With the popularity and rise in real-time text-based communications, such as Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging, e-mail, Internet and online gaming services, chat rooms, discussion boards and mobile phone text messaging (SMS), came the emergence of a new language tailored to the immediacy and compactness of these new communication media.

An abbreviation is any shortened form of a word or phrase and an acronym is a form of an abbreviation. In fact, there are three forms of abbreviation. First, there is the acronym. It is a word formed from the initial parts of a name and can be letters or syllables. For example, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is commonly known as NATO which is pronounced "nay toe”.

Then there is the initialism. It is formed by combining the first letters in a name or expression and each letter is pronounced separately. For example, the National Broadcasting Company is known as NBC.

Finally, there are truncations. In this form of abbreviation, a word is shortened to its first syllable or few letters, for example Tues. is Tuesday and info is information.

With more than 900,000 human-edited definitions, Acronym Finder is the world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms. Combined with the Acronym Attic, Acronym Finder contains more than 4 million acronyms and abbreviations. You can also search for more than 850,000 US and Canadian postal codes.

Jargon and buzzwords are technical or occupational term developed to help specialists in a specific industry or business communicate quickly and simply with one another.