No wonder then that many people loathe them. However, the fact remains that they are constantly employed and learners of English will inevitably come across many of them in the course of their work.
If there are so many, how can you remember them? The truth is, it is almost impossible to remember all of them (perhaps only a word enthusiast would memorise every single one of them). Nonetheless, you should try to remember the ones which are the most important and most common in your area of expertise.
To help learners of business English, here’s a collection of the most important and most commonly used business acronyms and abbreviations.
General
Acronym | meaning |
ABC | always be closing |
approx. | approximately |
ASAP | as soon as possible |
ATTN | attention (used to indicate who a letter is for -- ATTN Rick Cutts, for example) |
B2B | business to business |
B2B | business to business |
B2C | business to consumer |
BID | Break it down |
c/o | care of |
cc | carbon copy (means that a duplicate copy has been sent to another person) |
cf. | compare |
Co. | Company (as in John Smith and Co.) |
COB | Close of business |
corp. | corporation |
dept. | department |
div. | division |
DOE | depending on experiment |
e.g. | example given |
ea. | each |
enc(s) | enclosure(s) / enclosed |
EOD | end of day/end of discussion |
EOD: | End of day |
EOM: | End of message |
EOT: | End of thread |
EOW | End of week |
EST | Eastern Standard Time |
ETA | estimated time of arrival |
ETA | estimated time of arrival |
ETA | Estimated time of arrival |
FAQ | frequently asked question |
FTE | Full-time employee |
fwd. | forward |
FWIW | For what it’s worth |
FYI | for your information |
govt. | government |
HQ | headquarters |
i.e. | in other words |
IAM | In a meeting |
IMO | In my opinion |
Inc. | Incorporated (an organization that is its own legal entity) |
ISO | International Organization for Standardization (an international organization that develops standards for things such as quality management, food safety management, and environmental management) |
Jr. | Junior |
KISS | Keep it simple stupid |
lb. | pound (weight) |
LET | Leaving early today |
LMK | Let me know |
max. | maximum |
memo. | memorandum (a short note written as a reminder) |
min. | minimum |
mo. | month |
MoM | Month over month |
MTD | Month to date |
N/A | not applicable (means that information is not given because it is unnecessary or irrelevant) |
NIM | No internal message |
no. | number |
NRN | no reply necessary |
NRN | No reply necessary |
NSFW | Not safe for work |
NWR | Not work related |
OOO | Out of office |
OT | Off topic |
OTC | over the counter |
OTP | On the phone |
p&p | postage and packing |
PA | Performance appraisal |
PC | Post code |
pkg. | package |
POC | Point of contact |
PS | post script (a short message at the end of a letter) |
PTE | Part-time employee |
pto | please turn over |
PTO | Paid time off / please turn over (page) |
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 | first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter |
qty. | quantity |
re | in regard to, regarding |
Re | Referring to |
recd. | received |
RFD | Request for discussion |
RFP | request for proposal |
RSVP | Répondez s'il vous plaît, French for "please reply" |
SAE | stamped addresses envelope |
SMART | Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound |
SME | Subject matter expert / small and medium size enterprise |
SWOT | strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (a SWOT analysis evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a company, business venture, or project) |
TBD | to be determined |
TED | Tell me, explain to me, describe to me |
temp | temporary secretary |
TL; DR | Too long, didn’t read |
TLTR | Too long to read |
TOS | Terms of service |
TYT | Take your time |
w/ | with |
w/o | without |
WFH | Work from home |
WIIFM | What’s in it for me |
WOM | Word of mouth |
yr. | year |
yrly. | yearly |
YTD | Year to date |
ZIP (code) | zone of improved delivery (US) / post code |
Finance
Acronym | Meaning |
401k | a common type of retirement savings plan in the US |
ACCT or a/c | Account |
AP | Accounts payable |
APR | annual percentage rate (the interest rate for a whole year on a credit card, loan, mortgage, etc.) |
AR | Accounts receivable |
B/E | bill of exchange |
B/L or BoL | bill of lading |
BS | Balance sheet |
C/N | credit note |
cfr. | cost and freight |
cif | cost, insurance, freight |
cip | carriage and insurance paid to |
cod | cash on delivery |
COD | cash on delivery |
cpt | carriage paid to |
CPU | Cost per unit |
CR | Credit |
cwo | cash with order |
D/A | documents against acceptance |
D/P | documents against payment |
DDP | delivery duty paid |
DN | debit note |
DR | Debit |
EBITDA | earning before interests, taxes, depreciation and amortization |
EPS | Earnings per share |
ESOP | employee stock ownership plan |
EXW | ex works |
FIFO | First in, first out |
FOB | free on board |
for | free on rail |
GDP | Gross Domestic Product (the value of all goods and services produced within a country within a period of time) |
GNP | Gross National Product (the value of all goods and services produced by the nationals of a country) |
IPO | initial public offering |
IPO | Initial public offering |
KPI | key performance indicators |
L/C | letter of credit |
LIFO | Last in, first out |
LWOP | Leave without pay |
NAV | Net assets value |
NOI | net operating income |
P&L | Profit and loss |
P/E | Price to earnings |
P-card | Purchase card |
PO | purchase order |
ROA | Return on assets |
ROE | Return on equity |
ROI | Return on investment |
VAT | value added tax |
Marketing and Sales
Acronyms | meaning |
MILE | maximum impact, little effort |
ad | advertisement (American English) |
advert | advertisement (British English) |
NDA | non-disclosure agreement |
SLA | service level agreement– |
RRP | recommended retail price |
AIDA | Attention, interest, desire, action |
B2B | Business to business |
B2C | Business to consumer |
BR | Bounce rate |
CMS | Content management system |
CPC | Cost per click |
CTA | Call to action |
CTR | Click through rate |
CR | Conversion rate |
CRM | Customer relationship management |
DM | Direct message or direct mail |
ESP | Email service provider |
GA | Google Analytics |
KPI | Key performance indicator |
PPC | Pay per click |
PV | Page view |
RFP | Request for proposal |
ROS | Run of site |
RT | Retweet |
SaaS | Software as a service |
SEO | Search engine optimization |
SM | Social media |
SMB | Small to medium business |
SWOT | Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats |
UV | Unique visitor |
Technical
Acronym | Meaning |
API | Application program interface |
CPU | Central processing unit |
CSS | Cascading style sheet |
ERP | enterprise resource planning (business management software that a company can use to store and manage data from every stage of business) |
FTP | File transport protocol |
HTML | HyperText markup language |
HTTP | HyperText transfer protocol |
HTTPS | HyperText transfer protocol secure |
IM | Instant messaging |
IP | Internet protocol |
ISP | Internet service provider |
OS | Operating system |
QA | Quality assurance |
RAM | Random-access memory |
ROR | Ruby on Rails |
RSS: | Rich site summary or really simple syndication |
SEO | search engine optimization |
UI | User interface |
URL | Universal resource locator |
UX | User experience |
VPN | virtual private network |
VPN | Virtual private network |
WYSIWYG | What you see is what you get |
Job Titles and Departments
Acronym | Meaning |
BD | Business development |
CAO | Chief analytics officer |
CDO | Chief data officer |
CEO | Chief executive officer |
CFO | Chief financial officer |
CFP | Certified financial planner |
CIO | Chief information officer |
CMO | Chief marketing officer |
COO | Chief operating officer |
CPA | Certified public accountant |
CSO | Chief security officer |
CSR | customer service representative |
CSR | Corporate social responsibility |
CTO | Chief technology officer |
DOE | Depending on experience |
GC | General counsel |
HR | Human resources |
LLC | limited liability company (a type of business in which the owners are normally not responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business) |
PM | Project manager |
PR | Public relations |
QC | quality control |
R&D | Research and development |
VP | vice president |
mfg | manufacturing |
Ltd | limited |
