Should NATO be capitalized?
Use all capitals if an abbreviation is pronounced as the individual letters: BBC, VAT, etc; if it is an acronym (pronounced as a word) spell out with initial capital, eg Nasa, Nato, unless it can be considered to have entered the language as an everyday word, such as awol, laser and, more recently, asbo, pin number and …
Should acronyms be capitalized?
In general, common nouns are not capitalized when they’re written out as words, but the abbreviations are ALWAYS capitalized—whether they’re units, elements, or acronyms.
Are lasers all caps?
Laser, for example, is an acronym that stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; the word is now so common that nobody thinks of it as an acronym, and subsequently nobody capitalizes it.
Is NASA All capitalized?
According to the AP Stylebook, if a well-known acronym is pronounced like a word instead of the letters being said, it is lowercase. So Nasa would be spelt Nasa, not NASA but FBI is all capital letters.
Is Constitutional capitalized?
The “Constitution,” referring to the US Constitution, is capitalized. The adjective “constitutional” is never capitalized.
Why is NATO Spelt OTAN?
What is NATO (and why is it sometimes spelled OTAN)? That’s because the organization’s second official language is French, and in French, OTAN stands for “Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord.” The core principle of NATO is collective defense: If one member is attacked, all should respond.
Are acronyms proper nouns?
But many acronyms do not stand for proper nouns and should not be capitalized in their written-out forms.
What are the rules for abbreviations?
Rules for Abbreviations
- Introduce Them with Parentheses.
- Abbreviate Personal and Professional Titles.
- Only Abbreviate Well-Known Terms.
- Look Closely at Initialisms.
- Keep Date Abbreviations Informal.
- Time and Time Zones Can Follow Several Styles.
- There Are USPS Standards for Addresses.
- Latin Abbreviations Need Punctuation.
Can initials be lowercase?
Almost all initialisms are fully capitalized. Only when an abbreviation is a true acronym and pronounceable as a separate word does it appear to become eligible for alternate capitalization.
Can acronyms be lowercase?
Editors like both. The Associated Press Stylebook3 advises, with regard to acronyms, “Use only an initial cap and then lowercase for acronyms of more than six letters, unless listed otherwise in this Stylebook or Webster’s New World College Dictionary.” So, it does seem to be related to length.
Is the moon capitalized?
We usually lowercase sun, moon, and earth, but, following The Chicago Manual of Style, when the does not precede the name of the planet, when earth is not part of an idiomatic expression, or when other planets are mentioned, we capitalize earth: The earth revolves around the sun. The astronauts landed on the moon.
Should full moon be capitalized?
Capital decision Capitalize ‘Moon’ when referring to Earth’s Moon; otherwise, lowercase ‘moon’ (e.g., ‘The Moon orbits Earth,’ ‘Jupiter’s moons’). Do not capitalize ‘solar system’ and ‘universe.
Are acronyms capitalized?
According to Merriam-Webster, an acronym is “a word (such as NATO, radar, or laser) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term.” Even though all three acronyms given as examples can be spoken of as words, just the first one is capitalized.
Do acronyms have to be written in lowercase?
In such environments, sentence starters, proper nouns—even the letter I—tend to be written in lowercase. Given that such acronyms are found almost exclusively in casual contexts, it makes sense that it would need to be written in lowercase as well.
Why do people hate capitalizing Lol?
There is no shortage of forum messages, Facebook pages, tweets, or blog posts about the practice. The Internet community, so varied in other respects, seems to be in agreement here. And just as Apple iOS’s autocorrect feature has caused strife for other reasons, people seem to hate that it capitalizes LOL for them.