As a business, your communication style affects your brand. Take business abbreviations — there are hundreds, maybe even thousands. Some obvious. Others less so. Below is a list of common 200 business abbreviations and acronyms with tips on when to abbreviate…or not.
When to use business abbreviations?
When using business acronyms and abbreviations, think about your audience. Abbreviating words might be unclear to your reader (e.g. potential new hires or customers) especially if you are using internal jargon.
The American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide says to use abbreviations sparingly to “maximize clarity.” If you are going to use them, be sure to spell them out first.
When are abbreviations ok? Here are some instances where its ok to use business acronyms and abbreviations:
- if you use a word/phrase 3+ times in a document (e.g. job description, report, manual), then using the abbreviation the 4th time, 5th, time, etc. is ok. There might be some exceptions to this rule for extra-long phrases like “Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound goals”. For this one, we would spell it once, then use “SMART goals” moving forward.
- if you are using it internally where the audience understands the meaning (e.g., “ATS” ( Applicant Tracking System) is well understood in an HR department; “CRM” (Customer Relationship Management) is understood related to sales.
- the phrase is too long or cumbersome to type (or say out loud) repeatedly (e.g., “Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats” has 11 syllables versus its abbreviation “SWOT”). This goes for abbreviating company names too. International Business Machines has 9 syllables (IBM has 3). A good rule of thumb: if using an abbreviation cuts the syllables by one-third or more, go for it.
Business Abbreviations List
A note on automation first. The volume of abbreviations is so large that you might want to use software to help flag it.
Our team recently launched a new feature in Text Analyzer (proud plug!) that flags business acronyms and abbreviations that you might want to spell out.
For example, below is Ongig’s software analyzing a job description called A&MS Circuit Design Engr, Sr I. You’ll notice that it flags the different abbreviations and acronyms and gives a pop-up that spells them out.
Now, let’s get on to the business abbreviations and business acronyms list.
Business Abbreviations
AIDA — Attention, interest, desire, action
AP — Accounts Payable
API — Application Program Interface
AR — Accounts Receivable
ASIC — Application-specific Integrated Circuit
ATS — Applicant Tracking System
B2B — Business to Business
B2C — Business to Consumer
BD – Business Development
Biz Dev — Business Development
BPM — Business Process Management
BR — Bounce Rate
C2H — Contract to Hire
CAD — Computer-aided Design
CMS — Content Management System
COB — Close of Business
Co-op — Cooperative Education
Corp — Corporate or Corporation
CPC — Cost Per Click
CPU — Computer Processing Unit or Cost Per Unit
CR — Credit or Conversion Rate
CRM — Customer Relationship Management
CSR — Corporate Social Responsibility
CSS – Cascading Style Sheet
CTA — Call To Action
CTH — Contract to Hire
CTR — Click Through Rate
DevOps — Development and Operations
DOE — Depending on Experience
DR — Debit
EMEA — Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
EOD — End of Day
EOW — End of Week
EPS — Earnings Per Share
ERM — Enterprise Risk Management
ERP — Enterprise Resource Planning
FTE — Full-Time Employee
FTP — File Transfer Protocol
GA — Google Analytics
HR — Human Resources
HRIS — Human Resources Information System
HQ — Headquarters
IP — Internet Protocol
IT — Information Technology
ISP — Internet Service Provider
KPI — Key Performance Indicator
KSA — Knowledge, skills, and abilities
Mgmt — Management
MLM — Multi Level Marketing
MoM — Month over Month
MTD — Month to Date
NDA — Non-Disclosure Agreement
OPS — Operations
OS — Operating System
PA — Performance Appraisal
P-Card — Purchasing Card
P Design — Product Design
P/E — Price to earnings
P&L — Profit and Loss
POC — Point of Contact
PPC — Pay Per Click
PR — Public Relations
PTE — Part Time Employee
PTO — Paid Time Off
PV — Page View
P Verification — Product Verification
QA — Quality Assurance
QC — Quality Control
R&D — Research & Development
RD — Research & Development
REQ — Requisition
RFP — Request for Proposal
ROA — Return on Assets
ROI — Return on Investment
ROR – Ruby on Rails
ROS — Run of Site
RT — Retweet
SaaS — Software as a Service
SCM — Supply Chain Management
SEO – Search Engine Optimization
SerDes — Serializer/Deserializer
SMART goals — Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound goals
SM — Social Media
SMB — Small to Medium Business
SME — Subject Matter Expert
SMM – Social Media Marketing
SoC or SOC — System on a Chip, System Organization Controls, or Security Operations Center
STRAT COMM — Strategic Communications
SWOT — Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
TA — Talent Acquisition
Tech – Technology
TQM — Total Quality Management
UI — User Interface
USB — Universal Serial bus
UV(s) — Unique Visitor(s)
UX — User Experience
VPN — Virtual Private Network
WKR — Worker
WFH — Work From Home
WOM — Word of Mouth
YTD — Year to Date
For more tips on writing job descriptions, check out How to Write a Job Description — Best Practices & Examples.
More Business Acronyms or Business Abbreviation Ideas?
This is a dynamic list, and nowhere near complete! Do you have business abbreviations or acronyms that we missed (perhaps ones specific to your industry?)? Email me at Heather@Ongig.com to help me add to the list.
Shout-Outs:
- 18 common phrases and acronyms recruiters use in the job search process and what they mean (by Mary Kearl)
- Your Ultimate Cheat Sheet to Deciphering the 123 Most Common Business Acronyms (by Kat Moon)
- Meaning Of Job Title Abbreviations | Business English Vocabulary (by Cristobal Gomez)
- Job Title Abbreviations (by All Acronyms)
- 50 of the Top Management Abbreviations and Acronyms (by Indeed)
- When is it appropriate to use abbreviations? (by American Psychological Association)
- An Abbreviations FAQ (by Chelsea Lee)
Why I Wrote This
Ongig’s mission is to eliminate boring and biased job descriptions. Flagging business acronyms or abbreviations helps make your JDs more readable and appealing. Our Text Analyzer flags abbreviations and acronyms for you, so you don’t have to search for them. Click on “request demo” to learn more.
