Mr. or Mr.? Etc or etc? Are you really an expert on the art of abbreviating words the French way? If the French are often confident in the spelling of abbreviated words, it is not uncommon to see errors among the various press articles, administrative documents or handwritten letters that we dwell on on a daily basis. These mistakes can be made because of abbreviations from other countries, particularly English-speaking ones, which can confuse some French speakers, even the most keen on grammar and spelling. Indeed, the French are not the only ones to use these little shortcuts created for the sake of economy. Abbreviations, in all languages of the world, relate to a word, an expression or even a name that frequently occurs in a text or a specific discipline. If some are established by use, others are designed to meet a particular need, the user is therefore part of a professional field and is surrounded by individuals who are part of their environment, using very specific codes. Think you know everything about abbreviations? Test your skills with our quiz on common abbreviations!
>> QUIZ: are you knowledgeable about the abbreviations of these common words?
Avoid ambiguity
What is the abbreviation for boulevard? What does PS mean at the end of a letter? Or even Editor’s note in the middle of a press article that you are reading? These everyday abbreviations that we come across have meaning in our brains, but do we really know their exact meaning? It is to allow readers to no longer ask questions when they are immersed between the lines of an author that the test was created, so as to no longer be distracted by three letters which are blurred because their meaning seems blurry. To avoid any ambiguity, take the quiz and find out if you are familiar with the different abbreviations which are very often used by fans of the French language. This is an opportunity to be sure of your knowledge, or, in the worst case, to strengthen your brain by learning new things! Take our test!