Arts & Entertainment Abbreviations
211 abbreviations in 4 subcategories
Abbreviations from music, film, television, theater, publishing, photography, video games and broadcasting, from technical terms used by professionals to the ratings and formats printed on products.
Film, Television and Theater Abbreviations
Abbreviations from movie and TV production, screenwriting, visual effects, content ratings, awards, streaming business models and the stage. They appear on call sheets, in screenplays, on posters and streaming menus, and in trade publications such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Rating labels such as PG-13 and TV-MA are set by industry bodies, and their exact meanings are explained on each page.
| Abbreviation | Stands for |
|---|---|
| BAFTA | British Academy of Film and Television Arts |
| CGI | Computer-generated imagery |
| FPS | Frames per second |
| G | General Audiences |
| MCU | Marvel Cinematic Universe |
| PG | Parental Guidance Suggested |
| PG-13 | Parents Strongly Cautioned |
| POV | Point of view |
| R | Restricted |
| SNL | Saturday Night Live |
| TV-MA | Mature Audience Only |
| VFX | Visual effects |
All 63 film, television and theater abbreviations →
Video Game Abbreviations
Abbreviations for video game genres, business models, industry events, age ratings, classic consoles and core game mechanics. They appear on store pages, rating labels, patch notes, reviews and in conversations among players and developers. Chat slang typed during matches, such as GG or AFK, is covered in the texting and internet slang section.
| Abbreviation | Stands for |
|---|---|
| DLC | Downloadable content |
| DPS | Damage per second |
| FPS | First-person shooter |
| HP | Hit points |
| K/D | Kill/death ratio |
| MMORPG | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
| PS5 | PlayStation 5 |
| PvE | Player versus environment |
| PvP | Player versus player |
| RNG | Random number generator |
| RPG | Role-playing game |
| XP | Experience points |
All 58 video game abbreviations →
Music Abbreviations
Abbreviations used across the music world: release formats (EP, LP, OST), genres (R&B, EDM, DnB), studio and live-sound gear (DAW, MIDI, DI, FOH), classical score markings and catalog numbers (pp, cresc., Op., BWV), and the industry bodies and labels behind recordings (A&R, RIAA, ASCAP, UMG). Score markings are traditionally Italian and written in lowercase italics, while industry abbreviations are usually written in capitals.
| Abbreviation | Stands for |
|---|---|
| A&R | Artists and repertoire |
| BPM | Beats per minute |
| BTS | Bangtan Sonyeondan |
| DAW | Digital audio workstation |
| DJ | Disc jockey |
| EDM | Electronic dance music |
| EP | Extended play |
| EQ | Equalization |
| feat. | Featuring |
| LP | Long-playing record |
| MC | Master of ceremonies |
| R&B | Rhythm and blues |
Publishing and Book Abbreviations
Abbreviations used by publishers, authors, editors, librarians, booksellers and readers: identifiers such as ISBN and ISSN, manuscript and production shorthand, book formats, genre labels such as YA and SFF, reader slang from Goodreads and BookTok, and comic-book industry terms. Standard identifiers are governed by international ISO standards, while reader slang varies by community.
| Abbreviation | Stands for |
|---|---|
| ARC | Advance reader copy |
| ASIN | Amazon Standard Identification Number |
| CMOS | Chicago Manual of Style |
| DC | DC Comics |
| DNF | Did not finish |
| DOI | Digital Object Identifier |
| HEA | Happily ever after |
| ISBN | International Standard Book Number |
| ISSN | International Standard Serial Number |
| KDP | Kindle Direct Publishing |
| MC | Main character |
| YA | Young adult |