View source for Wiki143:Manual of Style/Abbreviations

{{Short description|Style guide for the use of abbreviations}}
{{for|a directory of all the abbreviations used on Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Wikipedia abbreviations}}
{{for|abbreviated redirects to non-main namespaces|Wikipedia:List of shortcuts}}
{{for|abbreviations used by Wikipedians in discussion on talk pages and other non-article pages|Wikipedia:Glossary}}
{{MoS-guideline|MOS:ABBR|WP:MOSABBR|sortkey=Abbreviations}}
{{Style}}

This guideline covers the use of [[abbreviation]]s—including [[Acronym|acronyms and initialisms]], [[Contraction (grammar)|contractions]], and other [[Shortening (grammar)|shortenings]]—in the [[English Wikipedia]].

Maintaining a consistent abbreviation style allows Wikipedia to be read, written, edited, and navigated more easily by readers and editors. The style should always be consistent within a page. If a guideline conflicts with the correct usage of a [[proper name]], ignore it. Abbreviations in quotations from written sources should always be written {{em|exactly}} as in the source, unless it is a Wikipedia-made translation.

Always consider whether it is better to write a word or phrase out in full, thus avoiding potential confusion for those not familiar with its abbreviation. Remember that Wikipedia does not have the same space constraints as paper.

== Use sourceable abbreviations==

{{shortcut|MOS:SOURCEABBR}}
<!-- This heading is linked to from: #Acronyms_and_initialisms -->
Avoid [[WP:No original research|making up]] new abbreviations, especially acronyms. For example, "{{xtn|[[International Feline Federation]]}}" is good as a {{em|translation}} of {{xt|Fédération Internationale Féline}}, but neither the anglicisation nor the reduction {{!xt|IFF}} is used by the organisation; use the original name and its official abbreviation, {{xt|FIFe}}.

If it is necessary to abbreviate in small spaces ([[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Infoboxes|infoboxes]], [[Wikipedia:Navigation templates|navboxes]] and [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Tables|tables]]), use widely recognised abbreviations. As an example, for {{xt|New Zealand gross national product}}, use {{xt|NZ}} and {{xt|GNP}}, with a link if the term has not already been written out: {{xt|NZ&nbsp;[[Measures of national income and output|GNP]]}}; do not use the made-up initialism {{!xt|NZGNP}}).

{{for|shortening long titles of works|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Titles#Abbreviation of long titles}}

==Full points (periods)<span id="POINTS"></span>==
{{also|MOS:COMMONABBR }}
{{anchor|Full points|Periods}}{{anchor|STOPS|Full stops (periods)|reason=Old, incorrect title. A "full stop" is the grammatical function served by the dot at the end of a sentence; in an abbreviation, its non-grammatical, stylistic function is a "full point". Source: New Hart's Rules.}}
{{shortcut|MOS:POINTS}}
Modern style is to use a [[full point]] (period) after a shortening {{crossref|pw=y|(see [[#Shortenings|§ Shortenings]] for exceptions)}} but no full points within an acronym or initialism. In the unusual case of an acronym containing full points between letters, it should also have a full point after the final letter. If an abbreviation ending in a full point ends a sentence, do not use an extra full point (e.g. {{xt|They lived near Courtyard Sq.}}, not {{!xt|They lived near Courtyard Sq..}}).

Contractions that contain an apostrophe ({{xt|don't}}, {{xt|shouldn't}}, {{xt|she'd}}) never take a period, except at the end of a sentence. They are also not used in encyclopedia content except in quotations or titles of works, as noted [[#Contractions|below]]. Contractions that do not contain an apostrophe almost always take a period in North American English, but not in British English when the contraction ends with the same letter as the full term: ''Doctor'' can be abbreviated {{xt|Dr.}} in American and Canadian English, but is {{xt|Dr}} in British English. If the dot-less usage could be confusing in the context, use the point. Exceptions are symbols of units of measurement, which never use periods {{crossref|pw=y|(see [[WP:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]])}}.

==Expanded forms==
{{Shortcut|MOS:EXPABBR}}

Do not apply initial capitals or other forms of emphasis to common-noun phrases just because capitals are used when abbreviating them:

*''Incorrect (not a proper name)'': {{!xt|uses Digital Scanning (DS) technology}}
*''Correct'': {{xt|uses digital scanning (DS) technology}}
*''Correct (proper name)'': {{xt|produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)}}

Similarly, when showing the source of an [[acronym]], [[initialism]], or [[Abbreviation#Syllabic abbreviation|syllabic abbreviation]], emphasizing the letters in the expansion that make up the acronym is unnecessary and potentially distracting:

*''Incorrect'': {{!xt|FOREX (FOReign EXchange)}}
*''Incorrect'': {{!xt|FOREX (''for''eign ''ex''change)}}
*''Incorrect'': {{!xt|FOREX ('''for'''eign '''ex'''change)}}
*''Correct'': {{xt|FOREX (foreign exchange)}}

==Acronyms<span id="Acronyms and initialisms"></span>==

{{shortcut|MOS:ACRO}}

Acronyms are abbreviations formed, usually, from the initial letters of words in a phrase.

===Terminology===

An ''initialism'' is an abbreviation formed from some or all of the initial letters of words in a phrase. An ''acronym'' is sometimes considered to be an initialism that is pronounced as a word (e.g. [[NATO]]), as distinct from an initialism pronounced as a string of individual letters (e.g. "UN" for [[United Nations]]). In this document the term ''acronym'' includes initialisms. The term ''word acronym'' can be used to refer to acronyms which are not initialisms.

Do not [[WP:Edit war|edit-war]] over these terms. When using more precise terms like ''word acronym'' and ''initialism'', please link to {{slink|Acronym|Nomenclature}}, where they are explained for readers.

===Formation and usage===

* '''Capitalisation''': Some acronyms are written with all capital letters, some with a mixture of capitals and lower-case letters and some are written as [[common noun]]s (e.g., {{xt|laser}}). Acronyms of letters that are pronounced individually (initialisms) are always written in capitals (e.g., {{xt|FBI}}). ({{Crossref|pw=y|For more guidance on the capitalisation of acronyms, see [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Acronyms]].}})
* '''Spacing''': The letters of acronyms should not be spaced.
* '''Plurals''': Plural acronyms are written with a lower-case ''s'' after the abbreviation, without an apostrophe, unless full points are used between the letters (e.g. {{xt|ABCs}} or {{xt|A.B.C.'s}}). Note that Wikipedia generally avoids using full point in upper-case acronyms.
* '''Emphasis''': Do not apply special style, such as {{sc|Small Caps}}, to acronyms. Do not apply italics, boldfacing, underlining, or other highlighting to the letters in the expansion of an acronym that correspond to the letters in the acronym, as in {{!xt|BX ('''''B'''''ase E'''''x'''''change)}}. It is not necessary to state that an acronym is an acronym. Our readers should not be browbeaten with the obvious.

If there is an article about the subject of an acronym (e.g. [[NATO]]), then other articles should use the same style (capitalisation and punctuation) as that main article. If no such article exists, then style should be resolved by considering consistent usage in source material.

{{shortcut|MOS:ACRO1STUSE}}
{{anchor|first-use}} Unless specified in the "[[#Exceptions|Exceptions]]" section below, an acronym should be written out in full for the first time, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, e.g. {{xt|maximum transmission unit (MTU)}} if it is used again in the article. Common exceptions are [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biographies#Post-nominal initials|post-nominal initials]], because writing them out in full would cause clutter, or for something most commonly known by its acronym, in which case the expansion can be omitted (except in the lead of its own article) or be in parentheses{{emdash}}e.g. {{xt|according to the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)}}.

To save space in small spaces (see {{sectionlink||Use sourceable abbreviations}}), acronyms do not need to be written out in full. When not written out in full on the first use, an acronym should be [[WP:WIKILINK|linked]]. An unambiguous acronym can be linked as-is, but an ambiguous acronym should be linked to its expansion. Upon re-use in a long article, the template {{tlx|abbr}} can be used to provide a mouse-over tooltip, giving the meaning of the acronym again without having to redundantly link or spell it out again. The template inserts a <nowiki><abbr></nowiki> tag into the page's HTML. Example: {{tlc|abbr|CIA|Central Intelligence Agency}}, giving: {{abbr|CIA|Central Intelligence Agency}}. (This mouse-over will not work on mobile devices, which represent the majority of Wikimedia traffic.<ref>[https://analytics.wikimedia.org/dashboards/browsers/#all-sites-by-os User Agent Breakdowns - Wikimedia Foundation]</ref>)

For partial acronyms formed using the now-rare convention of including whole short words in them, do not blindly "normalise" them to typical current style, but write each as found in the majority of modern reliable sources. Examples: "Commander-in-Chief" is generally abbreviated {{xt|CinC}} on its own, but may appear in all-caps when used in a longer acronym (especially a US government one) like {{xt|CINCFLEET}} and {{xt|CINCAIR}}. The Billiard Association of America was known as {{xtn|BA of A}}; while this should not be written as unsourceable variations like {{!xt|BAofA}} or {{!xt|BAA}}, the awkwardness of the abbreviation to modern eyes can be reduced by replacing the full-width spaces with thin-space characters: <code><nowiki>BA{{thinsp}}of{{thinsp}}A</nowiki></code> or <code>BA&amp;thinsp;of&amp;thinsp;A</code> gives {{xt|BA&thinsp;of&thinsp;A}}, which better groups the letters into a unit.

===Exceptions===

====Ship names====

{{main|article=no|Wikipedia:Naming conventions (ships)}}
[[Ship prefix|Ship name prefixes]] like [[Her Majesty's Ship|HMS]] and [[United States Ship|USS]] should not be written out in full.

====Time zones====

Abbreviations for time zones (e.g. [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] and [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]) should not be written out in full after times.

====Countries and multinational unions====

For these commonly-referred-to entities, the name does not need to be written out in full on first use, nor provided on first use in parentheses after the full name if written out.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Acronym !! Expansion !! Notes
|-
| EU || [[European Union]] ||
|-
| [[NATO]] || North Atlantic Treaty Organization ||
|-
| UAE || [[United Arab Emirates]] ||
|-
| UK || [[United Kingdom]] ||
|-
| UN || [[United Nations]] || Similarly for UN organisations such as [[UNESCO]] and [[UNICEF]].
|-
| US or U.S. || [[United States]] || Both variants are used, but avoid mixing dotted and undotted within the same article; use "US" in articles with other national abbreviations (e.g., "UK", "UAE", "USSR"). Using {{xt|United States}} instead of an acronym is often better formal writing style, and is an [[MOS:COMMONALITY|opportunity for commonality]]. {{!xt|USA}}, {{!xt|U.S.A.}} and {{!xt|U.S. of A.}} are generally not used except in quoted material ''(see [[WP:Manual of Style#US and U.S.]])''.
|-
| USSR || [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]] ||
|}

====Other====

Acronyms in this table do not need to be written out in full upon first use, except in their own articles or where not doing so would cause ambiguity.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Acronym !! Expansion !! Notes
|-
| AD || ''{{lang|la|[[anno Domini]]}}'' ("in the year of our Lord") || Should not be written out in full in dates and does not need to be linked. Do not use {{!xt|in the year of our Lord}} or any other translation of ''Anno Domini''.
|-
| [[AIDS]] || acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ||
|-
| a.k.a. or AKA || [[also known as]] || Should only be used in small spaces, otherwise use the full phrase. It does not need to be linked. Use the {{tlx|a.k.a.}} template on first occurrence on the page to provide a mouse-over tooltip explaining the meaning: {{a.k.a.}} Should not be written {{!xt|aka}}.
|-
| AM || [[amplitude modulation]] ||
|-
| am or a.m. || ''{{lang|la|[[ante meridiem]]}}'' || Should not be written out in full for clock time, and does not need to be linked. It should not be written {{!xt|AM}} or {{!xt|A.M.}}
|-
| [[BBC]] || British Broadcasting Corporation ||
|-
| BC || [[before Christ]] || Should not be written out in full in dates and does not need to be linked.
|-
| BCE || [[Before Common Era]] || Should not be written out in full in dates.
|-
| CD || [[compact disc]] ||
|-
| CE || [[Common Era]] || Should not be written out in full in dates.
|-
| [[DVD]] || digital versatile disc<br />(or digital video disc) || Should not be written out in full and should not be linked to its expansion.
|-
| e.g. || ''{{lang|la|[[exempli gratia]]}}'' ("for example") || Should not be italicised, linked, or written out in full in normal usage.
|-
| FM || [[frequency modulation]] ||
|-
| [[HDMI]] || high-definition multimedia interface ||
|-
| HIV || [[human immunodeficiency virus]] ||
|-
| i.e. || ''{{lang|la|[[id est]]}}'' ("that is"&nbsp;/ "in other words") || Should not be italicised, linked, or written out in full in normal usage.
|-
| [[laser]] || light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation ||
|-
| [[LGBTQ]] || [[lesbian]], [[gay]], [[Bisexuality|bisexual]], [[transgender]], [[queer]] or [[Questioning (sexuality and gender)|questioning]] || Is considered to be intelligible on its own, without explanation. However, editors may add a [[LGBTQ|link]] at their own discretion the first time the term appears in an article, to clarify any potential confusion.
|-
| n/a or N/A || [[not applicable]] || Should not be written {{!xt|n.a.}}, {{!xt|N.A.}}, {{!xt|NA}} or {{!xt|na}}.
|-
| [[NASA]] || National Aeronautics and Space Administration ||
|-
| PC || [[personal computer]] || Does not need to be written out in full on first use, nor provided on first use in parentheses after the full term if written out.
|-
| pm or p.m. || ''{{lang|la|[[post meridiem]]}}'' || Should not be written out in full in times and does not need to be linked. It should not be written {{!xt|PM}} or {{!xt|P.M.}}
|-
| [[radar]] || radio detection and ranging ||
|-
| [[Scuba set|scuba]] || self-contained underwater breathing apparatus ||
|-
| [[sonar]] || sound navigation and ranging ||
|-
| TV || [[television]] || Generally use "TV" in most articles except historic articles and cultural or scholarly discussions, e.g. "TV show", "TV cameras", "the effects of television on speech patterns". Do not link or explain in normal usage.
|-
| [[USB]] || universal serial bus ||
|}

===Acronyms in page titles===

{{See also|Wikipedia:Article titles#Article title format}}
{| style="float:right;
| valign="top" | {{Naming conventions}}
|}
{| style="float:right;
| valign="top" | {{shortcut|MOS:ACROTITLE|WP:NCA|WP:NCACRO}}
|}

Acronyms should be used in a page name if the subject is known primarily by its abbreviation and that abbreviation is primarily associated with the subject (e.g. [[NASA]]; in contrast, consensus has rejected moving [[Central Intelligence Agency]] to its acronym, in view of arguments that the full name is used in professional and academic publications). In general, if readers somewhat familiar with the subject are likely to only recognise the name by its acronym, then the acronym should be used as a title. If the acronym and the full name are both in common use, both pages should exist, with one (usually the abbreviation) redirecting to the other or being a disambiguation page.

One general exception to this rule deals with our strong preference for [[WP:NATURAL|natural disambiguation]]. Many acronyms are used for several things; naming a page with the full name helps to avoid clashes. For instance, multiple TV/radio broadcasting companies share the initials [[ABC (disambiguation)#Broadcasting|ABC]]; even though some may be far better known by that acronym, our articles on those companies are found at, for example, [[American Broadcasting Company]] rather than [[ABC (American TV network)]].{{efn|For television-related articles, use the country adjective. See [[Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (television)/Archive 16#RFC: What disambiguation should shows from the United States and United Kingdom use?|this RfC]] for additional information.}} A useful test to determine what an abbreviation usually refers to can be done by checking [http://acronymfinder.com/ Acronym Finder] or [http://www.abbreviations.com/ Abbreviations.com] and finding the relative usage. If it is found that a particular subject is overwhelmingly denoted by an unambiguous acronym, the article title on that subject can be expressed as the acronym and a [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation|disambiguation]] page can be used for the other subjects.

In many cases, no decision is necessary because a given acronym has several expansions, none of which is the most prominent. Under such circumstances, an article should be named with the spelled-out phrase and the acronym should be a disambiguation page providing descriptive links to all of them. See, for example, [[Ajar (disambiguation)#Publications|AJAR]], which disambiguates between ''[[African Journal of AIDS Research]]'' and ''[[Australian Journal of Agricultural Research]]''. A title like [[AJAR (African journal)]] should be avoided if at all possible.

===Acronyms as disambiguators===

{{shortcut|MOS:ACRODAB|WP:ACRODAB}}
{{main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style#US and U.S.}}
To save space, acronyms should be used as disambiguators, when necessary. For example, "[[Georgia (U.S. state)]]", "[[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)]]" and "[[Labour Party (UK)]]". The abbreviations are preferred over ''United States'' and ''United Kingdom'', for [[WP:CONCISE|brevity]]. In running text, more natural wording is often better ("the US state of Georgia", "US-based Great Northern Railway", "the Labour Party of the UK"), though this may depend on context.

To help navigation to article titles with these ''United States'' abbreviations, please create a redirect that contains ''(U.S.)'' or ''(US)'' as needed. For example, "[[Great Northern Railway (US)]]" should redirect to "[[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)]]" (or the other way around). Wikipedia does not use {{!xt|USA}}, except in proper names and in standardized codes (e.g. [[FIFA]]'s) that use it.

===Acronyms in category names===

{{for|discussion on the use of acronyms in names of categories|Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (categories)/Archive 7#Abbreviations: to expand or not to expand?}}

==Contractions==

{{shortcut|MOS:N'T|MOS:CONTRACT|MOS:CONTRACTION}}
{{see|Wikipedia:List of English contractions}}
A contraction is an abbreviation of one or more words that has some or all of the middle letters removed but retains the first and final letters (e.g. ''Mr'' and ''aren't''{{--)}}. Missing letters are replaced by an apostrophe in most multiple-word contractions. Contractions such as {{!xt|aren't}} should not be used in Wikipedia, except in quoted material; use the full wording (e.g., {{xt|are not}}) instead. The contraction {{xt|o'clock}} is an exception, as it is standard in all [[Register (sociolinguistics)|registers]] of writing. Certain placenames may use particular contractions {{crossref|pw=y|(see {{section link||Special considerations}}, below)}}.

Per the guideline on [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography#Titles of people|titles of people]], prefix titles such as {{!xt|Mr}}, {{!xt|Dr}}, and {{!xt|Prof.}} should not be used. Prefixes of royalty and nobility often should be used, but not in abbreviated form. {{Crossref|pw=y|(For article titles, see: {{section link|Wikipedia:Naming conventions (people)#Titles and styles}}; and [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (royalty and nobility)]].)}}

==Initials==

{{Crossref|pw=y|For initials in biographical names, see {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biographies#Initials}}.}}

==Shortenings==

A shortening is an abbreviation formed by removing at least the last letter of a word (e.g. ''etc.'' and ''rhino''), and sometimes also containing letters not present in the full form (e.g. ''bike''). As a general rule, use a full point after a shortening that only exists in writing (e.g. {{xt|etc.}}) but not for a shortening that is used in speech (e.g. {{xt|rhino}}). In general, a full form is as acceptable as a shortened form, but there are exceptions e.g. {{xt|etc.}} should be used over ''{{!xt|et cetera}}''. Uncommon, non-obvious shortenings should be explained or linked on first use on a page.

===Songwriting credits===

Outside of prose, [[Traditional music|{{xt|trad.}}]] and [[Arrangement|{{xt|arr.}}]] may be used in songwriting credits to save space. On first usage, use {{tlx|trad.}} and {{tlx|arr.}}, which will display a mouse-over tooltip expanding the abbreviation. Similarly, {{xt|feat.}} for ''[[Featured performer|featuring]]'' has become common in modern music, and may appear in song or album credits, or in actual song titles, depending on the specific work. The template {{tlx|feat.}} exists for it. Avoid using the ambiguous hyper-abbreviation {{!xt|ft.}} except in verbatim material such as titles and quotations.

===Miscellaneous shortenings===

{{shortcut|MOS:MISCSHORT}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Shortening !! Expansion !! Notes
|-
| {{visible anchor|approx.}} || [[Approximation|approximately]] || It should only be used in small spaces. It does not need to be linked.
|-
| {{visible anchor|c.}} || {{lang|la|[[wikt:circa|circa]]}} ('around') || In dates, to indicate ''around'', ''approximately'', or ''about''. In text the unitalicised abbreviation {{xt|c.}} is preferred over ''circa'', ''ca'', ''ca.'', ''approximately'', or ''approx.'' It should not be italicised in normal usage. The template {{tlx|circa}} should be used at first occurrence. In a table or otherwise where space is limited there may be less context and approx. may be clearer or if space is really tight ~ might be used instead. 
|-
| ''{{visible anchor|cf.}}'' || {{lang|la|[[confer]]}} ('compare'&nbsp;/ 'consult') || It should be linked on first use.
|-
| {{visible anchor|Co.}} || [[company]] || It should only be used in the names of companies (e.g., "PLC", "LLC", "Inc.", "Ltd.", "GmbH"), and can usually be omitted unless an ambiguity would result. It does not need to be linked.
|-
| {{visible anchor|ed.}} ({{visible anchor|eds.}}) || [[edition (book)|edition]]/[[editor]] (editions/editors) || This shortening (and its plural contraction) should only be used in references. It does not need to be linked.
|-
| {{visible anchor|et al.}} || {{lang|la|[[et alii]]}} ('and others') || It should normally only be used in references (see the {{para|display-authors}} feature of the [[Help:Citation Style 1|citation templates]]), and where it is part of a name, such as of a legal case, e.g. ''United States v. Thompson et al.'' It need not be linked.
|-
| {{visible anchor|fl.}} || {{lang|la|[[floruit]]}} ('flourished') || Use template {{tl|floruit}} on first use. Do not use ''{{!xt|flor.}}'' or ''{{!xt|flr.}}''
|-
| {{visible anchor|lit.}} || [[wikt:literal#English|literal]], or [[literal translation]] || It should be linked (usually to [[Literal translation]], unless some other meaning is meant) on first use, unless {{tlx|abbr}} is used to explain it. Many language formatting templates have a parameter that deals with this for you.
|-
| {{visible anchor|rev.}} || revised || It should only be used in references. It does not need to be linked.
|-
| {{visible anchor|vs.}}/{{visible anchor|vs}}/{{visible anchor|v.}}/{{visible anchor|v}} || [[wikt:versus|versus]] (against&nbsp;/ in contrast to) || They do not need to be linked or explained with {{tlx|abbr}}. The full word should be used in most cases, but it is conventional to use an abbreviation in certain contexts. In sports, it is "vs." or "vs", depending on [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Varieties of English|dialect]]. In law, the usage is "v." or "v", depending on jurisdiction. In other contexts, use "vs." when abbreviation is necessary (e.g., in a compact table). The word and its abbreviations should not be italicised, since they have long been assimilated into the English language. (However, legal case names are themselves italicised, like book titles, including the "v." or "v".) 
|-
| ''{{visible anchor|viz.}}'' || {{lang|la|[[videlicet]]}} ('that is to say'&nbsp;/ 'namely') || It should be linked on first use.
|}

==Symbols==

===Unit symbols===

{{main article|Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Units of measurement}}

===Miscellaneous symbols===

* The '''[[ampersand]]''' ({{xtg|&}}), a replacement for the word ''and'', should only be used in small spaces such as tables and infoboxes, but, preferably, should be avoided even there. However, it is common in many trademarks and titles of published works, and should be retained when found in them.

===Unicode abbreviation ligatures===

Do not use Unicode characters that put an abbreviation into a single character (unless the character itself is the subject of the text), e.g.: [[№]], [[LTD|㋏]], [[㎇]], [[PTE|㉐]], [[Roman numerals|Ⅶ]], [[℅]], [[trademark|™︎]]. These are not all well-supported in Western fonts. This does not apply to currency symbols, such as [[₨]] and [[₠]].
For more comprehensive lists, see [[Ligatures in Unicode]], [[Letterlike Symbols]], [[CJK Compatibility]], [[Enclosed CJK Letters and Months]], and [[Enclosed Alphanumeric Supplement]].
{{see also|MOS:ROMANNUM|MOS:CURRENCY|MOS:TM}}

=={{anchor|Latin abbreviations}}Latinisms and abbreviations==
{{shortcut|MOS:LATINABBR}}
As with other non-English vocabulary, Latin-language terms [[WP:IETF|should be tagged as such]] using the {{tlx|lang|la|...}} template, which automatically italicises the text. This includes Latin abbreviations, except those that are commonly used in English, such as {{xt|AD}}, {{xt|c.}}, {{xt|e.g.}}, {{xt|etc.}}, {{xt|i.e.}}, and several others found in [[#Miscellaneous shortenings|the table above]]. Do not use {{!xt|&c.}} in place of {{xt|etc.}}

Other Latinisms that are considered English vocabulary and therefore are not tagged or italicised include {{xt|versus}} and {{xt|per cent}}. If in doubt, consult reliable dictionaries and follow their lead.

== Abbreviations widely used in Wikipedia ==
{{anchor|Widely used abbreviations in Wikipedia}}
{{Shortcut|MOS:COMMONABBR}}
Wikipedia has found it both practical and efficient to use the following abbreviations in tight quarters such as citations, tables, and lists. Most should be replaced, in regular running text, by unabbreviated expansions or essentially synonymous plain English (''that is'' for ''i.e.'', ''namely'' for ''viz.'', and so on), when space permits or when the material would be clearer to more readers. A common rule of thumb regarding ''i.e.'' and ''e.g.'' is that they are best used in parentheticals rather than in the main flow of a sentence. Versions of non-acronym abbreviations that do not end in full points (periods) are [[WP:ENGVAR|more common in British than North American English]] and are always{{efn|Some British/Commonwealth news publishers have begun dropping the dots from {{em|all}} abbreviations. This defies the major British style guides on this matter and produces too many ambiguities for encyclopedic writing.}} abbreviations that compress a word while retaining its first and last letters (i.e., contractions: Dr, St, Revd) rather than truncation abbreviations (Prof., Co.). That said, US military ranks are often abbreviated without this punctuation (though they should not be given in all-caps, despite that style existing "in the wild" in some publications).

<!-- This is not an index of every abbreviation, merely a guide on how and which abbreviations should be used in Wikipedia articles. -->
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Places
! Word(s) !! Abbreviation
|-
| [[Avenue (landscape)|Avenue]] || Ave.
|-
| [[Boulevard]] || Blvd. or Blvd
|-
| Court || Ct. or Ct {{Small|(use only for a few houses)}}
|-
| Drive || Dr. or Dr
|-
| [[East]] || E. or E {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|-
| [[Freeway]] || Fwy. or Fwy {{small|(the term is not generally used outside of North America)}}
|-
| [[Highway]] || Hwy. or Hwy {{small|(the term is not generally used outside of North America)}}
|-
| [[Motorway]] || Mwy {{small|(the term is not generally used in North America)}}
|-
| [[Mountain]] || Mtn. or Mtn
|-
| Mount || Mt. or Mt
|-
| [[North]] || N. or N {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|-
| North East or [[Northeast]] || N.E. or NE {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|-
| North West or [[Northwest]] || N.W. or NW {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|-
| [[Road]] || Rd. or Rd
|-
| [[South]] || S. or S {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|-
| South East or [[cardinal direction#Additional points|Southeast]] || S.E. or SE {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|-
| South West or [[cardinal direction#Additional points|Southwest]] || S.W. or SW {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|-
| [[Street]] || St. or St
|-
| [[West]] || W. or W {{Small|(use only in street addresses, coordinates, and other special contexts, not in usual text)}}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Organisation name elements
! Word(s) !! Abbreviation
|-
| [[Academy]] || Acad.
|-
| [[Association (disambiguation)|Association]] || Assn. or Assn
|-
| Associates || Assoc.
|-
| [[College]] || Coll.
|-
| [[Company]] || Co.
|-
| [[Corporation]] || Corp.
|-
| [[Doing business as]] || d.b.a. or DBA (avoid {{!xt|d/b/a}} and {{!xt|D/B/A}}; these are obsolete)
|-
| [[Incorporation (business)|Incorporated]] || Inc.
|-
| [[Institute]]/[[Institution]] || Inst.
|-
| [[Limited company|Limited]] || Ltd. or Ltd
|-
| [[Limited liability company]] (or partnership) || LLC (LLP)
|-
| [[Public limited company]] || plc or PLC
|-
| [[Manufacturing]] || Mfg. or Mfg
|-
| Press || Pr.
|-
| Publications || Pub., Pubs., Pubs
|-
| [[Publisher|Publishing]] || Pubg. or Pubg
|-
| [[University]] || Univ., U., or Uni.
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Academic degrees, professional titles, etc., used with personal names
! Word(s) !! Abbreviation
|-
| [[Bachelor of Arts]] {{small|(''Artium Baccalaureus'')}} || BA or AB
|-
| [[Bachelor of Laws]] {{small|(''Legum Baccalaureus'')}} || LLB
|-
| [[Bachelor of Science]] || BS or BSc
|-
| [[Master of Arts]] || MA or AM
|-
| [[Master of Science]] || MS or MSc
|-
| [[Doctor (title)|Doctor]] || Dr. or Dr
|-
| [[Doctor of Medicine]] {{small|(''Medicinæ Doctor'')}} || MD
|-
| [[Doctor of Philosophy]] {{small|(''Philosophiæ Doctor'')}} || PhD
|-
| [[Honorable]] || Hon.
|-
| [[Right Honourable]] || Rt. Hon. or Rt Hon.
|-
| [[Junior]] || Jnr (not to be confused with [[WP:JR|Jr.]])
|-
| [[Monsignor]] || Mons., Msgr., or Msgr
|-
| [[Registered nurse]] || RN
|-
| [[Reverend]] || Rev. or Revd
|-
| [[Saint]] || St. or St
|-
| [[Senior]] || Snr (not to be confused with [[WP:JR|Sr.]])
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Military ranks
! Word(s) !! Abbreviation
|-
| [[Admiral]] || Adm.
|-
| [[General]] || Gen.
|-
| [[Brigadier]] || Brig.
|-
| [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] || Cdre
|-
| [[Colonel]] || Col. or Col
|-
| [[Commander]] || Cmdr., Cmdr, Cdr, or Comdr
|-
| [[Major (rank)|Major]] || Maj. or Maj
|-
| [[Captain]] || Capt.
|-
| [[Lieutenant]] || Lt. or Lt
|-
| [[Warrant Officer]] || W.O. or WO
|-
| [[Sergeant major]] || Sgt Maj.
|-
| [[Master sergeant]] || MSgt. or MSgt
|-
| [[Technical sergeant]] || TSgt. or TSgt
|-
| [[Staff sergeant]] || SSgt. or SSgt
|-
| [[Sergeant]] || Sgt. or Sgt
|-
| [[Corporal]] || Cpl. or Cpl
|-
| [[Private (rank)|Private]] || Pte, Pvt. or Pvt
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Citation elements
! Word(s) !! Abbreviation
|-
| Chapter || chap.
|-
| No date || n.d.
|}

==Special considerations==

{{shortcut|MOS:POSTABBR|MOS:STATEABBR}}
* [[Postal code]]s and abbreviations of place names—e.g., {{!xt|Calif.}} (California), {{!xt|TX}} (Texas), {{!xt|Yorks.}} (Yorkshire)—should not be used to stand for the full names in normal text. They can be used in tables when space is tight but should be marked up with {{tlx|abbr}} template on first occurrence. They should not be used in infoboxes. An exception is [[Washington, D.C.]], which has been conventionally called so, for reasons of clarity, since long before postal codes were invented. Either "Washington, DC", or "Washington, D.C.", may be used in tables whether or not other state postal codes appear (but the comma is required in either case); "Washington, DC" is more consistent with our other treatment of acronyms.
* ''Saint'' (or ''Sainte'') versus the ''St'' and ''St.'' (or ''Ste.'') abbreviations in placenames should follow [[Wikipedia:Article titles#Use commonly recognizable names|the most common rendering found in reliable sources]] for that particular locale; this will most often match the official name of the place.

==See also==

* {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Acronyms and abbreviations}}
* {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters|Acronyms}}
* {{section link|American and British English differences|Punctuation}}
* [[Wikipedia:Edit summary legend]]
* [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (aircraft)]]
* [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (ships)]]

==Notes==

{{Notelist}}

{{Style wide}}

[[Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (formatting)|Abbreviations]]