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Acronyms and Initialisms Trivia

Acronyms and Initialisms Trivia Quizzes

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An initialism is a way of abbreviating a phrase by taking the first letter (or the first few letters) from each word of the phrase -- like UN for United Nations. An acronym is a special type of initialism that is itself pronounced like a word.
26 quizzes and 315 trivia questions.
1.
  A to Z Acronyms   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
Our society loves to abbreviate words and phrases. Here is an alphabetical list of some common acronyms; let's see what you know about them! (This quiz is dedicated to Funtrivia.com team member CD ROCK of Heaven's Angels who passed away March, 2009).
Average, 25 Qns, BRY2K, Nov 17 23
Average
BRY2K
Nov 17 23
5276 plays
2.
  Lay Some Acronyms on Me   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
Acronyms surround us. They are so prevalent that people may use them without really knowing what they stand for. Well I would like to rectify that, 20 acronyms at a time.
Average, 20 Qns, deputygary, Sep 14 24
Average
deputygary
Sep 14 24
3375 plays
3.
  OHMSS editor best quiz   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
James Bond has been equipped with gadgets from Q, instructions from M, and with his new license to thrill, he would like your help to decipher some of the many acronyms or initialisms that are part of his new mission...On Her Majesty's Secret Service!
Average, 10 Qns, Plodd, Apr 28 17
Average
Plodd
1789 plays
4.
  In Other Words...   great trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 15 Qns
Match the acronym or initialism to the correct synonym or description.
Very Easy, 15 Qns, nyirene330, Aug 25 18
Very Easy
nyirene330
Aug 25 18
581 plays
5.
  Life is Too Short - Use a TLA!   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Surrounded by TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms)? Here are a selection of those covering a wide range of FT categories! Don't go AFK (away from keyboard) or MIA (missing in action). Have a RHG (Red Hot Go)and see how many you recognize...
Easier, 10 Qns, MikeMaster99, Mar 02 20
Easier
MikeMaster99 gold member
Mar 02 20
616 plays
6.
  Short For?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
We see abbreviations everywhere in our daily lives. But do we really know what they stand for?
Easier, 10 Qns, cavalier87, Dec 11 21
Easier
cavalier87 gold member
Dec 11 21
582 plays
7.
  Abridged Too Far   popular trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Match the initials to the proper definition or description.
Easier, 10 Qns, nyirene330, Aug 30 16
Easier
nyirene330
779 plays
8.
  Acronyms Test    
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
Here are some common Acronyms. What do they stand for?
Average, 25 Qns, awkins, Apr 13 20
Average
awkins
Apr 13 20
13429 plays
9.
  All About Acronyms   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
An acronym is a special type of abbreviation, one that is pronounced as a word and not as individual letters; for example, BETA is an acronym, VHS is not.
Tough, 10 Qns, MotherGoose, Apr 25 12
Tough
MotherGoose editor
1843 plays
10.
  Abbreviations We Should Know    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Abbreviations and acronyms used in every day life that most people should be familiar with. Have Fun!
Average, 10 Qns, SKR, Sep 25 19
Average
SKR
Sep 25 19
6785 plays
trivia question Quick Question
When filling up the tires on one's car with air, which measurement acronym would be of interest?

From Quiz "A to Z Acronyms"




11.
  'A' Is for ACRONYM   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Match the acronym or initialism with the correct answer.
Average, 10 Qns, nyirene330, Feb 19 22
Average
nyirene330
Feb 19 22
765 plays
12.
  For What Does it Stand?   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
We may often use acronyms or initialisms without thinking about which words the letters represent. Here are ten for you to decipher...
Average, 10 Qns, EnglishJedi, May 31 16
Average
EnglishJedi gold member
563 plays
13.
  More Acronyms from History   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Someone made a quiz over Acronyms from History and I liked it so much, I thought I'd try making one, also. I hope you enjoy it.
Average, 10 Qns, shvdotr, Mar 19 16
Average
shvdotr gold member
620 plays
14.
  Acronym Mania    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A (mostly) multiple choice quiz on some everyday acronyms, enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, Buzby, Aug 28 13
Average
Buzby
4731 plays
15.
  AQUA aka A Quiz Using Acronyms   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I recently got a note from an editor asking me to expand my II. I was baffled until she explained the obvious - Interesting Information!! That gave rise to this quiz.
Average, 10 Qns, 480154st, Apr 17 18
Average
480154st gold member
Apr 17 18
413 plays
16.
  UK Acronyms and Initialisms Past and Present    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Match the topics against the correct sets of letters. All acronyms and initialisms relate to the UK.
Easier, 10 Qns, KentQuizzer, May 30 16
Easier
KentQuizzer gold member
397 plays
17.
  OMG Acronyms are Awesome    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
With cell phones taking over our lives, we simply don't have time to spell out every word or phrase. Thus, we use acronyms (and initialisms such as OMG, in which the letters are pronounced individually).
Very Easy, 10 Qns, Goddess1374, Sep 24 24
Very Easy
Goddess1374
Sep 24 24
1256 plays
18.
  Random Acronyms    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Do you know what these acronyms stand for?
Average, 10 Qns, raidersruleall, Jan 06 15
Average
raidersruleall
2138 plays
19.
  Abbreviations    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You simply have to complete the missing word(s) in the fuller versions of some common 'shortened forms'.D.I.Y = Do It --- And now its up to you YOURSELF to prove this was really easy.
Average, 10 Qns, chrissie_26, Feb 02 18
Average
chrissie_26
Feb 02 18
6256 plays
20.
  The Ever-Helpful Acronym    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Many of the words we use today are not words at all but acronyms - the initials of the names of organizations or situations that form the words we use in their place. How many of these can you identify?
Tough, 10 Qns, Cymruambyth, Aug 24 10
Tough
Cymruambyth gold member
1242 plays
21.
  Acronym Meanings    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
These are common words and acronyms that we encounter everywhere, but do you know what they actually stand for?
Average, 10 Qns, aircorwin, Mar 29 12
Average
aircorwin
1458 plays
22.
  Test yourself! Acronyms Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Relatively easy - just identify the word that goes with the acronym...be careful with the trick questions!
Average, 15 Qns, Laura-Kaye, Jan 15 23
Average
Laura-Kaye
Jan 15 23
5742 plays
23.
  Organizations Alphabetics    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I will give you the organization or group abbreviation. It's up to you to tell me which one of the multiple choice answers best fits the abbreviation.
Average, 10 Qns, aaron595, Aug 06 22
Average
aaron595
Aug 06 22
3645 plays
24.
  Aussie Acronyms    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Acronyms are everywhere once you recognise them!
Average, 15 Qns, TriviaPrince5S, Apr 09 17
Average
TriviaPrince5S
1376 plays
25.
  Everyday Acronyms & Initialisms    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some acronyms and initialisms that everyone will recognise, but will you know what it stands for? I have capitalised the relevant letters (which may look a bit odd on some answers!)
Average, 10 Qns, se01dct, Dec 02 21
Average
se01dct
Dec 02 21
768 plays
26.
  I Owe You Some Acronyms Too    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz will test your knowledge of some well-known and some more obscure acronyms and initialisms. These acronyms reflect their most common meaning in the United States. Good luck, and spell carefully!
Average, 10 Qns, Bladewing10, Jun 19 10
Average
Bladewing10
494 plays

Acronyms and Initialisms Trivia Questions

1. Located nominally on the 38th Parallel, which two countries are still separated by a DMZ?

From Quiz
Life is Too Short - Use a TLA!

Answer: North and South Korea

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a 4 km wide, 250 km long area separating the borders of North and South Korea. Although crossing the 38th Parallel (north), it runs slightly more south-west (from the western coast of the Korean Peninsula) to the north-east (eastern coast). The DMZ was established to separate the two armed forces as part of the July 1953 Armistice Agreement. There is a United Nations Buffer Zone, also known as the 'Green Line', in Cyprus.

2. In times of crisis, the UK government will hold a COBRA meeting to discuss strategy. What does COBRA stand for?

From Quiz AQUA aka A Quiz Using Acronyms

Answer: Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms

It should actually be a COBR meeting but that isn't as scary as being told you are the subject of a COBRA meeting, which is usually chaired by the Prime Minister. The first COBRA meeting was under Edward Heath in response to the miner's strike of 1972 and themeetings continue to be held as and when required, such as in response to the poisoning on UK soil of former Soviet spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, in 2018.

3. James Bond finished his meeting at MI6 headquarters and was given instructions on a new mission to recover a stolen micro-fish by arch villain, The Codfather. What is MI6?

From Quiz OHMSS

Answer: Military Intelligence, Section 6

Military Intelligence, Section 6, is the Secret Service agency which passes information to the British government relating to foreign intelligence. It was formed in 1909. People confuse this with MI5, the security agency which gathers information related to domestic threats inside the UK.

4. Founded in 1971, the Nasdaq is now the world's second-largest stock exchange (after New York). For what, though, do the letters "NASDAQ" stand?

From Quiz For What Does it Stand?

Answer: National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations

Opened on February 4, 1971, the "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations" was founded by the National Association of Securities Dealers. Its headquarters are at 165 Broadway, New York NY. In 1992, Nasdaq joined forces with the London Stock Exchange to form the first linked intercontinental securities market. For its first 35 years, Nasdaq was officially classified as a stock market but, in 2006, this was amended to became a 'licensed national securities exchange'.

5. One of the earliest acronyms from history was carried on standards by Roman legions into battle. What was it?

From Quiz More Acronyms from History

Answer: SPQR

SPQR is an acronym for "Senate and People of Rome." The "Q" is for "-que" in Latin (an enclitic particle), meaning "and," thus, "Senatus Populusque Romanus." "Roma" is the Latin and Italian name of Rome. TGIF is "Thank God it's Friday" and FDIC is the "Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation."

6. If someone gave you SARS, what would you want to do with it?

From Quiz 'A' Is for ACRONYM

Answer: cure it

SARS stands for 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome', a contagious, and sometimes fatal, viral respiratory illness which first appeared in China in November, 2002; it is a serious form of pneumonia. SARS was subsequently identified by the World Health Organization in 2003. 'Patient Zero' was a businessman who had traveled from China through Hong Kong, Hanoi and Vietnam; both the businessman and the doctor who diagnosed him died from the disease.

7. What does the acronym SCUBA stand for?

From Quiz Acronym Meanings

Answer: Self contained underwater breathing apparatus

Scuba is already widely accepted in general conversation as a word in its own right, as used in phrases like "scuba diving," "scuba gear," among others.

8. Starting on a military theme, what does 'NATO' stand for?

From Quiz Everyday Acronyms & Initialisms

Answer: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Due to its everyday usage, it can also be written Nato, whilst in French it is OTAN (Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord). Initially set up during the Cold War, NATO was an alliance designed to prevent the outbreak of war, as an attack on one member state would be considered as an attack on all of them. In 1954 the Soviet Union suggested that it should join NATO (possibly to weaken the alliance), but were turned down and when West Germany entered NATO in 1955 the Communist countries of Eastern Europe formed the Warsaw Pact. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall several countries that were members of the Warsaw Pact (which broke up in 1991) have joined NATO, bringing the total number of member states to 28 when Croatia and Albania joined in 2009. In its history NATO has used military force to intervene in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya, as well as the naval operations against Somali pirates (from 2009) and sending training missions to Iraq after the Iraq War.

9. S.C.U.B.A. is an acronym for what diving equipment?

From Quiz I Owe You Some Acronyms Too

Answer: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus & Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

The SCUBA device, or Aqua-Lung, was created by Jacques Cousteau in 1943.

10. What two countries are referenced in the acronym ANZAC?

From Quiz A to Z Acronyms

Answer: Australia and New Zealand

The acronym stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day is celebrated every 25th of April to commemorate the joint efforts of both countries during The Great War. (And by the way, neither Newport nor Africa are countries!)

11. The acronym "YYY" can be used to refer to which popular band?

From Quiz Random Acronyms

Answer: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs is an alternative rock band from New York that formed in the year 2000.

12. Have you ever received a letter with SWAK written on the back flap of the envelope? What does SWAK mean?

From Quiz The Ever-Helpful Acronym

Answer: Sealed with a kiss

SWAK goes back to at least 1918, when homesick Doughboys serving in France wrote to their sweethearts back in the U.S. They included the acronym SWAK on the envelopes, so that said sweethearts would know that the flame of love burned bright. The tradition continued through the Second World War.

13. 'VHS'; it's a common enough acronym, but do you know what it stands for?

From Quiz Acronym Mania

Answer: Video Home System

On one of the web-sites I visited while making this quiz, I found 'VHS' was in their top 50 searched for, so I guess it's not as common knowledge as you might think! Before the emergence of DVD for home recording and replay of visual media items, most homes had a VHS recorder/player.

14. B.Y.O.B. stands for: Bring Your Own ---. What's the missing word (of SIX letters)?

From Quiz Abbreviations

Answer: Bottle

Booze and beer work out too but they are not six letters o.k.?

15. The state postal abbreviation for West Virginia is what?

From Quiz Abbreviations We Should Know

Answer: WV

The two letter abbreviation without periods should be used for mailing.

16. In the acronym NBA, what does the 'B' stand for?

From Quiz Acronyms

Answer: Basketball

National Basketball Association

17. If some serious crime in the US is taking place and local law enforcement might not be enough, the SWAT team might be tasked to provide support. What does SWAT stand for?

From Quiz Short For?

Answer: Special Weapons and Tactics

The SWAT team is a specialized team developed by the FBI. To sum it up, in the case of particularly dangerous operations, such as active shooter situations, the SWAT team is nationally trained to respond to these threats.

18. Which TLA (for a Latin expression) is commonly found at the end of a mathematical proof and translates to 'What was to be demonstrated'?

From Quiz Life is Too Short - Use a TLA!

Answer: QED

QED, or 'quod erat demonstrandum', is used as a concluding line in mathematical proofs. It signifies that the sequence of logical steps show that the initial statement is consistent with the final conclusion.

19. His first clue led Bond to the famous HMV music and video store in London where he was told to meet an American CIA agent called Lauren Order. What do the initials 'HMV' stand for?

From Quiz OHMSS

Answer: His Master's Voice

HMV is the name of an entertainment retail store first founded in London in 1921. The name was taken from an English painting by Francis Barraud called "His Master's Voice" which shows a dog, Nipper, listening to a phonograph.

20. The NEIC was established in Rockville MD in 1966 under the Department of Commerce. It moved to its current location on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines in 1974. For what, though, do the initials "NEIC" stand?

From Quiz For What Does it Stand?

Answer: National Earthquake Information Center

The National Earthquake Information Center was originally set up as part of the national Ocean Survey. Coming under the umbrella of the Department of the Interior, it was relocated to Boulder CO in 1972 before settling at its current location on the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden CO two years later. Free public tours of the facility are available on Mondays and Thursdays by reservation.

21. What does the 'E' in PETA stand for?

From Quiz 'A' Is for ACRONYM

Answer: ethical

PETA is an acronym for 'People for Ethical Treatment of Animals', an animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia and founded in 1980. They have launched campaigns to stop the wearing of fur and leather, to discourage eating meat, trapping, hunting, the use of animals in circuses and just about anything that could endanger animals. It is the largest animal rights group in the world, and tends to be very confrontational in its beliefs and its advertising.

22. What does the acronym LASER stand for?

From Quiz Acronym Meanings

Answer: Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

A laser may mean both the device that emits light or the amplified light itself, and the term laser is now in commonplace use as a word.

23. And continuing on that military theme - if a British soldier has gone AWOL, what does this mean?

From Quiz Everyday Acronyms & Initialisms

Answer: Absent WithOut Leave

Some people include 'official,' but all leave is official in the British Army and going AWOL is a serious offence that can land a soldier in military prison. The acronym has since entered into everyday English to mean someone who has disappeared without letting friends/relatives know where he/she has gone.

24. N.A.T.O. is an alliance of many nations. What does N.A.T.O. stand for?

From Quiz I Owe You Some Acronyms Too

Answer: North Atlantic Treaty Organization & North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

The NATO Treaty was signed in 1949. Members include the United States, Canada, and most of Europe.

25. What sport would you be witnessing if you were inside Twickenham Stadium, headquarters of the "RFU"?

From Quiz OMG Acronyms are Awesome

Answer: rugby

"RFU" stands for the Rugby Football Union, which is in charge of all the rugby clubs in England. It was first made in 1871, and since constructing the rules for the game, it has overseen the hiring and instructing of players and officials. *Note: "RFU" is actually an initialism, since the letters are pronounced individually rather than as a word.

26. Where would one be likely purchase a BMW?

From Quiz A to Z Acronyms

Answer: Car lot

Known in its native tongue as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, we know this automobile manufacturer as Bavarian Motor Works. BMW remains one of the world's largest manufacturers of luxury cars and is well branded with a sleek logo that represents an airplane propeller, because the company started out making parts for airplane engines

27. A special acid that plays a key role in genetics is DNA. What exactly does the acronym "DNA" stand for?

From Quiz Random Acronyms

Answer: Deoxyribonucleic Acid

DNA is the material responsible for determining many of the physical qualities of a person.

28. Certain software programs allow the user to see what the end result of their work will look like as they create it. What is the acronym for this type of program?

From Quiz Lay Some Acronyms on Me

Answer: WYSIWYG

WYSIWYG stands for "What You See Is What You Get." It is pronounced "whizziwig." The first WYSIWYG program was a word processing program called Bravo that was developed in the 1970s. WYSIWYG programs today include Windows Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets, FrontPage for webpage programming and many others. The incorrect answers stand for: "What You See Ain't What You Get," "What You See Bears Only A Faint Resemblance To What You Get," and "What You See Has A Semantic Meaning Which May Or May Not Be What You Get." No one intentionally programs software using these last three concepts.

29. Everyone has run into a SNAFU at times. What does SNAFU mean?

From Quiz The Ever-Helpful Acronym

Answer: Situation normal, all fouled up

SNAFU is believed to have originated with the U.S. army during the Second World War. According to www.snafu.com, the term originated in 1941 with Army Signal Corpsmen Don Taylor and Johnny Paup who were stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. They were using a new coding machine that converted messages into five-letter words, and one night the two were playing around with making up sentences that the words might represent. SNAFU was one of the code words, and it was Don Taylor who translated it to "Situation normal, all fouled up." (That's the polite version, by the way). However, American electronics engineers claim that both SNAFU and its counterpart FUBAR (Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition - again, that's the cleaned-up version) were in use before the Second World War by telephone repairmen who were sent out to repair public telephone booths. In order to make their reports on arrival at the damaged booths, often over a very bad line, the repairmen resorted to the acronyms to indicate the degree of damage. None of them, I understand, ever claimed to have found any silky nighties and frilly undies in the damaged booths, nor did they sling mud at Fordham University or report sweet nothings and fond urges. Nowadays, SNAFU continues to be used to describe any ongoing mess.

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Last Updated Nov 02 2024 5:45 AM
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