The growing use of acronyms in technical and nontechnical communications is addressed. It is shown that acronyms can hinder communication. Their use is analyzed and classified. Suggestions are given on how to use acronyms effectively.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>