English (American) Abbreviations You Need to Know!

Many of these abbreviations are, of course, common to both American and British English but I’ve focused on American English here. These are not abbreviations that are unique to social-media. They all existed and were used extensively before the advent of the internet. You will come across them often in written communication, and many of them are used verbally! Partial Script: Here are some everyday abbreviations: approx. - this stands for approximately (it’s mostly written) appt. - appointment (it’s always written) apt. - apartment (this is always written as well) . or asap: this means as soon as possible. This has become a very common English acronym. I’ve made a separate video that explains all about it. . - this stands for bring your own bottle or bring your own beer. This is used often in regards to parties or other gatherings where the guests are expected to bring their own drinks. c/o with a slash - this stands for ’care of.’ It means through someone or by way of someone. We use this when we are sending correspondence to someone where they don’t normally receive it and we are instead sending it to another person so they can deliver or send it to the correct person. dept. - this stands for department . - This stands for do it yourself. This refers to doing something yourself that one would normally hire a professional to do, such as DIY repairs. We speak this one out loud, . all the time. est. - this stands for established. . - this stands for estimated time of arrival. This one came from the military in regards to planes, ships, troops, etc. and is often spoken as . It’s a way of asking someone when they will arrive. Mr. - this stands for Mister. It’s a formal term of address for an adult male. Ms. and Mrs. - Miss or Mistress: We usually pronounce mistress as missus in America. These are formal terms of address for women. no. - no. stands for number (the hashtag symbol # is also used for number) tel. - this stands for telephone. This is only written. We use the word phone for short. vet - this stands for veteran or veterinarian. Since it forms a handy word, both are commonly spoken. vs. - stands for versus: We use this when we’re comparing and contrasting two different things. Locations and Directions. The following group is different labels for streets or roads. None of them are usually spoken except for one. Ave. - Avenue (avenue is often called just ave), Blvd. - Boulevard, Cyn. - Canyon, Dr. - Drive Ln. - Lane, Rd. - Road, And St. - Street And here are the abbreviations for directions: These are never spoken as it wouldn’t make any sense. E - east, N - north, NE - northeast, NW - northwest, S - south, SE - southeast, SW- southwest and W for west Abbreviations for Academic Titles - Most of these are often spoken out loud. BA - Bachelor of Arts (this is a basic 4-year university degree), BS - Bachelor of Science (a basic 4-year degree in science), MA - Master of Arts (this is a post-secondary, post-bachelor usually takes two to three additional years to complete.), MS - Master of Science, Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy (the highest university degree) Abbreviations for Job Titles: PA - Personal Assistant MD - Managing Director VP - Vice President SVP - Senior Vice President EVP - Executive Vice President CMO - Chief Marketing Officer CFO - Chief Financial Officer And CEO - Chief Executive Officer And here are some additional and common Latin abbreviations in English: AM and PM - we use AM to mean morning and PM to mean evening. AM actually stands for ante meridiem (before noon) and PM stands for post meridiem (after noon). BC stands for before Christ. It refers to the time before the coming of Christ. BCE - It stands for ’before common or current era.’ This is a religiously neutral replacement for BC. AD - This stands for Anno Domini. It means “The Year of Our Lord.“ We use it to refer to the time we live in, the era after BC or BCE. And CE is a religiously neutral replacement for AD. It stands for common or current era. e-g: This stands for exempli gratia. It is often used in writing before giving an example. etc. - This stands for et cetera. It means “and other things.“ i.e. stands for id est, meaning, “that is.“ You’ll want to watch the video comparing e.g. and i.e. to understand how to use this properly. n.b. This stands for nota bene, which means ’take notice,’ or “note well.“ It’s sometimes written at the end of a message that you really want someone to take seriously. P.S. - This stands for postscript which means ’written after.“ It is often included at the end of a letter or email before adding an additional comment.