For the <acronym> HTML tag, see HTML element § acronym. For the use of acronyms on Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Acronyms. An acronym is a word or name formed as an abbreviation from the initial components of a phrase or a word, usually individual letters (as in "NATO" or "laser") and sometimes syllables (as in "Benelux"). There are no universal standards for the multiple names for such abbreviations or for their orthographic styling. In English and most other languages, such abbreviations historically had limited use, but they became much more common in the 20th century. Acronyms are a type of word formation process, and they are viewed as a subtype of blending. Contents 1 Nomenclature 2 Comparing a few examples of each type 3 Historical and current use 3.1 Early examples in English 3.2 Current use 3.2.1 Aids to learning the expansion without leaving a document 3.2.2 Jargon 3.2.3 As mnemonics 3.2.4 Acron