Initialism: A brand name formed from the initial letters of a longer name or phrase and pronounced letter by letter
Often contrasted with
Acronym: A brand name formed from the initial letters (or groups of letters) of a longer name or phrase and pronounced as a word
Other definitions from around the web
“A group of initial letters used as an abbreviation for a name or expression, each letter being pronounced separately.” – The Financial Brand
“A set of initials representing a name, organization, or the like, with each letter pronounced separately.” – Dictionary.com
“An abbreviated version of a brand’s name formed by the first letter of each word in its name. Its appearance is identical to an acronym, but differs in that it’s pronounced letter by letter, rather than as a spoken word.” – OVO
Examples of initialism brand names
- AT&T
- CNN
- IBM
- KFC
Also known as
- Alphabetism
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