Technology
- KPI - Key Performance Indicator
- M&A - Mergers and Acquisitions
- MVP - Minimum Viable Product
- NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement
- OOO - Out Of Office
- P&L - Profit and Loss
- PO - Purchase Order
- PR - Public Relations
- Q&A - Questions and Answers
- QA - Quality Assurance
- R&D - Research and Development
- RFP - Request for Proposal
- ROI - Return On Investment
- SaaS - Software as a Service
- SEO - Search Engine Optimization
- SLA - Service Level Agreement
- SME - Subject Matter Expert
- SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
- TBA - To Be Announced
- TBD - To Be Determined
- UI - User Interface
- UX - User Experience
- VPN - Virtual Private Network
- WFH - Work From Home
- WIP - Work in Progress
- YoY - Year over Year
Note: All of the abbreviations listed above are initialisms, though ASAP and SaaS can also be used as acronyms (say “AY-sap” and “sass”).
Social and Casual Initialisms A-Z
You can use these in correspondence with colleagues in a less formal tone.
Speak each letter separately.
- AFK - Away From Keyboard
- BRB - Be Right Back
- DM - Direct Message
- FWIW - For What It's Worth
- FYI - For Your Information
- ICYMI - In Case You Missed It
- IMHO - In My Humble Opinion
- IMO - In My Opinion
- LMAO - Laughing My Ass Off
- LOL - Laugh Out Loud
- OMG - Oh My God/Gosh/Goodness
- SMH - Shaking My Head
- TMI - Too Much Information
- TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read
- TTYL - Talk To You Later
- YOLO - You Only Live Once
Quick Tips
✅ Know your audience — not everyone knows every abbreviation
✅ When in doubt, write it out
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Authors: Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA, Director, The English Center and Alexandra Roberts, BA, English trainer.
