Email and Office Abbreviations
60 abbreviations · part of Common Abbreviations
Email and office abbreviations are the shorthand of workplace communication: deadlines (EOD, COB, NLT), availability (OOO, WFH, PTO), email mechanics (CC, BCC, RE, Fwd) and meeting jargon (AOB, 1:1, MoM). Many are regional, with COP and w/c common in Britain and PFA or WFO in India, so a term that is routine in one office can puzzle readers elsewhere. Spelling out an abbreviation on first use, or giving an exact time instead of EOD, avoids misunderstandings with clients and new colleagues.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | One-on-one (meeting) | Denotes a private, recurring meeting between two people, usually a manager and a direct report, to discuss progress, feedback and career goals. |
| ACK | Acknowledged | Confirms that a message, request or instruction has been received and understood, without necessarily agreeing to it. |
| AOB | Any other business | The final item on a meeting agenda, reserved for matters not listed elsewhere. |
| ASAP | As soon as possible | Requests that something be done with priority, at the earliest opportunity. |
| BCC | Blind carbon copy | Sends a copy of an email to recipients whose addresses are hidden from everyone else on the message. |
| BLUF | Bottom line up front | Military writing principle that the main conclusion or request goes in the first sentence of an email, memo or briefing, before supporting details. |
| BR | Best regards | Serves as a short email sign-off before the sender's name, abbreviating the closing "Best regards." It turns up mostly in quick replies and messages typed on phones. |
| CC | Carbon copy | Adds recipients to an email who should receive a copy for their information, with their addresses visible to everyone on the message. |
| COB | Close of business | End of the working day, used as a deadline in business, legal and government correspondence and generally meaning about 5 p.m. local time on the stated day. |
| COP | Close of play | British and Commonwealth office shorthand for the end of the working day, borrowed from cricket, where play stops at a set time each day. |
| DL | Distribution list | Refers to a single email address that forwards messages to a group of people, such as a team, department or project. |
| Encl. | Enclosure | Placed below the signature block of a business letter to show that documents are included in the envelope, such as a résumé, invoice or contract. |
| EOB | End of business | Synonym for close of business, meaning the end of the working day, typically around 5 p.m. local time. |
| EOD | End of day | Deadline meaning by the close of the current working day, typically around 5 p.m. local time, though some people read it as midnight. |
| EOM | End of month | Last day or business day of the current month, used for deadlines, reporting cutoffs and payment terms. |
| EOQ | End of quarter | Refers to the last day of a fiscal or calendar quarter, an important deadline for sales targets, financial reporting and budget spending. |
| EOW | End of week | Sets a deadline at the close of the working week, usually Friday afternoon. |
| EOY | End of year | Deadline or period meaning the close of the current year, either the calendar year (December 31) or, in some companies, the fiscal year. |
| ETA | Estimated time of arrival | Predicted time at which an aircraft, ship, train, vehicle or parcel will reach its destination. |
| ext. | Extension | Identifies an internal telephone extension that routes a call to a particular person or desk within an organization's phone system. |
| F2F | Face to face | Describes meeting or talking in person rather than online or by phone. |
| Fwd | Forward | Appears as a prefix (Fwd:) on the subject line of an email that has been forwarded, meaning resent to new recipients along with the original message. |
| FYA | For your action | Signals that the recipient is expected to do something with the information, distinguishing the message from a mere FYI. |
| FYI | For your information | Flags that a message or attachment is being shared for awareness only, with no reply or action expected. |
| FYR | For your reference | Marks material sent for the recipient to keep or consult if needed, such as a policy document, earlier report or background data. |
| FYSA | For your situational awareness | Flags information that the recipient should know about to understand an evolving situation, without any action required. |
| IRT | In regard to | Introduces the subject of a message, similar to "regarding" or "about." It is used chiefly in US military and government email and in police reports, where it may also… |
| KR | Kind regards | Abbreviates the email sign-off "Kind regards," placed before the sender's name. |
| LMK | Let me know | Asks the reader to reply with information or a decision, as in "lmk if you're coming." One of the most common closing requests in texts and casual work chat. |
| Mob. | Mobile (phone) | Labels a mobile phone number on business cards, email signatures and forms, chiefly in British, Irish, Australian and Asian usage. |
| MoM | Minutes of meeting | Refers to the written record of a meeting's discussion, decisions and action items, circulated afterward to attendees. |
| Mtg | Meeting | Shortens "meeting" in calendars, agendas, notes and quick messages, frequently in calendar entry titles such as "Mtg w/ client." |
| N/A | Not applicable | Entered in a form field, table cell or questionnaire to show that the question does not apply to the person or item. |
| NLT | No later than | Sets a firm deadline, meaning a task must be done on or before the stated time. |
| NNTR | No need to reply | Signals that the sender expects no answer, often at the end of a short informational email. |
| NRN | No reply necessary | Tells email recipients that the message is informational and does not require a response, cutting down on back-and-forth "thanks" replies. |
| OOF | Out of facility | Microsoft's in-house term for an automatic out-of-office reply, still visible in Exchange settings and developer documentation. |
| OOO | Out of office | Indicates that someone is away from work, on vacation, traveling or otherwise unavailable. |
| PFA | Please find attached | Opens an email that carries a file attachment, telling the reader that a document accompanies the message. |
| PFB | Please find below | Introduces information pasted into the body of an email rather than attached, such as a table, list or set of details. |
| POC | Point of contact | Names the person responsible for communication about a project, account, event or request. |
| PTO | Paid time off | Leave for which an employee continues to be paid, often a single bank of days that combines vacation, personal and sick time, accrued per pay period or granted up front… |
| Quick question | Opens a workplace chat or email with a brief question, signaling that only a short answer is needed. | |
| RE | Reply (email subject prefix) | Appears as RE: or Re: at the start of an email subject line to show that the message answers an earlier one. |
| Ref. | Reference | Labels a reference number or code that identifies a file, order, case or earlier letter, so replies can be matched to the right record. |
| Rgds | Regards | Shortens the sign-off "Regards" at the end of an email or message. |
| RSVP | Répondez s'il vous plaît (please reply) | Requests that invited guests tell the host whether they will attend, usually by a stated date. |
| RTO | Return to office | Employer policy requiring employees who worked remotely, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, to come back to the workplace for a set number of days per week or full… |
| SME | Subject-matter expert | Person with deep, authoritative knowledge of a particular process, system or field who advises a project or reviews its output, such as a payroll specialist consulted… |
| TBA | To be announced | Indicates that information such as a date, time, speaker or location will be published later. |
| TBC | To be confirmed | Labels a provisional detail, such as a tentative date, venue or speaker, that is expected but not yet settled. |
| TBD | To be determined | Marks a detail such as a date, venue, owner or price that has not yet been decided. |
| Tel. | Telephone | Labels a telephone number on letterheads, business cards, websites and forms. |
| ToR | Terms of reference | Sets out the purpose, scope, membership and responsibilities of a committee, project, inquiry or review. |
| w/c | Week commencing | Identifies a week by the date of its first day, usually a Monday, in schedules, rotas and planning documents. |
| w/e | Week ending | Identifies a week by the date of its last day, typically a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. |
| WFH | Work from home | Describes doing one's job from home instead of an office, either occasionally or as a standing arrangement. |
| WFO | Work from office | Indicates working on-site at the employer's office rather than remotely. |
| WIP | Work in progress | Partly finished goods in a manufacturing process, recorded as inventory and valued at the materials, labor and overhead costs incurred so far. |
| WRT | With respect to | Introduces the topic a comment concerns, meaning "regarding" or "about." Engineers, scientists and office workers use it in emails and notes; in mathematics it… |
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