Quote:
Originally Posted by old-git  Hi, Mr Pedant here 
Most of these are not actually acronyms (IMHO), they are initialisms.
Acronyms are initialisms that can be pronounced and usually create new words. For example:
RADAR = Radio Aid for Detection And Ranging
SCUBA = Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
Initialisms are the ones that can't be pronounced. For example:
IBM
TDi
There is a grey area, however, with initialisms that can, sort of, be pronounced. For example:
JPEG
VTEC
These are sometimes called acronym–initialism hybrids
Discuss |
Good point. Keeping the things pronuncible is probably better for marketing purposes. It also allows for a reduction in 'sadbastardness' syndrome.