Common Abbreviations in Business English

7/27/2019 Common Abbreviations in Business English

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Common abbreviations in Business English: e.g., i.e., fyi, CIO, KM OK?

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IMHO abbreviations are very useful

There are thousands of abbreviations in common use, and with theincreased use of computer technology, social media (such as chatting) andthe proliferation of organisations, legislation and professional jargon, thenumber of acronyms and shortened forms of words and expressions thatyou need to know can seem mind-boggling (totally confusing).

Heres a selection of some of the more useful ones, which I have organisedaccording to topic. Hope you find them useful.

Writing and email

Perhaps the most common and yet (certainly for Italian people learningEnglish) the most confusing abbreviations are e.g. and i.e..

E.g. means for example. (Why? Well, thats because its really the initialsof the Latin expression exemplii gratia for the sake of example.)

I.e. means that is (Italian cio). (Latin again: id est).

When you send someone an email you can cc another person or copythem in to the email. Cc means carbon copy, a reference to old-fashionedcarbon paper used to make copies of a letter while writing them on atypewriter. If you dont want someone to know that you are copying a thirdperson in, then use bcc or blind carbon copy.

Digital technology, including the internet, has led to the creation of a huge

number of abbreviations, especially as typed or texted forms of real-timecommunication, such as online chat, internet messaging (IM) and texting


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(SMS) have gained popularity. Some of the more familiar acronyms fromthese media include:

FYI = For Your Information. This is typically used when you want to send

someone an interesting link you have found, but one which doesnt requirea lengthy (long) introduction.

IMHO In my humble opinion (used when you express a personal opinionthat could be considered arrogant or controversial. It shows that you areaware of this implication.)

LOL Laugh(s) out loud This type of digital shorthand (steno) for reactionsand emotions has developed due to the often colourless or anonymousnature of online chat.

BTW By the way indicates a change of subject or the introduction of anincidental fact.

(btw you can find one of the best online collections of online acronyms andjargon some of them very funny on netlingo.com, the internet dictionary.One of my favourites is the term used by IT support staff to indicate thatthere they cannot find a technical fault: PEBCAK Problem Exists BetweenChair and Keyboard.)

Texting, also known as SMS (Short Message Service) requires the writer tocompress a lot of information into as small a space as possible. This has led

to a modern form of highly-condensed writing, sometimes surprisinglyimaginative.

B4 = before

L8r = later

CU = See you

(Which produces: CU l8r = See you later)

Business Acronyms

There are also thousands of TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) used in everyday

Business English. Heres a selection of some of the more useful ones:

People / job titles

CEO = Chief Executive Officer

CFO = Chief Financial Officer

CIO = Chief Information Officer

MD = Managing Director

PRO = Public Relations Officer

Other business acronyms


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VAT = Value Added Tax (IVA) (recently raised in the UK form 17.5% to 20%)

P&L = Profit & Loss account / statement (one of the financial statements acompany has to produce)

KPI = Key Performance Indicators measurements used to evaluate how

well a team or firm is performing

KM = Knowledge Management a strategic approach to insights undertakenby companies

RRP = Recommended Retail Price the price customers should paysuggested by the manufacturer

I hope you find these abbreviations useful. If anyone would like to know themeaning of other common business acronyms or if you have found anacronym that you want to share with otherpeople, visit the Milan BusinessEnglish Network on Facebook or add a comment here.

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Common Abbreviations in Business English