There are many acronyms and abbreviations in the English language to facilitate, speed up communication between professionals. Some of them are quite general and others are more specific (e.g. they are related to new technologies, finance or marketing).
They mostly originate from and are related to the business world, although they are increasingly used in everyday speech. Knowing and understanding these acronyms certainly improves understanding and communication in English (be it everyday communication or the business environment).

What are acronyms
An acronym is formed using the first letters of a longer name (acronyms are shortenings of a whole name consisting of several words). Note that an acronym is not an abbreviation, as an abbreviation is formed from the first (and possibly last) letters or syllables of a single word (name), i.e.: the full name of an abbreviation is one word; and the full name of an acronym is several words.
Why use acronyms
There are many reasons for this, but the most important is to save time. For example, it is easier and quicker to use the acronym CEFR than ‘The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages’. Sometimes acronyms are used to save space, e.g. on packaging, or to make a term sound ‘more appealing’ in everyday use.
When to use acronyms
It is best to take an inspiration from the language environment. For example, many companies use specialised acronyms (even those invented by a given company) to improve communication - in these circumstances it is worth knowing and using the acronyms in question. If you work in a particular industry, it is also useful to know and use specialised and industry-specific acronyms.
However, it is important to remember that too many acronyms in one message make it difficult to understand - so you should be moderate in their use.
Popular acronyms in English
General
FYI
For Your Information
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
RSVP
Répondez S'il Vous Plaît / Please Respond / Respond, If It Pleases You
AKA
Also Known As
BTW
by the way
LOL
Laughing Out Loud
Q&A
Questions and Answers
AFAIK
As Far As I Know
CU
See You
NGL
Not Gonna Lie
BION
Believe It Or Not
CFV
Call For Votes
EOD
End Of Discussion
F2F
Face To Face
TBC
To Be Confirmed
FOMO
Fear Of Missing Out
IDK
I Don’t Know
TNX
Thanks
IMO
In My Opinion
COI
Certificate of Insurance
GNP
Gross National Product
VAT
Value Added Tax
BRB
Be Right Back
BBQ
Barbecue
PPV
Pay Per View
Business English
ASAP
As Soon As Possible
B2B
Business to Business
B2C
Business to Consumer
BD
Business Development
CEO
Chief Executive Officer
CFO
Chief Financial Officer
COO
Chief Operating Officer
CTO
Chief Technology Officer
COB
Close Of Business
POS
Point of Sale
DM
Direct Mail / Direct Message
CC
Carbon Copy
BCC
Blind Carbon Copy
CRM
Customer Relationship Management
CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility
EOD
End Of Day
EOW
End Of Week
HR
Human Resources
IAM
In A Meeting
KPI
Key Performance Indicator
ROI
Return On Investment
ROA
Return On Assets
ROE
Return On Equity
SMART
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound
MOM
Month Over Month
QOQ
Quarter Over Quarter
YOY
Year Over Year
PA
Performance Appraisal / Personal Assistant
PDP
Personal Development Programme
P/E
Price to Earnings
P&L
Profit and Loss
FTE
Full-time Employee
PTE
Part-time Employee
PTO
Paid Time Off
SMB
Small to Medium Business
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit
TOS
Terms Of Service
YTD
Year To Date
CPC
Cost Per Click
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language
QC
Quality Control
R&D
Research and Development
SaaS
Software as a Service
SEO
Search Engine Optimization
SMM
Social Media Marketing
SWOT
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
UI
User Interface
VPN
Virtual Private Network
WOM
Word Of Mouth
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