1) In general, a mnemonic (from Greek mnemon or mindful; pronounced neh-MAHN-ik ) is a memory aid, such as an abbreviation, rhyme or mental image that helps to remember something. 2) In computer assembler (or assembly) language, a mnemonic is an abbreviation for an operation.

An acronym is an abbreviation that forms a word. An initialism is an abbreviation that uses the first letter of each word in the phrase (thus, some but not all initialisms are acronyms).

Name Mnemonics. Memorization of the name allows for memorization of the associated idea. For example, Roy G. Biv is a name used to remember the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

An acronym is a word formed by abbreviating a phrase by combining certain letters of words in the phrase (often the first initial of each) into a single term. Common examples of acronyms include NASA (an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and FOMO (a slang acronym for fear of missing out).

An acronym is an abbreviation of a word that has been composed of the initial letters or components of a phrase or word. An acrostic is a form of writing in which a recurring feature or the first word, syllable or letter in each paragraph or a line spells out a message or sentence.

Finally, there’s no strict rule about putting periods after each letter in an acronym or initialism. Some publications put periods after each letter, arguing that because each letter is essentially an abbreviation for a word, periods are necessary.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The tragedy drove home that the Space Shuttle could never be truly safe. The crew of STS-107, seen here, had their flight aboard Space Shuttle Columbia delayed 18 times before launching in 2003. While reentering Earth’s atmosphere, Columbia broke apart, killing the entire crew.