# It ain't an acronym.  What is it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 8, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999 "2003-05-08T23:43:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/21 "2003-05-09T23:53:32Z")

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George Carlin’s joke is that FBI, CIA, and KGB aren’t acronyms, but merely pricks.

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**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/22 "2003-05-10T10:43:15Z")

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[hijack]  
Welcome to the SDMB, Francis, and do the words “Computer God Parroting Puppet Gangster Slaves” or “Frankenstein Earphone Radio” mean anything to you?  
[/hijack]

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/23 "2003-05-10T13:44:35Z")

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I think one could make an argument for FedEx being an acronym as well. After all, “radar” and “sonar” are formed using more than the initial letter.

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**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/24 "2003-05-10T15:48:31Z")

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Depends on if you pronounce it “fed ecks” or “fedecks”.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/25 "2003-05-10T23:47:28Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Francis E Dec, Esq \*  
> Thanks for all the responses. I suspect the Merriam-Webster use of acronym in the def of initialism is just an oversight.

I don’t think so. I think they knew exactly what they were saying: initialisms are a subset of acronyms.

The problem you (and many others) seem to be having is that initialisms like VCR and ATM are somehow not words because they are pronounced the same as a string of letters. But there’s nothing in the definition of _word_ that excludes such a pronunciation. And by all the rules of grammar, they function exactly the same as other words. Applying the duck test, they are words and hence also acronyms.

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