Business abbreviations in English. Abbreviations in business and more Abbreviation of the word thousand

A contraction is a combination of two or more words into one whole, while letters, such as vowels, are removed from the words. In writing, an apostrophe is written instead of missing letters. Abbreviations in English, as a rule, are used in informal settings (in conversation, in writing). Their goal is to simplify spoken language. They save time in modern society.

English abbreviations- These are abbreviated forms of parts of speech. It is very difficult to imagine a modern foreign language without them. Young people came up with these abbreviations for quick communication and data transfer. Absolutely everyone uses them now. If we compare the Internet correspondence of an English teenager and our schoolboy, then teenagers abroad use abbreviations hundreds of times more. There was even such a case that one girl was so carried away by abbreviations that she wrote an entire essay in the form of special abbreviations and symbols, which could not be immediately read without auxiliary decodings. Therefore, it is necessary to become more familiar with this interesting language.

List of English abbreviations

b - be - to be

n - and - and, a

r - are (form of the verb to be)

c - see - to see

u - you - you, you, you

IC - I see - I see

CU - see you - I see you

BF - boyfriend - friend

GF - girlfriend - girlfriend

BZ - busy - busy

CYT - see you tomorrow - see you tomorrow

etc - et cetera - and so on

RUOK - are you ok? - are you all right?

HRU - how are you? - How are you?

MU - miss you - I miss you

NP - no problem - no problem

ASAP - as soon as possible - as soon as possible

TNX, THX, TX - thank you - thank you

YW - you are welcome - please contact

PLS, PLZ - please - please

BTW - by the way - by the way

BFF - best friend forever - best friend forever

HAND - have a nice day - have a nice day

IDK - I don't now - I don't know

MSG - message

CLD - could - be able, be able to

GD - good - good

VGD - very good - very good

RLY - really - really

TTYL - talk to you later - let's talk later

LOL - laughing out loud - laughing out loud

IMHO - in my humble opinion - in my humble opinion

ROFL - rolling on the floor laughing - rolling on the floor laughing

BRB - be right back - I'll be back soon

GTG - got to go - I'm leaving (I have to go)

XOXO - hugs and kisses - hugs and kisses

2u - to you - you

2u2 - to you too - you too

2day - today - today

2moro - tomorrow - tomorrow

2night - tonight - in the evening

b4 - before - before

4ever - forever - forever

gr8 - greate - great

f8 - fate - fate

l8 - late - late

l8r - later - later

10q - thank you - thank you

Where are English abbreviations used?

They are mainly used when writing messages on social networks, on forums, in chat rooms, and special language exchange resources. At first, only programmers communicated in this way, now the whole world. This is a whole system of letters and signs that must be learned for simple communication. They are somewhat reminiscent of hieroglyphs, when one sign means a whole sentence. Auxiliary and modal verbs and the negative particle not are subject to contraction.

Types of abbreviations

There are 4 types of abbreviations in English:

  • graphic (found in written sources - books, letters, dictionaries);
    The oldest group of such abbreviations are words of Latin origin. Such words are written abbreviated, but in oral speech they are read in full.
  • lexical - abbreviations. In turn, they are divided into the following subgroups:
    a) initials - capital letters of countries, companies;
    b) syllabic - abbreviations based on the initial syllables of complex words;
    c) partially abbreviated - abbreviations that include 2 words: one is abbreviated, the second is used in full.
  • mergers;
  • digital.

Countersense or abbreviation of words exists in every living language. This often causes a problem for those who have just started learning, for example, English. Often it is in songs that one can trace the counter-sense, when one tries to grasp the meaning, but due to the abbreviation of the words, nothing is clear. Therefore, you need to learn to understand the abbreviations that native speakers of this language know and use in everyday speech.

Abbreviations are an integral part of the English vocabulary. Various abbreviations are ubiquitous in English speech in a wide variety of areas, be it business vocabulary or Internet correspondence. Many English abbreviations are so common that over time they have moved into other languages. For example, the English abbreviation PR, which means Public Relations, is so firmly rooted in the Russian language that it is no longer used as an abbreviation, but according to the rules of the Russian language, it is declined like an ordinary noun, and can even participate in the formation of new words.


When communicating with foreign business partners, you can often come across an abbreviation whose meaning is unknown to us. The difficulty lies in the fact that, unlike a regular term, the meaning of which can be guess from the context, the abbreviations must first be deciphered.
So, let's look at some of the most commonly used abbreviations in English business vocabulary.

AP(Accounts Payable) - accounts payable - bills that the company must pay in favor of a supplier or other creditor

CEO(Chief Executive Officer) - chief executive officer - the highest official of the company

CFO(Chief Financial Officer) - chief financial officer - the person responsible for managing the company’s finances, financial planning and control
financial risks

CAO(Chief Accounting Officer) - chief accountant - one of the top managers of the company, responsible for all aspects of accounting work

COO(Chief Operating Officer) - chief operating officer - responsible for day-to-day operations, in Russian often referred to as “vice president”

FIFO(First In First Out) - first to come, first to go - a method of inventory management in which previously purchased goods are used up first

HR(Human Resources) - human resources - a department (or its individual employees) involved in managing, hiring and training company personnel

HQ(headquarters) - main office, headquarters - the main administrative center of the organization; it is often staffed by members of the company's senior management

K- abbreviation for thousand, for example: $550K = $550,000

LLC(Limited Liability Company) - an analogue of the Russian LLC (limited liability company), an organizational and legal form in which the company's participants do not bear personal liability for the company's losses

MBA(Master of Business Administration) - Master of Business Administration - Master's degree in management

MOQ(Minimum Order Quantity) - minimum order quantity - the minimum volume of a certain product/service that can be ordered from the company

NAV(Net Asset Value) - net asset value - the total value of the company's assets minus debt obligations

NYSE(New York Stock Exchange) - The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in the world, which is located in New York on Wall Street

PR(Public Relations) - public relations - a department (or its individual employees) that is engaged in disseminating information about the company and its activities, forming public opinion

P& L(Profit and Loss) - profit and loss - a financial statement summarizing all income, expenses and losses of a company during a certain period of time

R& D(Research and Development) - research department - a department engaged in research for the further development and creation of new products

ROI(Return on Investment) - return on investment / return on investment - a financial indicator indicating the level of profit / loss for a company taking into account a particular investment

USP(Unique Selling Proposition) - a unique selling proposition - focuses on the unique qualities of a particular product, as a result of which buyers want to purchase it

VAT(Value Added Tax) - value added tax / VAT - tax on certain types of goods or services (used in Europe)

WO(work order) - an order to perform work - an order received by a company from a client to create a specific product or provide a service

YTD(Year-to-Date) - the period from the beginning of the year to the current date - often used when calculating profit and loss or productivity

In the modern age, saturated with information, there is less and less time for communication and correspondence. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, the more information a person has, the more ways he looks for to reduce it and transmit it in a more condensed form. One of the best ways to shorten words and expressions is to use abbreviations.

Today they are found everywhere in general English, in business correspondence, in SMS messages and chats, and in international terms. Many of them are used quite often, so not only students of English, but also an ordinary modern person should master a couple of the most common ones.

Abbreviation(Italian abbreviatura from Latin brevis - short) is a word formed by an abbreviation of a word or phrase and read by the alphabetical name of the initial letters or by the initial sounds of the words included in it.

Abbreviations are found in every language in the world and play a huge role. Sometimes ignorance or incorrect use of a particular abbreviation in English can lead to a rather awkward situation or misunderstanding of what the interlocutor wants to express with a particular phrase.

Let's look at an example of the incorrect use of a fairly well-known abbreviation LOL(laughing out loud - laugh loudly, out loud).

Messages
Mom: Your beloved aunt just passed away. LOL
I: Why is that funny?
Mom: It’s not funny, David!
I: Mom, LOL means “laughing out loud”.
Mom: Oh my goodness! I thought it means “lots of love”...I sent it to everyone! I need to call everyone…
Messages
Mom: Your favorite aunt just passed away. LOL
Me: What's so funny about that?
Mom: This is not funny, David!
Me: Mom, LOL means "laugh out loud".
Mom: Oh God! I thought it meant lots of love...
I sent this to everyone! We need to call everyone back...

Most popular abbreviations

This list of abbreviations can be found everywhere and you are probably familiar with most of them visually, but let’s pay attention to their correct translation and use.

  • V.I.P. (very important person)- very important person;
  • P.S.(from Latin “post scriptum”) - after what is written;
  • A.D.(from Latin “Anno Domini”) - our era;
  • B.C. / B.C.E. -before Christ- before Christ / before Common Era- BC;
  • ASAP (as soon as possible)- As soon as possible;
  • UNO (United Nations Organization)- UN;
  • UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)- UNESCO;
  • a.m.(ante meridiem, in the morning)- in the morning;
  • p.m.(postmeridiem, in the afternoon)- In the evening;
  • i.e. ( id est , that is)- it means;
  • e.g. ( exemplary gratia , for example)- For example;
  • u (you)- You;
  • etc.(from Latin et cetera) - and so on;
  • 2G2BT (too good to be true)- too good to be true;
  • 2moro (tomorrow)- Tomorrow;
  • 2day (today)- Today;
  • BD or BDAY (birthday)- birthday;
  • 2nite (tonight)- In the evening;
  • 4ever (forever)- forever;
  • AFAIK (as far as I know)- as far as I know;
  • BTW (by the way)- by the way;
  • RLY (really)- really, really;
  • BRB (be right back)- I'll be back soon;
  • TTYL (talk to you later)- we’ll talk later, “before we get in touch”;
  • IMHO (in my honest opinion)- in my opinion, in my opinion;
  • AKA (also known as)- also known as;
  • TIA (thanks in advance)- thanks in advance.

Let's look at the use of the abbreviations given above in examples:

  • According to my work schedule I need to come to work at 8 a.m.-According to my work schedule, I need to come to work at 8 am.
  • AFAIK this concert will be held 2day.-As far as I know, the concert will be held today.
  • All these events happened in 455 B.C.- All these events took place in 455 BC.
  • I invite u to my BD 2nite.- I invite you to my birthday tonight.
  • BTW she was RLY good at Math at school. - By the way (by the way) she was really good at mathematics when she was in school.
  • I"m sorry. I"m in hurry. TTYL.-I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry. Let's talk later.

General purpose English abbreviations are described quite interestingly in this video:

Business letters and abbreviations

Writing business letters and composing business correspondence today requires high-quality study and a careful approach. When faced for the first time with the design and decoding of abbreviations in business English, a beginner sometimes experiences confusion and bewilderment as to what it all means. The difficulty lies in using this or that abbreviation correctly, as well as in the specifics of business vocabulary. However, as in any area of ​​language learning, knowledge and a little practice will help you overcome any difficulties.

A number of abbreviations are used only in writing, but in oral speech the full forms of the word are pronounced:

  • Mr. (mister)- Mister;
  • Mrs. (mistress)- Mrs.
  • Dr. (Doctor)- doctor;
  • St. (Saint/Street)- saint or street;
  • Blvd. (boulevard)- boulevard;
  • Ave. (avenue)- avenue;
  • Sq. (square)- square;
  • Rd. (road)- road;
  • Bldg. (building)- building;
  • B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science)- Bachelor of Science;
  • M.A. (Master of Arts)- Master of Arts;
  • Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)- PhD;
  • M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)- Doctor of Medical Sciences.

The most popular business abbreviations of English words are given below:

  • Co (company)- company;
  • PA (personal assistant)- personal assistant;
  • Appx. (appendix)- application;
  • Re. (reply)- answer;
  • p. (page)- page;
  • smth. (something)- something;
  • smb. (somebody)- somebody;
  • vs ( lat. versus)- against;
  • etc. ( lat. et cetera)- And so on.

Popular three-letter acronyms ( TLA or Three-Letter Acronyms) in the business sphere:

  • CAO (Chief Administrative Officer)- Administration Manager;
  • CEO (Chief Executive Officer)- chief executive officer (CEO);
  • exp. (export)- export - removal of goods beyond the borders of the country;
  • HR (human resources)- HR service of the enterprise;
  • HQ (Headquarters)- main department of the company;
  • LLC (limited liability company)- limited liability company (LLC);
  • R&D (research and development)- Research and development;
  • IT (information technology)- information Technology.

Examples of business correspondence using abbreviations :

  • Dear Mr. Braun, our Co will be glad to offer you the position of CAO.- Dear Mr. Brown, our company will be glad to offer you the position of chief accountant of the company.
  • Dear Ms. Stone, my PA will definitely contact you about changes in exp. process - Dear Miss Stone, my personal secretary will contact you regarding changes in the export process.

Chats and SMS

As stated above, in English there are Three Letter Acronyms ( TLA or Three-Letter Acronyms), which help shorten and condense fairly large phrases into 3 letters. Today, this is a fairly popular way to save time when corresponding on social networks.

  • BFN (bye for now)- see you later, bye
  • BTW (by the way)- By the way
  • FYI (for your information)- for your information
  • JIT (just in time)- during
  • IOW (in other words)- in other words, in other words
  • NRN (no reply is necessary)- no answer required
  • OTOH (on the other hand)- on the other side

As for SMS abbreviations, there are a huge number of them.
The specificity of such abbreviations is that it can be almost impossible to decipher without a detailed analysis.

  • GL (good luck)- Good luck!
  • GB (good bye)- Bye
  • DNO (don't know)- Don't know
  • ASAYGT (as soon as you get this)- as soon as you receive it
  • B4 (before)- before
  • BC (because)- because
  • BON (believe it or not)- believe it or not
  • BW (best wishes)- best wishes
  • BZ (busy)- busy
  • CYT (see you tomorrow)- see you tomorrow
  • Wish you G.L. on your exam. Mom. - I wish you good luck in the exam. Mother.
  • Sorry. BZ. C.Y.T.- I am sorry. Busy. See you tomorrow.
  • I will be JIT. G.B.- I'll be on time. Bye.

For a detailed overview of English abbreviations for words in SMS, we recommend visiting, which contains 2000+ abbreviations.

As we can see, the topic is quite extensive, but don’t be scared! After encountering acronyms and abbreviations in English several times, you simply cannot help but fall in love with them for their originality and help in saving you time. And once you love something, you will definitely and easily remember it!

We suggest you choose a couple of abbreviations for yourself right now and surprise your loved ones with improved communication! BFN and watch your step while texting!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Every English user working in business has had to deal with the translation of documents, business vocabulary, and business abbreviations. Such abbreviations are found all the time in the business sector. They exist for convenience and brevity of business language. Using abbreviations and abbreviations in business English

Abbreviations help make business dialogue short, concise and specific, they also help save time, which is very important for a business person. We bring to your attention the main English abbreviations of business vocabulary, their decoding, translation and example sentences with these abbreviations.

How to easily use abbreviations in conversation?

Pay attention to the following abbreviations and their place in sentences in English:

  • @ (= at sign)- "dog" sign
    This sign is commonly used in Internet signage, and most often in post office box addresses. For example: [email protected]
  • a/c (= account)- account, account
    Give me your a/c, please. — Give me your account, please
  • AGM (= annual general meeting)— annual general meeting
    Don’t forget that on Monday we have the AGM of our company. — Don't forget that we have our annual general meeting on Monday.
  • a.m. (= ante meridiem)- before noon
    Our session begins at 9 a.m. — Our session starts at nine in the morning (until noon)
  • ATM (= automated teller machine)- ATM
    Did you get your salary? -I should try in the ATM. -Have you received your salary? -I should try at the ATM
  • attn (= attention, for the attention of)- for someone's attention
    This abbreviation is usually used in letters: This is attn of your brother. - This is for your brother's attention.
  • approx. (= approximately)- approximately
    We have approx. two hours to finish the work. — We have approximately 2 hours to finish the work
  • CEO (= chief executive officer)- chief executive officer
    May I see the CEO of your company? — Can I see the chief executive officer?
  • Co (=company)- company
    This is produced by Andrews and Co. — It is produced by Andrews and company
  • dept (=department)- department, department
    Please, pass to the next dept. — Please go to the next department
  • e.g. (=exempli gratia)- For example
    Complete this scheme, e.g. like in this document. — Fill out this diagram, for example, as in this document
  • EGM (= extraordinary general meeting) - extraordinary general meeting
    What is the cause of the EGM? -I think that the chief will announce it. - What is the reason for the emergency general meeting? - I think the boss will announce it
  • ETA (= estimated time of arrival)- estimated time of arrival
    The ETA of the production is five-seven days. — Estimated time of arrival of products 5−7 days
  • etc (= et cetera)- And so on and so forth
    Complete the questionnaire: write your name, the date of your birth, your profession, etc. — Fill out the form: write your name, date of birth, profession, etc.
  • GDP (= gross domestic product)— gross domestic product (= GDP)
    The chief is pleased of the GDP. — The boss is happy with the GDP
  • GNP (=gross national product)— gross national product (= GNP)
    The GNP of the country is enough. — The country’s GNP is quite sufficient
  • GMT (=Greenwich Mean Time)— Greenwich mean time
    What is the GMT? — What is the average time in Greenwich?

Why are abbreviations needed in business vocabulary?

Abbreviations for Business English

The following types of abbreviations are often used in business correspondence:

  • i.e. (= id est)- that is
    We did everything right, i.e. we have success. - We did everything right, that is, we will be successful
  • Inc (=incorporated)- incorporated, registered as a corporation
    May be sure, our company is inc. — You can be sure that our company is incorporated
  • IPO (= initial public offer)— initial public offering of shares
    I shall see the IPO of the bank. — I'll look at the bank's initial public offering.
  • K- thousand
  • lb- pound (measure of weight)
  • £ - pound (currency)
  • Ltd (= limited)- limited liability company
    Our company is ltd. — Our company is a limited liability company
  • mo. (= month)- month
  • no. (= number)- number
    Give me the document no.3, please. - Give me document number 3, please.
  • Plc. (= public limited company)- public limited liability company
    What do you know about The United Co? It is the plc., you know. — What do you know about United Co.? It is a public limited company
  • p.m. (=post meridiem)- afternoon
    We'll meet at 5 p.m. — We will meet at five in the afternoon
  • PR (= public relations)- public relations
    What is your PR? — What are your relations with the public?
  • p. s. (= post scriptum)— afterword
    This abbreviation is used in letters: See you soon. P.S. Don’t forget the books. - See you. P.S. Don't forget the books
  • qty (= quantity)- quantity
    What qty of people does he need? - How many people do we need?
  • re- concerning, regarding (usually used in letters)
    Re our affair, you know what to do. - Regarding our business, you know what to do.

What are abbreviations for?

Knowledge, understanding and use of professional jargon and business slang in English is essential if you work in an international company, as well as in collaboration with foreign partners. For the same purposes, you need to know English abbreviations and abbreviations in communication. Using abbreviations will help you save time, which is very important in business.

Note the abbreviation ASAP (As Soon As Possible)As soon as possible. Four whole words! We remove all unnecessary things and get only four letters. Or another example: YTD (Year To Date)year to date. This abbreviation shows the performance of a business from the beginning of a financial or calendar year in relation to its status today.

In general, you can see that using abbreviations is very convenient in business. This approach to business vocabulary will help you in your business.