# Abbreviations, acronyms and symbols

https://langs123.com/en/spanish/escritura/abreviaturas-siglas/
CEFR B2–C2 · 2026-10-19 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> Abbreviations shorten words with a full stop, a slash or superscript letters, acronyms gather the initials of a name, and symbols are fixed signs. The superscript letter of an abbreviation comes after a full stop: M.ª Luisa vive en la calle Sol, n.º 5.

## Cheatsheet

| Point | Rule | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Initial letters | the first letters, or the initial of each word, with a full stop | adj. = adjetivo / a. C. = antes de Cristo | adj. = adjective / a. C. = before Christ |
| Contraction | letters in the middle are left out and a full stop ends the abbreviation | Fdo. = firmado / Sra. = señora | Fdo. = signed / Sra. = Mrs |
| Superscript letters | the initial, a full stop and the last letter in superscript | M.ª = María / n.º = número | M.ª = María / n.º = number |
| Slash | two initials joined by a slash, with no full stop | s/n = sin número · c/c = cuenta corriente | s/n = without a number · c/c = current account |
| Acronyms | the first time, the acronym goes in parentheses after the full name | La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) publicó un informe. | The World Health Organization (WHO) published a report. |
| Symbols | a sign with no letters stands for a word or an idea | © = derechos de autor | © = copyright |
| Chemical elements | capital initial, no full stop and no plural | Fe = hierro / Ca = calcio | Fe = iron / Ca = calcium |
| Slash and number sign | / announces more pages and # means “number” | Soy el jugador #7. | I'm player #7. |
| Fixed formulas | each part takes its own full stop and superscript letter | V.º B.º = visto bueno | V.º B.º = approved |
| Specialised texts | † marks a person who has died, and * a hypothetical or incorrect form | Juan Ramos † / *yo sabo ≠ yo sé | Juan Ramos † / *yo sabo ≠ I know |
| Trap | the full stop goes before the superscript letter | M.ª Luisa vive aquí. | María Luisa lives here. |
| Trap | an acronym is written in capitals, with no full stops | La OMS publicó un informe. | The WHO published a report. |

## How abbreviations are formed

| Method | Form | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| By truncation | the first letters of the word are written, then a full stop | adj. = adjetivo / ed. = edición / doc. = documento / cap. = capítulo | adj. = adjective / ed. = edition / doc. = document / cap. = chapter |
| By initial letter | the initial of each word is written, each with a full stop and a space after it | a. C. = antes de Cristo / s. = siglo | a. C. = before Christ / s. = century |
| By contraction | letters in the middle are left out and the beginning and end of the word are kept, with a full stop | Fdo. = firmado / atte. = atentamente / Sra. = señora | Fdo. = signed / atte. = sincerely / Sra. = Mrs |
| With superscript letters | the initial, a full stop and the last letter of the word, raised | M.ª = María / n.º = número / f.º = folio | M.ª = María / n.º = number / f.º = folio |
| With a slash | the initials of two words are joined by a slash, with no full stop or spaces | s/n = sin número · c/c = cuenta corriente | s/n = without a number · c/c = current account |
| With superscript letters in fixed formulas | each word of the formula takes its full stop and its superscript letter, and a space separates them | V.º B.º = visto bueno | V.º B.º = approved |

## Acronyms

| Use | Rule | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First mention | the full name and, in parentheses, the acronym | La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) publicó un informe. | The World Health Organization (WHO) published a report. |
| Later mentions | the acronym alone | La OMS publicó otro informe en mayo. | The WHO published another report in May. |
| Writing | capitals, with no full stops or spaces | Mi hermana trabaja en una ONG. / La ONU tiene su sede en Nueva York. | My sister works for an NGO. / The UN has its headquarters in New York. |

## Symbols

- A symbol without letters, which cannot be alphabetised, is a sign that stands for a word or an idea: © = derechos de autor / ® = marca registrada — © = copyright / ® = registered trademark
- In specialised texts, the cross † beside a name shows that the person has died: Juan Ramos † — Juan Ramos †
- In specialised texts, the asterisk * before a form shows that it is hypothetical or incorrect: *yo sabo ≠ yo sé — *yo sabo ≠ I know

## Symbols with letters and without letters

| Symbol | Meaning | Writing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fe, Ca | chemical elements: hierro (iron) and calcio (calcium) | capital initial, no full stop and no plural |
| / | in a document, more pages follow | at the foot of the page |
| # | number | before the figure: #7 |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mª Luisa vive aquí. | M.ª Luisa vive aquí. | the superscript letter comes after a full stop |
| Nació en el s XVIII. | Nació en el s. XVIII. | an abbreviation by initial letter takes a full stop |
| Calle Sol, s./n. | Calle Sol, s/n. | an abbreviation with a slash has no full stops |
| La O.M.S. publicó un informe. | La OMS publicó un informe. | an acronym is written in capitals, with no full stops |
| El símbolo Fe. corresponde al hierro. | El símbolo Fe corresponde al hierro. | a chemical symbol takes no full stop |
| El símbolo del calcio es CA. | El símbolo del calcio es Ca. | in a chemical symbol, only the initial is a capital |
| El director puso su Vº Bº. | El director puso su V.º B.º. | in a fixed formula, each superscript letter comes after its own full stop |