This does not set out to be a complete list of all abbreviations used in English, but only a selection of those which are likely from time to time occur in crossword clues.
For instance, KCMG is the abbreviation for Knight Commander of (the Order of) St Michael and St George - but the chances of a compiler wishing to write a clue for those four letters in that order are remote to the point of non-existence, so that abbreviation will not be included in this list.
OBE, however, the abbreviation for Officer of (the Order of) the British Empire, could be quite useful for a word like STROBE, SOBER or WARDROBE, so it is included.
This page will be expanded and updated from time to time.
| A1 | First class (ship in Lloyd's Register) |
| AA | Automobile Association |
| AB or ABS | Able-bodied seaman |
| AC | Alternating current |
| a/c | Account |
| ACA | Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants |
| ACC | Army Catering Corps; acceptance, accepted; account |
| ACM | Air Chief Marshal |
| AD | (Latin Anno Domini) In the year of our Lord |
| ad lib | (Latin ad libitum) at will |
| ADC | Aide-de-camp |
| AFC | Air Force Cross |
| AFL | American Federation of Labour |
| AFM | Air Force Medal |
| AFS | Auxiliary Fire Service |
| AI | American Institute |
| AIB | Associate of the Institute of Bankers |
| AID | Artificial Insemination Donor |
| AIF | Australian Imperial Forces |
| ALA | American Library Association; Associate of the Library Association |
| AM | Master of Arts (see also MA) |
| ANZAC | Australian and New Zealand Army Corps |
| AP | Associated Press |
| AR | (Latin anno regni) in the year of the reign |
| ARA | Associate of the Royal Academy |
| ARCA | Associate of the Royal College of Art |
| ARCM | Associate of the Royal College of Music |
| ARP | Air Raid Precautions |
| ATC | Air Training Corps |
| AV | Authorized Version (Bible) |
| AWOL | Absent without leave |
| B | Bachelor; black (of pencils, ie soft) |
| BA | Bachelor of Arts |
| Bart, Bt | Baronet |
| BB | Very black (of pencils) |
| BBC | British Broadcasting Corporation |
| BC | Before Christ; British Columbia |
| BEM | British Empire Medal |
| BL | Bachelor of Law; British Legion |
| BM | Bachelor of Medicine; British Museum |
| BMA | British Medical Association |
| BR | British Railways (previously) |
| BS | Bachelor of Surgery |
| BSc | Bachelor of Science |
| BSI | British Standards Institution |
| BST | British Summer Time |
| CA | Chartered Accountant |
| CAB | Citizens' Advice Bureau |
| CBE | Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| CC | Carbon copy (copy to) |
| CD | Compact disc |
| CE | Chief Engineer; Church of England |
| cf | (Latin confer) compare |
| CH | Companion of Honour |
| CI | Channel Islands |
| CIA | Central Intelligence Agency |
| CID | Criminal Investigation Department |
| CinC | Commander in Chief |
| circ, c | (Latin circa) about (in time) |
| CO | Commanding Officer |
| COD | Cash on delivery |
| Col | Colonel |
| con | (Latin contra) against |
| DC | District of Columbia |
| DD | Doctor of Divinity |
| Dr | Doctor |
| DSM | Distinguished Service Medal |
| DSO | Distinguished Service Order |
| DV | (Latin deo volente) God willing |
| EE | Early English |
| eg | (Latin empli gratia) for example |
| ER | Emergency Room (US Accident & Emergency Department) |
| ET | Extra-terrestrial |
| etc | Etcetera |
| EU | European Union |
| FA | Football Association |
| FBI | Federation of British Industry; Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| FICA | Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants |
| FLA | Fellow of the Library Association |
| FM | Field Marshal |
| FO | Foreign Office |
| GATT | General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade |
| GB | Great Britain |
| GC | George Cross |
| H | Hard (of pencils) |
| HB | Hard and black (medium - of pencils) |
| HE | His (or Her) Excellency; His Eminence |
| HH | His (or Her) Highness; His Holiness (the Pope) |
| HH | Extra hard (or pencils) |
| HM | His (or Her) Majesty |
| HMS | His (Her) Majesty's Ship |
| Hon | Honourable, Honorary |
| HP | High pressure; horse-power |
| HQ | Headquarters |
| HR | House of Representatives |
| HRH | His (Her) Royal Highness |
| ICI | Imperial Chemical Industries |
| ie | (Latin id est) that is |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| inc | Incorporated |
| IO | Intelligence Officer |
| IOU | I owe you |
| IOW | Isle of Wight |
| IQ | Intelligence quotient |
| IR | Inland Revenue |
| ITA | Independent Television Authority |
| ITN | Independent Television News |
| ITV | Independent Television |
| JP | Justice of the Peace |
| Jr, Jun | Junior |
| KB | Knight of the Bath; King's Bench; Knight Bachelor |
| KC | King's Counsel; Kennel Club |
| LB | Bachelor of Letters |
| LBW | Leg before wicket (cricket) |
| LD | Doctor of Letters |
| LLB | Bachelor of Laws |
| LLD | Doctor of Laws |
| LSE | London School of Economics |
| LSO | London Symphony Orchestra |
| Lt | Lieutenant |
| LTA | Lawn Tennis Association |
| MA | Master of Arts |
| Maj | Major |
| MB | Bachelor of Medicine |
| MBE | Member of (the Order of) the British Empire |
| MC | Master of Ceremonies; Member of Congress; Military Cross |
| MCC | Marylebone Cricket Club (governing body of cricket) |
| MD | Doctor of Medicine |
| MFH | Master of Foxhounds |
| MM | Military Medal |
| MO | Medical Officer |
| MP | Member of Parliament; Military Police/Policeman |
| mpg, mph | Miles per gallon, miles per hour |
| MRCP | Member of the Royal College of Physicians |
| MRCS | Member of the Royal College of Surgeons |
| MRCVS | Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons |
| MSc | Master of Science |
| MS, MSS | Manuscript, manuscripts |
| MTB | Motor Torpedo Boat |
| NAAFI | Navy, Army and Air Force Institute |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organisation |
| NB | (Latin nota bene) Mark well |
| NCO | Non commissioned officer |
| NFU | National Farmers' Union |
| NHI | National Health Insurance |
| NRA | National Rifle Association |
| NT | New Testament |
| NUJ | National Union of Journalists |
| NUR | National Union of Railwaymen |
| NUS | National Union of Students |
| NUT | National Union of Teachers |
| NZ | New Zealand |
| OAP | Old Age Pension or Pensioner |
| OBE | Officer of (the Order of) the British Empire |
| OC | Officer Commanding |
| OECD | Organisation for European Co-operation and Development |
| OHMS | On His (or Her) Majesty's Service |
| OM | Order of Merit |
| OP | Opposite the Prompt side (of stage - theatrical) |
| OR | Other ranks (military) |
| OS | Ordnance Survey |
| OT | Old Testament |
| OTC | Officers' Training Corps |
| PA | Press Association |
| PAYE | Pay As You Earn (income tax) |
| PC | Police Constable; politically correct |
| PhD | Doctor of Philosophy |
| PM | Prime Minister; post meridiem (afternoon); post mortem (autopsy) |
| PO | Petty Officer; Post Office |
| POW | Prisoner of War |
| pp | Printed pages; very softly (music) |
| PR | Proportional representation; public relations |
| PRA | President of the Royal Academy (of Art) |
| PRB | Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood |
| ps | (Latin post scriptum) postscript |
| pt, pe | Physical training, physical exercise |
| pto | Please turn over |
| QB, QC | Queen's Bench, Queen's Counsel |
| QED | (Latin quod erat demonstrandum) Which was to be proved |
| QM | Quartermaster |
| RA | Royal Academy (of Art; also Royal Academician, a member); Royal Artillery |
| RAC | Royal Automobile Club |
| RADA | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| RAF | Royal Air Force |
| RCMP | Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
| RE, REME | Royal Engineers, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
| RFC | Royal Flying Corps (precursor of RAF) |
| RHS | Royal Horticultural Society |
| RIBA | Royal Institute of British Architects |
| RIP | (Latin Requiescat in pace) (May he/she) rest in peace |
| RLS | Robert Louis Stevenson |
| RMS | Royal Mail Steamer |
| RN | Royal Navy |
| RNLI | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| ROC | Royal Observer Corps |
| RSA | Royal Scottish Academy or Academician |
| RSM | Regimental Sergeant-Major |
| RSPCA | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals |
| RSVP | (French Repondez s'il vous plait) Please reply |
| Rt | Right |
| RV | Revised Version (Bible) |
| SEATO | South-East Asia Treaty Organisation |
| SHAPE | Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe |
| SJ | Society of Jesus (Jesuits) |
| SMO | Senior Medical Officer |
| SOS | Save Our Souls |
| SPQR | (Latin Senatus populusque Romani) The Senate and people of Rome |
| Sr, Sen | Senior |
| SRN | State Registered Nurse |
| SS | Steamship |
| TA | Territorial Army |
| TGWU | Transport & General Workers' Union |
| TNT | Trinitrotoluol (explosive) |
| TT | Teetotaller; Tourist Trophy (motorcycle race); tuberculin tested |
| TU, TUC | Trade Union, Trade Union Congress |
| TV | Television |
| TVA | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| UAR | United Arab Republic |
| UFO | Unidentified Flying Object |
| UK | United Kingdom (Great Britain) |
| ult | (Latin ultimo) Last (as last month) |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation |
| UNHCR | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
| UNICEF | United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund |
| UNO | United Nations Organisation |
| US, USA | United States, United States of America |
| USAAF | United States Army Air Force |
| USS | United States Steamer (or ship) |
| USSR | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (previously) |
| VC | Victoria Cross; Vice Chairman or Chancellor |
| VHF | Very high frequency (radio) |
| VIP | Very Important Person |
| WHO | World Health Organisation |
| WI | West Indies; Women's Institute |
| WRAC | Women's Royal Army Corps |
| WRAF | Women's Royal Air Force |
| WRNS | Women's Royal Naval Service ("Wrens") |
| WS | Writer to the Signet (Scottish lawyer) |
| WVS, WRVS | Women's Voluntary Services now Women's Royal Voluntary Services |
| YHA | Youth Hostels Association |
| YMCA | Young Men's Christian Association |
| YWCA | Young Women's Christian Association |
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