What is a backronym?

What is a backronym?

When you treat a word or phrase like an acronym, it’s called a backronym. Backronyms are also known as reverse acronyms. Like acronyms, backronyms are a type of abbreviation that shorten multiple words into one. In most cases, the word used for a backronym relates to what it stands for. A popular example of a backronym is having the word “family” stand for “Forget About Me, I Love You.”

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Backronyms are sometimes mistaken for actual acronyms. A well-known instance of a backronym is the word “Wi-Fi.” Many people believe that the word “Wi-Fi” is an acronym for “wireless fidelity,” but it actually doesn’t stand for anything. The word “news” is also thought to be an abbreviation of the four cardinal directions (north, east, west, south), but this has proven to be false as well.

What is the difference between a backronym and an acronym?

Although backronyms are technically a form of acronyms, they’re two separate things by definition. An acronym takes the first letter of each word to create an entirely new word, while backronyms adopt existing words or phrases and turn them into artificial acronyms. For example, we know that the term “ASAP” is short for “as soon as possible.” “ASAP” is an acronym because it has no other meaning than what it stands for. A backronym is the opposite of an acronym because it takes a word that already has a meaning and turns it into an acronym.

Acronyms are slightly different from initialisms, which is when each letter is pronounced individually and not said as a word. A good example of this is a BLT, or bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. It’s hard to string the letters B, L, and T into a word, so we just say each letter instead.

Are acronyms that became words considered to be backronyms?

Have you ever been told that a common word or phrase was actually an acronym? There are lots of acronyms that are so ingrained into the English language that we may only know them as words. Since these acronyms weren’t words before, they aren’t considered to be backronyms.

Here are some examples of words that actually started out as acronyms:

• Taser: This may come as a shock to you, but the word “taser” is an acronym! TASER stands for “Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle.”
• Scuba: It’s too much of a mouthful to say that you’re about to go “Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus” diving, which is why it was shortened to just “scuba.”
• Pakistan: Even country names can be acronyms! Pakistan is an acronym for “Punjab, Afghan, Kashmir, Indus-Sind.” The -tan suffix is derived from “Baluchistan.”

How backronyms are used

Backronyms are more common than you might think. Here are some fun backronyms that you may not have noticed before:

In movies and TV shows

Many of the fictional organizations in movies and TV shows are backronyms. In some cases, the title of a movie or show can also be a backronym. Some popular examples include:

• M*A*S*H: M*A*S*H is a popular movie and TV series, and the backronym in the title stands for “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The title law enforcement organization in this action series is short for “Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division”.
• W.I.F.E.: In the children’s show Spongebob Squarepants, the antagonist Plankton is married to Karen, who is his computer W.I.F.E. or “Wired Integrated Female Electroencephalograph.”

In the US government

The US government is also a big fan of using backronyms. Bills, organization names, and even locations are often shortened into common words. Some examples include:

• CARES Act: The CARES Act is a stimulus bill that was passed during the COVID-19 pandemic. CARES is short for “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security.”
• USA PATRIOT Act: The USA PATRIOT Act stands for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.”
• BISON Project: “Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation” or “BISON” is the name of a project that collects species occurrence data throughout the country.

Want to learn more about wordplays? Explore spoonerisms and other ways to have fun with words using our writing tips.