# acronym

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈæk.ɹə.nɪm/ · frequency rank #17,530

## Definitions
1. An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.
2. An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.
3. An abbreviation formed by the beginning letters or syllables of other words (as "Benelux").

## Etymology
Borrowed from German Akronym, from Ancient Greek ἄκρον (ákron, “end, peak”) and ὄνυμα (ónuma, “name”), equivalent to acro- (“high; beginning”) + -onym (“name”). Modelled after Homonym and Synonym, first attested in German in the early 1900s and in English in 1940.

## Easily confused with
- **acronyms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/acronym-vs-acronyms)

## Common misspellings (11)
`accronym`, `acornym`, `acrnoym`, `acronmy`, `acronnym`, `acronymm`, `acronyym`, `acroynm`, `acrronym`, `arconym`, `caronym`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/acronym