What does "alphabetism" mean?

An initialism: an abbreviation which is read letter by letter, such as UN.

What is a synonym for "alphabetism"?

Common synonyms include: initialism.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
An initialism: an abbreviation which is read letter by letter, such as UN. countable
"Some alphabetisms are written as if they weren't alphabetisms at all, like deejay for DJ, disc jockey, or emcee for MC, master of ceremonies."
2
The ability to read an alphabet, a rudimentary form of literacy. uncountable
"Some of the activities involved in ... corvée and military needs stimulated the spread of a certain type of minimal alphabetism for inventorying and most likely encouraged the development of a professional scribalism for record-keeping and book-keeping."
3
Excessive reliance upon the alphabet or alphabetic structures. uncountable
"The answer, I suggest, is that phonemism is rooted in alphabetism. Indeed, many linguists have suggested that there really is a /g/ phoneme at the end of 'fang' and other [ŋ]-final words in English, except that they are not pronounced!"
4
Discrimination on the basis of the first letter of a name. uncountable
"The injustice of "alphabetism" is, of course, a thorn in the Zitser side, and he playfully promises to assign the problem to "alphabetically neutral" aides."

"Some alphabetisms are written as if they weren't alphabetisms at all, like deejay for DJ, disc jockey, or emcee for MC, master of ceremonies."

From alphabet + -ism.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.