A title which is solely an initialism — uses big letters, optionally also dots.
Historically, while the practice of shortening words has been around for a long time (think "SPQR"), it has become very common among companies since the late 19th century; thus, such titles tend to be set in the modern era, and often have a vague suggestion of some powerful organization or government involved somewhere.
This appears to be especially popular for video games.
If such a title has a subtitle, more often than not it will be simply an expansion of the initialism in question.
Note that acronyms written as one normally capitalized word, such as "Scuba" or "Gestapo", do not count as example of this trope. Titles that simply include an initialism (Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Operation: V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E.) don't fit in here either.
Often overlaps with Team Title or Vehicle Title. Sometimes also with Fun with Acronyms, though usually it's because the initialism in the title is already the name of something within the work itself.
This is so common for names of companies, organizations, software and industry products that there's no point in listing them, apart from when they're repurposed as names of works.
Examples:
- BNA: Brand New Animal
- C.M.B.
- DICE: DNA Integrated Cybernetic Enterprises
- DNA²
- FLCL
- H2
- GE - Good Ending
- IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix
- I.O.N (1997)
- MÄR (Maerchen Awakens Romance)
- Q.E.D.
- R.O.D the TV
- RRR (Rock n' Roll Ricky)
- Str.A.In.: Strategic Armored Infantry
- ALF (Alien Life Form)
- B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense)
- DC K.O.
- DC/RWBY
- DMZ
- D.P. 7
- FBP: The Federal Bureau of Physics
- FF (2011) and FF (2012)
- G.O.D.S. (Marvel Comics)
- JLA and JSA.
- L.A.W.
- L.E.G.I.O.N. (DC Comics) and its successor, R.E.B.E.L.S.
- M.O.D.O.K.
- NYX (2024)
- O.M.A.C. and O.M.A.C. (2011)
- RWBY
- SFSX (Safe Sex)
- S.H.I.E.L.D.: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.
- Lampshaded in the first episode of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series based on the agency, while discussing the full name of the agency:
Maria Hill: What does S.H.I.E.L.D. stand for, Agent Ward?
Grant Ward: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
Hill: And what does that mean to you?
Ward: It means someone really wanted our initials to spell out "shield."
- Lampshaded in the first episode of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series based on the agency, while discussing the full name of the agency:
- S.W.O.R.D. (2020)
- TVA
- Us
- W.H.A.D.A.L.O.T.T.A.J.A.R.G.O.N., a story by Don Rosa
- W.I.T.C.H., and its Animated Adaptation.
- X.S.E.
- C.O.U.S.I.N.S
- M.A.N.E. (Mutually Assured Nuclear Extinction)
- M.F.D.: Manhattan Fire Department
- MLP: FML
- SSFL
- A.C.O.D.: Adult Children of Divorce
- A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
- #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead
- B.A.P.S. Black American Princesses
- BBV Probe (Preternatural Research Bureau; no, they never explain where the O comes from)
- C.H.O.M.P.S.: Canine HOMe Protection System
- C.H.U.D.: Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers/Contamination Hazard Urban Disposal
- CODA (2021): Child of Deaf Adults
- C.R.A.Z.Y.
- C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America
- D.A.R.Y.L. (Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform)
- D.E.B.S. (Discipline, Energy, Beauty, and Strength)
- D.O.A.
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- F.I.S.T.
- The FP, which is revealed to stand for Frazier Park, a sleepy mountain town in California.
- G.B.F.: Gay Best Friend
- G.O.R.A.
- H.O.T.S. (Help Out The Seals)
- I.S.S.
- JCVD: Jean-Claude Van Damme
- K-9 (1989)
- L.I.E.
- LOL: Laughing Out Loud
- M3GAN: Model 3 Generative Android
- M*A*S*H (1970)
- Melody (S.W.A.L.K.)
- M.F.A.
- PCU: Port Chester University
- P.O.E.: Poetry of Eerie, and its sequel POE (2): Project of Evil
- PTU: Police Tactical Unit
- RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsberg
- R.I.P.D.: Rest In Peace Department
- R.O.T.O.R. (Robotic Officer Tactical Operation Research, though the last word is shown as Reserve in one scene)
- R.P.M.: Revolutions Per Minute
- RV
- S.O.B.
- S.W.A.T. (2003)
- THX 1138
- UHF
- VFW: Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Z.P.G.: Zero Population Growth
- CAPOW (Creative Anime Prose Original Writing)
- COLD (Children Of the Last Days)
- Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid: The two parts of the book are titled "GEB" and "EGB" respectively, and the cover art is an artistic rendering of the title's initials. The title's initials are further played with in sundry references to an alleged book, Giraffes, Elephants, Baboons: an Equatorial Grasslands Bestiary by Egbert B. Gebstadter.
- MARZENA (Mitarbeiter Zellen für die Entwicklung der Neuronen Anwendungen)
- M*A*S*H
- N.E.R.D.S. (National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society)
- RDG: Red Data Girl
- SPQR
- Eugene Byrne's Thigmoo (TH Is Great M Ovement Of Ours)
- T.O.T.
- WaR: Wizards and Robots
- Used in-universe for 30 Rock with T.G.S. (which was formerly known as The Girly Show until Tracey Jordan was brought on).
- ALF: Alien Life Form.
- ANZACs: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
- B.o.B
- Breaking Bad has an episode titled "I.F.T.", short for Skyler's revelatory line at the end of the episode, "I fucked Ted" (and a convenient way to censor the F-word).
- CIA
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- CSI: NY: Crime Scene Investigation: New York
- Cucumber: Children's Underground Club of United Moose and Beaver for Enthusiastic Reporters
- DMV
- FBI
- The F.B.I.
- FUBAR
- G.B.H. (Great British Holiday)
- GCB (an abbreviation of Good Christian Bitches, the title of the book it's somewhat based on)
- JAG, its successor NCIS, and that show's spinoff NCIS: LA (another double initialism!)
- M.A.N.T.I.S.
- M*A*S*H (1972), as well as the film on which it was based, as well as the novel on which that was based. All of which stand for the Army term "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital".
- NTSF:SD:SUV:: ("National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle"; a parody of the Police Procedural genre)
- P.J.
- Q.E.D. (a short-lived 80s adventure series)
- RBT (a reality show about motorist stopped for a Random Breath Test)
- RPA (a reality show set at the Royal Prince Albert Hospital in Sydney)
- Skithouse parodied this with commercials for RSVP ("If you're gonna watch it, make sure you let us know!") and BYO.
- S.W.A.T. (1975)
- S.W.A.T. (2017)
- UFO
- V.I.P.
- VR.5
- "MfG"
("mit freundlichen Grüßen" = "with kind greetings") by German rap group Die Fantastischen Vier. Not only is the title an acronym, but also its two verses consist almost exclusively of acronyms.
- Bersuit Vergarabat has "C.S.M.", from their album Libertinaje, which is a potshot towards Carlos Saúl Menem, Argentina's president during the period the album was released.
- Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion with "WAP" (Wet Ass Pussy)
- "EMI" (the music label) by Sex Pistols, which immediately leads to Public Image Limited, often known as PIL.
- Front 242's "W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G."
- The Finnish band HIM (formerly known as "His Infernal Majesty")
- Korean Pop Music has a Girl Group called I.O.I which stands for "Ideal Of Idol"
- Kelela has "LMK", which, as the lyrics reveal, stands for "Let Me Know".
- Mark Klem's song "GNA
".
- Madonna's MDNA
- Korn's "A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Sex)"
- Suprême NTM ("Nique Ta Mère")
- "T.S.O.P." (The Sound of Philadelphia) by MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother)
- WASP
- Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M." (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)
- "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." (country song made famous by Tammy Wynette)
- AEW: All Elite Wrestling
- AJPW: All Japan Pro Wrestling
- AWA: American Wrestling Association
- JCP
: Jim Crockett Promotions
- NJPW: New Japan Pro Wrestling
- NWA: National Wrestling Alliance
- UWF
: Universal Wrestling Federation
- WCCW
: World Class Championship Wrestling
- WCW: World Championship Wrestling
- WWWF, then WWF, then WWE: World Wide Wrestling Federation, then World Wrestling Federation, then World Wrestling Entertainment, then WWE, Inc.
- GURPS - Generic Universal Role Playing System
- GURPS IOU — Illuminati University. Don't ask what the O stands for. You aren't cleared to receive that information.
- M.A.G.U.S.
- SPANC Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls
- J.B., a Setting Update of the book of Job by Archibald MacLeish
- R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
- SQS (SolidS and Quell on Stage).
- From the same franchise, Alivestage episode 4: WYD.
- [[Another Century's Episode A.C.E. - Another Century's Episode
- ADOM - Ancient Domains of Mystery
- ADS: Advanced Destroyer Simulator
- A.I.L.A (Artificial Intelligence for Ludic Applications)
- A.I.M.: Artificial Intelligence Machine
- A.L.C.O.N. ("Allied League of Cosmic Nations")
- A.M.C.: Astro Marine Corps
- APB - All Points Bulletin
- ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat
- A.S.O.: Armored Scrum Object
- A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol
- ATR: All Terrain Racing
- A.W.O.L.
- B.A.T. ("Bureau of Astral Troubleshooters")
- BCV: Battle Construction Vehicles
- B.I.O.T.A. is a metroidvania from the author of Ghostly Matter, though it's never revealed what the initials stand for.
- B.O.B
- B.O.T.S.S.: Battle Of The Solar System
- BPM: Bullets Per Minute
- B.U.T.T.O.N.: Brutally Unfair Tactics Totally OK Now!
- C.H.A.I.N.G.E.D. (Chronological Haunted Anomalous Interconnected Narrative - Guide Each Decision)
- CSI
- CTU Counter Terrorism Unit
- CV: Casting Voice
- D.I.P.R.I.P.: Die in Pain, Rest in Peace (Half-Life 2 Game Mod)
- DmC: Devil May Cry
- D.N.A.: Dark Native Apostle
- DRL (Doom, the Roguelike)
- D.R.O.D. - Deadly Rooms Of Death
- E.D.F. - Earth Defense Force
- EGG: Elemental Gimmick Gear
- ELEX (Eclectic, Lavish, Exhilarating, Xenial)
- EOE: Eve of Extinction
- E.S.S. ("European Space Simulator")
- F/A (Fighter & Attacker)
- F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon
- FHBG (Forehead Block Guy)
- FOFT: Federation of Free Traders
- FTL: Faster Than Light
- Gift
- Gorf: Galactic Orbiting Robot Force
- GTFO
- GTR: FIA GT Racing Game
- GWNN (Game With No Name)
- H.A.T.E.: Hostile All Terrain Encounter
- H.A.W.X. (High Altitude Warfare Experimental Squadron)
- H.E.D.Z.
- H.E.R.O.: Helicopter Emergency Rescue Operation
- HQ (what it stands for is prone to Flip-Flop of God)
- H.U.R.L. (Hardcore Union of Radical Litterbugs)
- I=MGCM (stands for I AM MAGICAMI).note
- I.S.S.: Incredible Shrinking Sphere
- JASF: Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters
- KGB
- KKND: Krush, Kill 'N' Destroy
- K.O.L.M.: Kind Of Like Metroid
- LBX: Little Battlers eXperience
- L.O.L.: Lack of Love
- MAG: Massive Action Game
- M.A.X.: Mechanized Assault & Exploration
- MDK (was originally intended to stand for MurderDeathKill, but executives vetoed this, so there is no official full name)
- MENACE (Mechanically Enhanced + Neurologically Augmented Combat Enemy)
- M.I.A.: Missing In Action
- M.I.A. Mission in Asia
- MIO: Memories in Orbit
- MRC: Multi-Racing Championship
- M.U.D.S. - Mean Ugly Dirty Sport
- M.U.G.E.N (unconfirmed what it stands for)
- M.U.L.E. (Multi-Use Labor Elements)
- M.U.S.H.A.: Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor
- NBA 2K
- NBA 2 K 1
- NHL 2000
- NHL 2001
- NHL 99
- N.O.M.A.D.
- N.U.D.E.@ Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment
- NYR: New York Race
- O.D.T.: Escape... Or Die Trying
- O.R.B.: Off-World Resource Base
- P.A.M.E.L.A.
- P. D.
- P.N.03
- P.O.D.: Planet Of Death
- P.O.D.: Proof Of Destruction
- P.O.W. - Prisoners of War
- P.T.
- P.T.O.: Pacific Theater of Operations
- Q.U.B.E.
- R.A.D: Robot Alchemic Drive
- R.E.P.O.
- SAR: Search and Rescue
- SBK: Snowboard Kids
- S.C.A.R.S.
- S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team
- S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation
- SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative
- SFD
- S.L.A.I.: Steel Lancer Arena International
- Slash'EM ("Super Lotsa Added Stuff Hack - Extended Magic")
- SOS
- SPISPOPD (Smashing Pumpkins into Small Piles of Putrid Debris)
- S.P.Y.: Special Project Y
- SRC: Sprint Robot Championship
- SRD: Super Real Darwin
- SSTR
- SSX (Snowboarding Supercross)
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (Scavenger, Trespasser, Adventurer, Loner, Killer, Explorer, Robber)
- STrike Gunner - S.T.G
- S.W.I.N.E. (Strategic Warfare In a Nifty Environment)
- S.W.I.V. (Secret Weapons Installation Verification; also Special Weapons Interdiction Vehicles; also SilkWorm IV)
- TAGAP (The Apocalyptic Game About Penguins)
- TERA: The Exiled Realm of Arborea
- TFX: Tactical Fighter Experiment
- TIS-100
- T.L.L.: Tornado Low Level
- TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
- TORCS (The Open Racing Car Simulator)
- T.R.A.G. - Tactical Rescue Assault Group
- UCGO (Universal Century Gundam Online)
- V.R.: Virtua Racing. Its lesser-known arcade sequel was titled V.F.: Virtua Formula.
- WTF: Work Time Fun
- XDR: X-Dazedly-Ray
- Z.A.R. (Zone of Artificial Resources)
- ZPC (Zero Population Count)
- THD
by Ian Miller
- RWBY: The story is about a team of four girls and the title is the name their headmaster gives their team. Team names are always acronyms formed from the first letter of the names of the team-members (either personal name or family name). The first letter is always the name of the team leader. RWBY stands for Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang.
- TP: The short is about a living roll of toilet paper.
- 2DTV
- BB3B (Billy Bob Third Baby)
- B.F.F. - Best Friends Forever
- C.L.Y.D.E.
- Every single episode of Codename: Kids Next Door has one of these titles. (except for the pilot and the crossover with The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.)
- C.O.P.S. (1988) (Central Organization Of Police Specialists)
- INK Invisible Network Of Kids
- M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand)
- M.O.D.O.K. (2021)
- M-U-S-H
, an Animated Parody of M*A*S*H (1972) with an all-animal cast. MUSH stands for Mangy Unwanted Shabby Heroes.
- SpongeBob SquarePants:
- "F.U.N.". As per the song SpongeBob sings, F is for friends who do stuff together, U is for U and me, and N is for N-ywhere and anytime at all (down here in the deep blue sea!)
- "C.H.U.M.S" revolves around Plankton coming across a group of sentient chum beings who let him rule them. The group calls themselves C.H.U.M., or Collective Hive Under Master.
- TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
- T.O.T.S. (Tiny Ones Transport Service)
- UFO (2009)
- W.I.T.C.H. (2004)
- Parodied on The Wrong Coast with S.W.A.T.A.W.A.T.A.T.A.A. (Special Weapons And Tactics As Well As The Ability To Appraise Antiques), a cross between S.W.A.T. and Antiques Roadshow.

