Word Shortening–Clipping

Clipping a word means to take away one or more syllables from a word. These types of words are most commonly used in informal English. The part of the word that is subtracted can be at the beginning or at the end of a word. Usually this occurs with longer words so that speaking can be done at a more efficient pace. Here is a list of examples of the more common clipped words used in English.

 

phone - telephone	plane – airplane
photo - photograph	math - mathematics
gym - gymnasium	piano - pianoforte
sax - saxophone	fax - facsimile
flu - influenza	fridge – refrigerator
gent – gentleman	burger – hamburger
auto – automobile	biz – business
celeb – celebrity	deli – delicatessen
exam – examination	gator – alligator
hippo – hippopotamus	hood – neighborhood
info – information	intro – introduction
lab – laboratory	limo – limousine
mayo – mayonnaise	max - maximum
perm – permanent	ref - referee
rhino – rhinoceros	reps – repetitions
demo – demonstration	stats – statistics
temp – temperature	specs – spectacles
tux – tuxedo	ump – umpire
vet - veterinarian	vet – veteran
pants – pantaloons	dorm – dormitory
prom – promenade	fan - fanatic
ad – advertisement	bike – bicycle
lunch – luncheon	memo – memorandum
typo – typographical error	chute – parachute
gas – gasoline	doc – doctor
pro – professional	piano – pianoforte
condo – condominium	chimp – chimpanzee
champ – champion	con – convict
mic – microphone	tie - necktie

 

These are just a few, there are many many more. If you’re interested in learning more, search the internet for clipped words or shortened words. It might also be interesting for you to know that the same thing is done with proper names, such as Betty, Beth, Liz for Elizabeth or Dave for David. You can also find these with an online search for clipped names, shortened proper names or nicknames.

As always, feel free to leave a comment, suggestion or email me.

Have a great day!