Abbreviations and acronyms

Abbreviations are shortened or contracted words or phrases. For example, writing St. instead of Street, Dr. instead of Doctor, Rx instead of prescription, etc.

Acronyms are a type of abbreviation. They shorten phrases in a specific way, using parts of the initial word or phrase to form an abbreviation. For example, DIY or B2B.

If there’s a chance your reader won’t recognize an abbreviation or acronym, spell it out the first time it you use it, followed by the shortened version in parentheses. Then use the short version for all subsequent references. For example:

• First use: Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

• Second use: CLV

If the abbreviation or acronym is well-known, like HTML or SEO, go ahead and use it on the first instance. If you think it's well-known, ask a colleague from another team and see if they know what you're talking about.

Do not use periods in all-uppercase abbreviations like SWAT and BC, but do use them for mixed-case abbreviations, like St. and Dr.

If a sentence ends in an abbreviation (like the one above), the period does double-duty, punctuating both the abbreviation and the end of the sentence.