<abbr> or <acronym>?

Lars Holst has written a very thorough essay on the why, how and when of <abbr> and <acronym>. Abbreviations, Acronyms, Initialisms ends with the following conclusions:

To ensure proper markup of abbreviations in hypertext documents, follow these guidelines:

  1. Understand the difference between abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms.
  2. Use the <acronym> element for acronyms only.
  3. Use the <abbr> element for initialisms, or when in doubt.

These guidelines should be used in conjunction with proper visual and aural styling with CSS.

Posted on October 2, 2003 in (X)HTML

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