Alphabetisms

An extreme form of clipping is the use of the initial letters of syllables or words. The forms TB (tuberculosis) and TV (television) use the initial letters of syllables, and the forms CD (compact disc) and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) use the initial letters of words. In the cases in which initialisms are pronounced with the names of the letters of the alphabet, they are called alphabetisms. 

Clipping in which the initials are pronounced as if they were a word are called acronyms. Examples include NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan). If they were pronounced with the names of the letters of the alphabet, they would have more syllables.

One of the oldest English alphabetisms, and also the most successful, is OK. It originated as a form of oll korrekt, an intentional misspelling of all correct. OK is now used not only in English but in many other languages.

English has many examples of clipped forms. The clipped forms auto (automobile), fax (facsimile) and zoo (zoological garden) are very common. Alphabetisms, initialisms pronounced with the names of the letters of the alphabet, are also common.