Abbreviations Vs. Contractions

Abbreviations:                                                     Contractions

• Mr.                                                   *can't
• Mrs.                                                  *shouldn't
• Prof.                                                  *isn't

Can you spot the difference?   


Abbreviations and contractions are both shortened forms of words but here are their differences:

1. Punctuation marks

       Abbreviations makes use of a "period" ( . ) at the end while contractions do not. They make use of an "apostrophe" ( ' ) to replace the omitted letter of a word instead.

2.Pronunciation

       An abbreviated word does not have a distinct pronunciation on the original word. For example, Mr. is the abbreviated word for Mister. You read both Mr. and Mister the same way. Whereas, a contracted word is pronounced differently from its original word.

3. Formality

     Most Abbreviations are not accepted in formal writing, such as "Jan. (abbreviated word of January). In most cases, abbreviated titles of professions are the only allowed abbreviations in formal write ups.

Whereas, using contractions are accepted, only that they are bounded by some usage rules in grammar.

Spot the difference between commonly confused words in English

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