Types of abbreviations

There are four different types of abbreviations in English:

• Initialism.
• Acronym.
• Shortening.
• Contraction.

1. What are the four types of abbreviation?
2. What are the three types of abbreviations?

What are the four types of abbreviation?

Types. Acronyms, initialisms, contractions and crasis share some semantic and phonetic functions, and all four are connected by the term "abbreviation" in loose parlance. A contraction is a reduction in the length of a word or phrase made by omitting certain of its letters or syllables.

What are the three types of abbreviations?

Usage guide. The abbreviations you use can be acronyms, initialisms, contractions, or just shortened forms of words. An acronym is pronounced as a single word (e.g., NATO, GIF), while in an initialism, each letter is individually pronounced (e.g., USA, PDF). Contractions such as Dr.