On: Show HN: I've been writing daily TILs for a year

[peteretep]

    > Hyperpedantically, "SQL" is an initialism, but not an
    > acronym

I really wish people would stop posting this - I feel like I only ever see it posted here, too.

OED's first entry on "acronym, n":

    > A group of initial letters used as an abbreviation for 
    > a name or expression, each letter or part being
    > pronounced separately; an initialism (such as ATM, TLS)

OED's second entry on "acronym, n":

    >  A word formed from the initial letters of other words
    > or (occas.) from the initial parts of syllables taken 
    > from other words, the whole being pronounced as a single
    > word (such as NATO, RADA)

OED's entry on "initialism, n":

    > The use of initials; a significative group of initial
    > letters. Now spec. a group of initial letters used as
    > an abbreviation for a name or expression, each letter
    > or part being pronounced separately

SQL is both an acronym and an initialism. The Wikipedia article on "initialism" it is guilty of using very selective quotes in its "citation".

[SonicSoul → peteretep]

this is awesome. this is why i read the comments before the content. (and I mean this whole thread) thanks

[shkkmo → peteretep]

So SQL is an acronym for an acronym?

[peteretep → shkkmo]

SQL is an abbreviated acronym.