70+ Common Business Abbreviations You Should Know

The business world is changing at a fast pace, and many companies make heavy use of abbreviations and acronyms to save time in conversation and typing. But if you're new to this shorthand method, it can feel like you're swimming around in a giant bowl of alphabet soup.

Here are some common business abbreviations and acronyms that employees should know to take the guesswork out of their work hours.

1. 1:1 – One on one. Usually refers to regular check-ins between employees and managers.
2. AFK – Away from the keyboard. A term commonly used by gamers to let others know that they will not be near their computer for a while. It can also be used as a custom away message in Slack or Microsoft Teams to let others know you're away.
3. A.I. – artificial intelligence. Used to refer to machines that simulate human intelligence.
4. AP – accounts payable. This refers to the amount of goods and services billed by a business. This is the opposite of an AR (accounts receivable), which is a note payable to another company.
5. API –Application Programming Interface. This refers to the code that allows two programs to communicate.
6. as soon as possible – as soon as possible. It is often used when talking about scheduling and project management.
7. Awal — Unauthorized absence. Although usually used in connection with soldiers in the military, the term has trickled into everyday conversation.
8. B2B — Intercompany. This refers to companies that sell to other companies.
9. B2C – Business to Consumer. This refers to businesses that sell to consumers.
10. back soon – be right back. Usually used when sending a text message or instant message to someone.
11. CC – carbon copy. The term originated long before email, but now refers to sending a copy of an email to another person.
12. CMS – Content management system. These are applications like Box and WordPress that allow users to store, edit, and collaborate on files.
13. COB — Closed. Refers to the end of the business day (usually 5 p.m.). Also used interchangeably with EOB or End of Business.
14. complete — from words, to give something for free free. Usually used in connection with gambling and retail.
15. CPU –Cost per unit. This refers to the fixed and variable costs of producing and delivering a unit of product to a customer.
16. CTAs – Call to action. This is a button or link on a web page that prompts a user to take an action, such as downloading content or receiving a promotional discount.
17. CX –Customer experience. This refers to customers' perceptions and feelings about your brand through their interactions with your products and services.
18. DEI — Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This term refers to policies and programs aimed at promoting an inclusive workplace culture.
19. DM – Direct messages. Used in a social media environment to discuss something in a less public setting. Often used interchangeably with PM or private message.
20. Department of Energy — Depends on experience. This is often seen in job information regarding salary.
21. EBITDA –Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Measure a company's overall financial health.
22. E.O.D. – The end of the day. This is usually done in conjunction with a deadline.
23. EPS –Earnings per share. Indicates the profitability of a company. It is calculated by dividing quarterly or annual revenue by the number of shares outstanding.
24. ESG –Environmental, social and governance. It is a framework for evaluating an organization's practices regarding sustainability and ethical issues.
25. Estimated time of arrival – Estimated time of arrival. In the business world, this may refer to a deadline or estimated completion time.
26. Former –Employee experience. It refers to workers' feelings and perceptions about their jobs through all touchpoints from job application to retirement.
27. FIFO – First in, first out. Often used in inventory management, meaning older items are sold first.
28. FTE – full-time employee. In the United States, the IRS classifies employees as full-time if they work at least 30 hours per week.
29. main office — main office. Usually refers to the headquarters of a company or organization.
30. Human Resources Department – human resources. Refers to the department that deals with the employees of a company.
31. HTML – Hypertext markup language. This refers to the standard programming language that developers use to create their web pages.
32. I – In a meeting. It's often used as a custom away message in Slack or Teams to let others know you're away.
33. Eye stain — in case you missed it. They often come with articles or videos that someone might find interesting or educational.
34. I – Instant Messaging. This refers to real-time communication through apps like Slack, Facebook Messenger, and Skype.
35. IMO – In my opinion. Variations on this are IMHO, or my humble opinion.
36. IPO – Initial public offering. This is when a private organization offers its shares on a public stock exchange for the first time.
37. KPI – Key performance indicators. These are quantifiable business metrics such as revenue, profit, lead conversion rate, and call hold time.
38. LMK – please let me know. Informal; should not be used in formal communication.
39. M&A – Mergers and acquisitions. Refers to the process of merging two companies into one.
40. mother — Monthly. Usually refers to the monthly rate of change.
41. NDA – Nondisclosure agreement. This is a legal agreement used to protect sensitive information.
42. NRN –No reply required. Usually related to email or text messages.
43. NSFW — Not safe for work. Usually it's related to email, video, or something else that isn't suitable for a working environment.
44. NWR — Things not related to work. Users may include this in the subject line of their emails to distinguish between professional and personal communications.
45. ah – Outside the office. This does not mean the employee is on vacation, just not in the office.
46. OS – operating system. This refers to the program on your computer, such as Microsoft Windows or Linux, that manages all other applications. Users can interact through a graphical user interface or a command line interface.
47. PER – Price/earnings ratio. This helps explain whether the market overvalues ​​or undervalues ​​a stock.
48. Profit and loss – Profit and loss. This is a financial statement that shows the financial health of a company.
49. POC – Contacts. Refers to a person at another company with whom an employee normally communicates.
50. PPC — Pay per click. A digital advertising model in which an advertiser pays a fee each time a user clicks on an ad.
51. PR – public relations. Usually a department within an organization that focuses on external promotion and relationships.
52. PTE –Part-time employee. The IRS classifies employees who work 16 to 32 hours a week as part-time.
53. PTO — paid holiday. Usually refers to a vacation or personal day.
54. PV – page view. This refers to the instance when a user visits a particular her web page.
55. QA/QC — Quality Assurance/Quality Control. These refer to quality control. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, QC is actually a subset of his QA activities.
56. Research and Development — Research and Development. Usually refers to the department responsible for researching and developing new products.
57. Re: –Referring to. This is often seen in email subject lines when replying to emails.
58. request for proposal – Request for proposals. This is a document that solicits bids from vendors for services and tools.
59. ROI – Return on investment. This is a measurement used to evaluate the efficiency and profitability of an investment.
60. RTO/RTW — Return to office/return to work. This abbreviation became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as employees began returning to offices instead of working from home.
61. SEO – Search engine optimization. This is the process of increasing the visibility of a company's website.
62. SLA – Service level agreements. This is a contract between a service provider and its customer that details the terms of service.
63. smart — Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound. This is usually done in relation to the employee's goals.
64. Small and medium-sized enterprises – Subject matter experts. These are experts with advanced knowledge in a particular field.
65. Hard work – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This generally refers to the analysis that companies perform to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
66. to be decided — to be determined/determined. Generally used to refer to an event whose time, location, and other details have not yet been confirmed.
67. to –Today I learned. Often used before someone shares a fun fact they recently learned.
68. TL;DR – Too long; I didn't read it. Typically used when text-based content such as Teams messages, social media posts, or emails is too long.
69. terms of service – terms of service. A document that details the responsibilities of the service provider and the obligations of the user.
70. TYT – please take it easy. Use for casual text-based communication.
71. URL – Uniform resource locator. Also called website address.
72. VPN – Virtual private network. This is a service that creates secure, encrypted online connections, often used by employees who work from home and connect to office tools.
73. work remotely – work remotely. Refers to employees who work from home rather than in an office building.
74. Regarding — with respect to/with reference to. Often used to refer to previous discussion topics.
75. YTD – year to date. The period from the beginning of the year to the current date.