Abbreviations in English emails: FYI, ASAP, i.e., e.g. and more

Why are abbreviations so common in English emails?

Abbreviations save time, and in the inboxes of international teams every second counts. Many of them come from project management, chat apps or American office life and have spread worldwide. For non-native speakers this is a double hurdle: you have to understand the abbreviations and, at the same time, judge when they are appropriate to use.

Writing is where uncertainty is most common. In our courses we often see that people who decode abbreviations easily when reading do not automatically use them with confidence when writing.

This overview helps with both. If you would like your English correspondence to look more professional overall, our Business English courses include writing training with feedback on your real emails, from level A1.

Which abbreviations in English emails matter most?

The most important abbreviations in English emails are FYI (for your information), ASAP (as soon as possible), TBC (to be confirmed), EOD (end of day), OOO (out of office) and BTW (by the way). They are normal between colleagues who know each other well. When writing to clients or new contacts, it is better to write the same message out in full.

Example: a typical short email decoded

Hi Jana, FYI the supplier call is TBC, prob. w/c 16 June. Can you send me the draft by EOD Thursday? I’m OOO Friday. Thx, Ben

Written out in full, this means: “Hi Jana, just to let you know, the call with the supplier has not been confirmed yet; it will probably be in the week starting Monday 16 June. Could you send me the draft by the end of the working day on Thursday? I’m out of the office on Friday. Thanks, Ben.”

Between colleagues who know each other well, this style is perfectly fine. To a client or a new contact, however, you would write the same message out in full.

Be careful with ASAP

“ASAP” is clear, but it can sound demanding, especially to managers or clients. Friendlier options are “at your earliest convenience” (very formal) or a concrete deadline: “Could you let me know by Thursday?” You will find more tips on tone in our guide to writing emails in English.

i.e. or e.g.? Using Latin abbreviations correctly

The abbreviation e.g. (exempli gratia) means for example and introduces an open list. i.e. (id est) means that is and introduces a precise, final clarification. A popular memory aid: e.g. = example given, i.e. = in essence. Hardly any pair of abbreviations is confused as often, even by native speakers.

Memory aid and examples

• e.g. introduces examples; the list is open: “We work with several carriers, e.g. DHL and DB Schenker.”
• i.e. introduces a clarification; the statement is complete: “Please reply by the end of the quarter, i.e. 31 March.”
• A popular memory aid: e.g. = “example given”, i.e. = “in essence”.
• Do not put “etc.” after “e.g.”. The list is already open.

With or without full stops?

In British English you increasingly see the forms without full stops (eg, ie), while in American English the full stops (e.g., i.e.) are standard, often followed by a comma. What matters more than the variant is consistency within a document. The UK government goes further: according to GOV.UK, “eg”, “ie” and “etc” have not been used in new content since 2016, partly because some screen readers read “eg” incorrectly and the abbreviations are hard for non-native speakers to understand. It recommends “for example”, “such as” or “like”, and “that is” or “meaning” instead.

Abbreviations in the subject line: RE, FW, NRN and Action required

The most common subject-line abbreviations are RE: (reply), FW: or Fwd: (forward), NRN (no reply needed) and EOM (end of message, meaning everything is in the subject line). Action required is usually written out. These markers tell recipients what they are expected to do and help when inboxes are full.

An example: “Room change for Tuesday’s meeting: now Room 4 (EOM)”. All the information is in the subject line, so nobody needs to open the email. These abbreviations are handy but not universally known. Use them only in teams where they are already established.

English abbreviations for times and dates: w/c, CET, am and pm

For times and dates, the most common abbreviations are w/c (week commencing, the week starting on the Monday named), am and pm (3 pm is 15:00) and time zones such as CET, GMT and BST. For international appointments, always state the time zone and avoid purely numerical dates, because misunderstandings about meetings have immediate consequences.

• w/c (week commencing): “w/c 12 May” means the week starting Monday 12 May. Very common in British English.
• am / pm: the 12-hour clock is usual in English, whereas German-speaking colleagues tend to use the 24-hour clock. 3 pm is 15:00. For 12 noon, “midday” or “noon” is clearer than “12 pm”.
• CET / CEST: Central European Time and Central European Summer Time. For international appointments, always add the time zone, for example “10:00 CET (09:00 GMT)”.
• GMT / BST: Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time.
• Q1 to Q4: quarters. “Q3” is the third quarter.
• YTD (year to date): since the start of the year.
• FY (financial year): note that the UK tax year begins on 6 April, while companies’ financial years may differ.

For the date itself, avoid purely numerical formats. “03/05” is 3 May in the UK and Germany but 5 March in the US. With “3 May” you are on the safe side.

Template: an out-of-office message without abbreviation chaos

Thank you for your email. I’m out of the office until Monday, 16 June, with limited access to email. For urgent matters, please contact my colleague Sarah Bauer at sarah.bauer@example.com. Otherwise, I’ll reply as soon as possible after my return.

Avoid “OOO” in the out-of-office message itself, because it also goes to external contacts. If you prefer to arrange appointments by phone, our guide to phone calls in English will help.

Business acronyms in English: KPI, ROI, NDA and more

The most common business acronyms in English include KPI (key performance indicator), ROI (return on investment), NDA (non-disclosure agreement), SLA (service level agreement), PO (purchase order) and WFH (working from home). The table shows further acronyms with their full form and the German term you are likely to hear from colleagues in the DACH region.

Industry-specific abbreviations from shipping and transport, such as POD (proof of delivery) or ETD (estimated time of departure), are explained in our article on English for logistics. Abbreviations used in HR work are covered in our guide to English for HR.

When you should avoid abbreviations in English emails

Avoid abbreviations in first contacts and formal messages such as job applications and complaints, with recipients who have little experience of English, for chat shorthand such as LOL or THX, and in sign-offs: KR instead of Kind regards looks careless. When in doubt, follow the UK government’s rule and write things out in plain words.

Abbreviations are a tool, not a sign of professionalism. In these cases, write things out in full:

• First contacts and formal messages: with new clients, in job applications and complaints, abbreviations look sloppy.
• Recipients with little English practice: not every supplier in Poland or colleague in Brazil knows “EOD” or “w/c”.
• Chat shorthand: LOL, IMO, AFAIK or THX do not belong in business emails.
• Sign-offs: “KR” for “Kind regards” or “BR” for “Best regards” looks careless.

Think about the effect, too: many abbreviations come from chats and messaging apps. What feels efficient to you can come across as a lack of respect to recipients who value politeness. When in doubt, follow the UK government’s rule: write it out in plain words.

German abbreviations that do not work in English

If you work in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, German shorthand easily slips into English emails. These are the ones to watch:

A common mistake is simply leaving German abbreviations in place. “Please see attachment bzgl. invoice Nr. 4711” is incomprehensible to English-speaking recipients. Correct: “Please see the attached invoice regarding order no. 4711.”

Exercise: using English email abbreviations with confidence

A short exercise is the quickest way to check whether the abbreviations have stuck. Fill in the matching abbreviation or phrase in each sentence below, then compare your answers with the solutions. If you get one wrong, look back at the relevant table and write one new sentence of your own using it.

1. Please send me the figures by the end of today: by ___.
2. We supply several industries, ___ automotive and food.
3. The workshop takes place in Q2, ___ between April and June.
4. Location: Vienna (still to be confirmed): Vienna (___).
5. I’ll be away until Monday: I’m ___ until Monday.
6. Training sessions are planned for the week starting 9 June: ___ 9 June.

Answers: 1. EOD 2. e.g. (or: such as) 3. i.e. 4. TBC 5. OOO (in formal emails, better: out of the office) 6. w/c

Writing confidently in an international team

Abbreviations are just one element of good correspondence. Clear structure, the right tone and the right phrases are just as important; you will find many of them in our collection of Business English phrases. In our English training for working life we work with your real emails and your specialist vocabulary. For teams, we offer writing training in small groups and one-to-one lessons as part of our language courses for companies. If you would also like to practise English with digital tools, see our article on learning English with AI. For questions about formats and how our courses work, please use our contact page.

Sources

1. ef.de: germany
2. insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk: changes to the style guide no more eg and ie etc

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