Acronym vs. Acrostic — What's the Difference?

An acronym is an abbreviation read as a word.

An acrostic is a poem where the first letters spell a word.

An acronym is a word formed from initial letters.

An acrostic can serve as a mnemonic.

An acronym simplifies complex phrases.

An acrostic is a textual puzzle.

An acronym serves as a shorthand for longer terms.

An acrostic can appear in various forms of text.

An acronym can become part of everyday language.

An acrostic can be a form of steganography.

An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, as in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or EU (European Union), but sometimes using syllables, as in Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), or a mixture of the two, as in radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging). Similarly, acronyms are sometimes pronounced as words, as in NASA or UNESCO, sometimes as the individual letters, as in FBI or ATM, or a mixture of the two, as in JPEG or IUPAC. The broader sense of acronym inclusive of terms pronounced as the individual letters (such as "TNT") is sometimes criticized, but it is the term's original meaning and is in common use.

An acrostic is a poem (or other form of writing) in which the first letter (or syllable, or word) of each line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The word comes from the French acrostiche from post-classical Latin acrostichis, from Koine Greek ἀκροστιχίς, from Ancient Greek ἄκρος "highest, topmost" and στίχος "verse".

An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA).

A poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words.

A word formed by combining the initial letters of a multipart name, such as NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization or by combining the initial letters or parts of a series of words, such as radar from radio detecting and ranging.

A poem or series of lines in which certain letters, usually the first in each line, form a name, motto, or message when read in sequence.

Usage Problem An initialism.

See word square.

(linguistics) An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words, sometimes exclusively such abbreviations when pronounced as a word (as "laser") rather than as individual letters (initialisms such as "TNT").

A word puzzle in which the answers to several different clues form an anagram of a quotation, phrase, or other text.

(linguistics) An abbreviation formed by the beginning letters or syllables of other words (as "Benelux").

A poem or other text in which certain letters, often the first in each line, spell out a name or message.

To form into an acronym.

A poem in Hebrew in which successive lines or verses start with consecutive letters of the alphabet.

A word formed from the initial letters of a multi-word name

A kind of word puzzle, the solution of which forms an anagram of a quotation, and their initials often form the name of its author.

Of or pertaining to acrostics.

A composition, usually in verse, in which the first or the last letters of the lines, or certain other letters, taken in order, form a name, word, phrase, or motto.

A Hebrew poem in which the lines or stanzas begin with the letters of the alphabet in regular order (as Psalm cxix.). See Abecedarian.

Pertaining to, or characterized by, acrostics.

A puzzle where you fill a square grid with words reading the same down as across

Verse in which certain letters such as the first in each line form a word or message

An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of a phrase.

Yes, some acronyms, like "laser," have become real words in English.

Usually, all the letters in an acronym are capitalized.

Acronyms are created by taking the initial letters of each word in a phrase.

No, acrostics can be puzzles or other forms of text, not just poems.

Acronyms are generally pronounced as a single word.

Acrostics primarily serve artistic or educational purposes.

Acrostics are created by arranging text so that certain letters spell out a word or message.

An acrostic is a composition in which the first, middle, or last letters of lines spell out a word or message.

Yes, acrostics can contain hidden words or messages.

The primary purpose of an acronym is to abbreviate and simplify.

No, acrostics are usually not pronounced; they are visual or structural.

Yes, acronyms can become outdated if the organization or concept they represent changes.

Most often, acronyms replace longer phrases for convenience.

Acrostics are commonly found in poems, puzzles, and sometimes in prose.