Acronyms
Acronyms and abbreviations can have an adverse effect on clarity, voice, and findability. Although some acronyms are widely understood and preferred to the spelled-out term, others aren't well known or are familiar only to a specific group of customers.
Always spell out Microsoft product and feature names.
The A–Z word list has guidelines for many common acronyms, and some acronyms are so widely used that they're in Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
In general, include the acronym in parentheses following the spelled-out term. On subsequent mentions in the same article, page, or screen, you can use the acronym without spelling it out.
Some acronyms, like USB, FAQ, and URL, are more well known than the spelled-out term. Don't spell out the term if the acronym is listed in Merriam-Webster Dictionary or if the A–Z word list says to use the acronym without spelling it out. If you're sure your audience is familiar with an acronym, it's OK to use it without spelling it out.
Examples
Conversation as a platform (CaaP) has the potential to make booking a flight as easy as sending a text message. Developers are also looking to CaaP to make computing more accessible to users of all abilities.
Learn how to connect a USB device to your Microsoft Surface.
If an acronym will appear only once in your content, just spell out the term. Don't introduce it in parentheses after the spelled-out version.
Exception It's OK to use both the spelled-out term and the acronym if both are needed for SEO, even if the acronym is used only once.
Avoid using an acronym for the first time in a title or heading, unless it's a keyword that you need to place in the title or heading for SEO. If the first use of the acronym is in a title or heading, introduce the acronym (in parentheses, following the spelled-out term) in the following body text.
Lowercase all words in the spelled-out form of an acronym except for proper nouns. The names of many protocols and specifications are considered proper nouns and are capitalized when spelled out.
Examples
infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
dynamic-link library (DLL)
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
Which article (a or an) you use depends on whether you pronounce the acronym like a word or pronounce each letter.
Examples
a DLL
an ISP
a URL
a SQL database
Add s to make an acronym plural
Form the plural of an acronym like you would any other noun. If the acronym stands for a singular noun, add a lowercase s to make it plural. If an acronym stands for a plural noun, don’t add an s.
Examples
three APIs
Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC)
Unless an acronym refers to a person or an organization, avoid using the possessive form.
Examples
the IDE enhancements
the purpose of the FAQ
the CEO’s blog
Global tip In machine-translated content, be careful with acronyms that form common English words, like RAM. If the acronym appears outside of the parentheses and without the spelled-out version, it might be translated incorrectly.
See also Bits and bytes term collection, Units of measure term collection