> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rime.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms

> How Rime automatically pronounces common abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms — and how to control pronunciation when needed.

Rime pronounces most common abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms correctly out of the box. The patterns below show how to format input when you want to control pronunciation explicitly.

<Note>
  For a tour of text normalization across all categories, see [Text normalization](/docs/text-normalization). For specific patterns Rime doesn't expand cleanly, see [Pre-normalizing text](/docs/pre-normalization).
</Note>

## Abbreviations

Rime correctly pronounces most common abbreviations automatically.

| Format              | Example     | Reads as     |
| :------------------ | :---------- | :----------- |
| Title abbreviation  | `Dr. Smith` | doctor smith |
| Latin abbreviation  | `e.g.`      | for example  |
| Street abbreviation | `rd.`       | road         |
| Saint abbreviation  | `St. John`  | saint john   |

Some abbreviations resolve based on surrounding context — for example, `St.` reads as "saint" in `St. John` but "street" in `Main St.` See [Addresses](/docs/addresses) for street and state abbreviations in address context.

## Acronyms and initialisms

Acronyms are pronounced as a single word — for example, `NASA` reads as "Nasa". Initialisms are pronounced as a series of letters — for example, `DNA` reads as "D N A".

By default, Rime pronounces a series of capital letters as an acronym (a single word). For many common initialisms — `DNA`, `ID`, `USA`, `FBI`, `CIA` — Rime automatically pronounces them as a series of letters.

To force initialism pronunciation reliably, **use lowercase letters with a period and space after each**:

| Format                              | Example    | Reads as |
| :---------------------------------- | :--------- | :------- |
| Capitalized acronym                 | `NASA`     | Nasa     |
| Capitalized initialism (recognized) | `DNA`      | D N A    |
| Lowercase + dotted                  | `d. n. a.` | D N A    |
| Lowercase + dotted                  | `u. p. s.` | U P S    |
| Lowercase + dotted                  | `g. p. a.` | G P A    |

<Note>
  You can also specify a custom pronunciation for any acronym or initialism using Rime's [custom pronunciations](/docs/custom-pronunciation) feature.
</Note>

## Known gaps

Context-dependent abbreviations like `Dr.`, `Mr.`, and `St.` rely on surrounding words to resolve and may not always read the way you expect. For workarounds and a drop-in prompt template, see [Pre-normalizing text](/docs/pre-normalization).

## Related

* [Custom pronunciation](/docs/custom-pronunciation) for defining how a specific term should sound
* [Spell function](/docs/spell) for forced letter-by-letter reading of unrecognized acronyms (`spell(NPI)`)
* [Addresses, URLs, and emails](/docs/addresses) for street and state abbreviations in address context