Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases used for convenience, brevity, or standardization. They are widely used in daily communication, technology, education, medicine, and various professional fields. Understanding common abbreviations and their full forms helps improve clarity and efficiency in both written and verbal exchanges.
In this list, we have compiled 100+ important abbreviations along with their full forms, covering categories such as technology, science, education, business, and general terms. Whether you’re a student, professional, or just curious, this guide will help you decode frequently used abbreviations and expand your knowledge.
Let’s explore them!
All New Abbreviations With Their Full Form
Some common abbreviations used in India, along with their full forms:
| Short Forms | Full Forms |
| AI | Artificial Intelligence |
| AICTE | All India Council for Technical Education |
| AIIMS | All India Institute of Medical Sciences |
| AM | Amplitude Modulation |
| ANN | Artificial Neural Network |
| AR | Augmented Reality |
| ASAP | As Soon As Possible |
| ASEAN | Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
| ASP | Active Server Pages |
| ATM | Automated Teller Machine |
| BBC | British Broadcasting Corporation |
| BFSI | Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance |
| BHEL | Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited |
| BPL | Below Poverty Line |
| BSE | Bombay Stock Exchange |
| BSF | Border Security Force |
| BSNL | Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited |
| CCRF | Central Crisis Response Force |
| CDMA | Code Division Multiple Access |
| CDO | Chief Data Officer |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer |
| CERN | European Organization for Nuclear Research |
| CFO | Chief Financial Officer |
| CIA | Central Intelligence Agency |
| CIO | Chief Information Officer |
| CISF | Central Industrial Security Force |
| CMO | Chief Marketing Officer |
| CNN | Cable News Network |
| COO | Chief Operating Officer |
| CPO | Chief People Officer |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management |
| CRPF | Central Reserve Police Force |
| CSR | Corporate Social Responsibility |
| CSS | Cascading Style Sheets |
| CSV | Comma-Separated Values |
| CTC | Cost to Company |
| CTR | Click Through Rate |
| DBMS | Database Management System |
| DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol |
| DIY | Do It Yourself |
| DLC | Downloadable Content |
| DNS | Domain Name System |
| DSLR | Digital Single-Lens Reflex |
| DVD | Digital Versatile Disc |
| EMI | Equated Monthly Installment |
| ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning |
| ESA | European Space Agency |
| EU | European Union |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions |
| FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
| FIFA | Fédération Internationale de Football Association |
| FM | Frequency Modulation |
| FMCG | Fast Moving Consumer Goods |
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol |
| GDPR | General Data Protection Regulation |
| GHz | Gigahertz |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format |
| GIS | Geographic Information System |
| GPS | Global Positioning System |
| GPU | Graphics Processing Unit |
| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface |
| HAL | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited |
| HD | High Definition |
| HDMI | High-Definition Multimedia Interface |
| HTML | Hypertext Markup Language |
| HTTP | Hypertext Transfer Protocol |
| HTTPS | Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure |
| IAS | Indian Administrative Service |
| IAS | Indian Administrative Service |
| IBPS | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection |
| ICAI | Institute of Chartered Accountants of India |
| ICC | International Cricket Council |
| IIT | Indian Institutes of Technology |
| ILO | International Labor Organization |
| IMAP | Internet Message Access Protocol |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| IMPS | Immediate Payment Service |
| IOC | International Olympic Committee |
| IoT | Internet of Things |
| IPS | Indian Police Service |
| ISD | International Subscriber Dialing |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider |
| ISRO | Indian Space Research Organisation |
| ITI | Industrial Training Institute |
| JPG | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| LAN | Local Area Network |
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display |
| LED | Light Emitting Diode |
| LGBT | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender |
| LPG | Liquefied Petroleum Gas |
| LTE | Long-Term Evolution |
| MAC | Media Access Control |
| MAN | Metropolitan Area Network |
| MB | Megabyte |
| MBA | Master of Business Administration |
| MHz | Megahertz |
| MICR | Magnetic Ink Character Recognition |
| MIDI | Musical Instrument Digital Interface |
| ML | Machine Learning |
| MR | Mixed Reality |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| NCC | National Cadet Corps |
| NEET | National Eligibility cum Entrance Test |
| NEFT | National Electronic Funds Transfer |
| NFC | Near Field Communication |
| NGO | Non-Governmental Organization |
| NHS | National Health Service |
| NIFT | National Institute of Fashion Technology |
| NIFTY | National Stock Exchange Fifty |
| NITI | National Institution for Transforming India |
| NRI | Non-Resident Indian |
| NSS | National Service Scheme |
| OLED | Organic Light Emitting Diode |
| ONGC | Oil and Natural Gas Corporation |
| PAN | Permanent Account Number |
| PC | Personal Computer |
| Portable Document Format | |
| PGA | Professional Golfers’ Association |
| PIN | Personal Identification Number |
| PNG | Portable Network Graphics |
| PPP | Purchasing Power Parity |
| PSU | Public Sector Undertaking |
| QA | Quality Assurance |
| RAM | Random Access Memory |
| RAW | Research and Analysis Wing |
| RFID | Radio-Frequency Identification |
| RNN | Recurrent Neural Network |
| ROI | Return on Investment |
| ROM | Read-Only Memory |
| RTO | Regional Transport Office |
| SAARC | South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation |
| SAN | Storage Area Network |
| SAP | Systems, Applications, and Products |
| SBI | State Bank of India |
| SIM | Subscriber Identity Module |
| SMS | Short Message Service |
| SMTP | Simple Mail Transfer Protocol |
| SSI | Small Scale Industry |
| SSL | Secure Socket Layer |
| STD | Subscriber Trunk Dialing |
| SWIFT | Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication |
| TCP/IP | Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol |
| TGIF | Thank God It’s Friday |
| UGC | University Grants Commission |
| UID | Unique Identification Number (Aadhaar) |
| UIDAI | Unique Identification Authority of India |
| UN | United Nations |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children’s Fund |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children’s Fund |
| UNO | United Nations Organization |
| UPC | Universal Product Code |
| UPS | Uninterruptible Power Supply |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus |
| VAT | Value Added Tax |
| VLAN | Virtual Local Area Network |
| VPN | Virtual Private Network |
| VR | Virtual Reality |
| WAN | Wide Area Network |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| WLAN | Wireless Local Area Network |
| WTO | World Trade Organization |
| WWF | World Wide Fund for Nature |
| XML | Extensible Markup Language |
| YMCA | Young Men’s Christian Association |
| ZARA | Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer |
FAQ on Abbreviations – Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an abbreviation?
Answer: An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase (e.g., “ASAP” for As Soon As Possible).
2. What’s the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym?
Answer: Abbreviation: Shortened form, often with periods (e.g., Dr. for Doctor).
Acronym: Pronounced as a word, formed from initials (e.g., NASA for National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
3. Why are abbreviations used?
Answer: Save time and space in communication.
Simplify complex terms (e.g., CPU for Central Processing Unit).
Standardize terminology in fields like medicine (e.g., MRI) or tech (e.g., HTML).
4. What are some common abbreviation categories?
Answer:
Technology: AI (Artificial Intelligence), VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Education: PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), MBA (Master of Business Administration)
Medical: BP (Blood Pressure), ICU (Intensive Care Unit)
General: FYI (For Your Information), RSVP (Répondez S’il Vous Plaît)
5. How can I remember abbreviations?
Answer:
# Use flashcards or quizzes.
# Associate them with full forms (e.g., GPS → Global Positioning System).
# Practice through daily use (e.g., texting, emails).
6. Are abbreviations formal or informal?
Answer:
Formal: Used in professional/docs (e.g., CEO, ISBN).
Informal: Common in chats (e.g., LOL, BTW). Always check context!
7. Where can I find a full list of abbreviations
Answer:
# Dictionaries (Oxford, Merriam-Webster).
# Industry-specific guides (medical, IT).
# Online resources like Wikipedia or abbreviation databases.
