Acronyms

To help you practice how to pronounce letters, let’s take a look at acronyms. An acronyms is a word composed of the first letters of a multi-word name. Sometimes, their use has become so popular, that they end up substituting the original name.

Take a look at these examples. See if you’re able to pronounce the acronyms correctly. The acronyms are followed by the words that the acronym represents. The Spanish phonetics are in the parenthesis.

AA Alcoholics Anonymous (ei-ei)

ASAP As Soon As Possible (ei-es-ei-pi)

ATM Automatic Teller Machine (ei-ti-em)

BYOB Bring Your Own Beer/Beverage (bi-uai-ou-bi)
CSI Crime Scene Investigation (si-es-ai)

DOA Dead On Arrival (di-ou-ei)

DWI Driving While Intoxicated (di-da-bal-iu-ai)

FYI For Your Information (ef-uai-ai)

LA Los Angeles (el-ei)

MC Master of Ceremonies (em-si)

MIA Missing In Action (em-ai-ei)

MP Member of Parliament (em-pi)

PM Prime Minister (pi-em)

POW Prisoner Of War (pi-ou-da-bal-iu)

PS Post Script (pi-es)

REM Random Eye Movement (er-i-em)

RSVP Response Shall Verify Presence

(an English substitute for the French: Répondez S’il Vous Plâit) (ar-es-bfi-pi)

SUV Sports Utility Vehicle (es-iu-bfi)

UFO Unidentified Flying Object (iu-ef-ou)

VIP Very Important Person (bfi-ai-pi)

WNBA Women’s National Basketball Association (da-bal-iu-en-bi-ei)

Now listen to the recording.




How did you do? So here you have another example of how we love to shorten the English language. And why you need to know how to pronounce letters correctly!