Spreadsheet: 57706d1257929398-acronym-book1
Sheet: Sheet1

 | Acronyms | Comparing a few examples of each type
 |  | Pronounced as a word, containing only initial letters
 | laser | light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
 | NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization
 | scuba | self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
 | AIDS | acquired immune deficiency syndrome
 | ASBO | Anti-Social Behaviour Order
 |  | Pronounced as a word, containing non-initial letters
 | Amphetamine | alpha-methyl-phenethylamine
 | [NAME] | Geheime Staatspolizei | (secret state police)
 | Interpol | International Criminal Police Organization
 | radar | radio detection and ranging
 |  | Pronounced as a word or names of letters, depending on speaker or context
 | FAQ | frequently asked questions | ([fæk] or F A Q)
 | IRA | Irish Republican Army | When used for Irish Republican Army, pronounced as letters in English (I R A) but as a word in Spanish [ˈiɾa]
 | IRA | Individual Retirement Account | When used for Individual Retirement Account, can be pronounced as letters (I R A) or as a word [ˈaɪrə]
 | SAT | Scholastic Achievement Test | ([sæt] or S A T) (previously) Scholastic Achievement (or Aptitude) Test(s), now claimed not to stand for anything.[17]
 | SQL | Structured Query Language | ([siːkwəl] or S Q L) Structured Query Language.
 |  | Pronounced as a combination of names of letters and a word
 | CD-ROM | Compact Disc read-only memory | (C-D-[rɒm])
 | IUPAC | International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry | (I-U-[pæk])
 | JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group | (J-[pɛɡ])
 | SFMOMA | San Francisco Museum of Modern Art | (S-F-[moʊmə])
 |  | Pronounced only as the names of letters
 | BBC | British Broadcasting Corporation
 | DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid
 | USA | United States of America
 |  | Pronounced as the names of letters but with a shortcut
 | AAA | American Automobile Association | (triple A)
 |  | abdominal aortic aneurysm
 |  | anti-aircraft artillery
 |  | Amateur Athletic Association | (three As)
 | IEEE | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers | (I triple E)
 | NAACP | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People | (N double A C P)
 | NCAA | National Collegiate Athletic Association | (N C double A or N C two A or N C A A)
 |  | Shortcut incorporated into name
 | 3M | originally Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company | (three M)
 | E³ | Electronic Entertainment Exposition | (E three)
 | W3C | World Wide Web Consortium | (W three C)
 | [NAME] | Internationalization (18 letters between the I and N) | ("I eighteen N")
 |  | Multi-layered acronyms
 | NAC Breda | (Dutch football club) NOAD ADVENDO Combinatie ("NOAD ADVENDO Combination"), formed by the 1912 merger of two clubs, NOAD (Nooit Opgeven Altijd [NAME] give up, always persevere") and ADVENDO (Aangenaam Door Vermaak En Nuttig Door Ontspanning "Pleasant for its entertainment and useful for its relaxation") from Breda[18][19]
 | GAIM | GTK+ AOL Instant [NAME] | i.e. GIMP Tool Kit America OnLine Instant [NAME], i.e. GNU Image Manipulation Program Tool Kit America OnLine Instant [NAME], i.e. GNU's Not Unix Image Manipulation Program Tool Kit America OnLine Instant Messenger
 | PAC-3 | PATRIOT Advanced Capability 3 | i.e., Phased Array Tracking RADAR Intercept on Target i.e., RAdio Detection And Ranging
 | VHDL | VHSIC hardware description language | where VHSIC stands for very-high-speed integrated circuit.
 |  | Recursive acronyms, in which the abbreviation refers to itself in the expression for which it stands
 | GNU | GNU's not Unix!
 | JOE | [NAME]'s Own Editor
 | PHP | PHP hypertext pre-processor (formerly personal home page)
 |  | These may go through multiple layers before the self-reference is found
 | HURD | HIRD of Unix-replacing daemons, where "HIRD" stands for "HURD of interfaces representing depth"
 |  | Pseudo-acronyms consisting of a sequence of characters which, when pronounced as intended, resemble the sounds of other words
 | CQ | Seek you | a code used by radio operators.
 | ICQ | I seek you
 | IOU | I owe you
 | Q8 | Kuwait
 | FX | effects | sometimes used in photo and video editing software
 |  | Initialisms whose last word is a noun, but which are sometimes used as adjectives and the final noun stated separately (almost always redundantly; see RAS syndrome)
 | ATM machine | automated teller machine machine
 | UPC code | Universal Product Code code
 | PIN number | personal identification number number
 | HIV virus | human immunodeficiency virus virus
 | MAC Code | migration authorization code code