Business English Abbreviations

Explore 92 abbreviations used in business emails, finance, marketing, management and international trade. Each term includes a plain-English explanation and a practical example. Search the list or filter by category.

Important: Some trade terms are historical. When writing contracts, check the applicable Incoterms® version and agreed delivery terms.

Note: Some abbreviations have several meanings depending on the industry (such as CPA, PO or PTO). This list gives the meaning relevant to each example.

What does ATTN mean in business English?

ATTN stands for attention. In business correspondence, it directs a letter, parcel or document to a particular person or department. It is often written before the recipient’s name or team.

Example in a mailing address:

ATTN: Accounts Payable Department
ABC Company
25 Market Street

Meaning: The document should be delivered to the accounts payable team at ABC Company.

In an email, you might write Attn: Ms Taylor — Please review the attached invoice. Both Attn: and ATTN: are common, although addressing the recipient directly is often clearer in everyday email.

ATTN vs CC: ATTN identifies the intended recipient of a message or document. CC (carbon copy) indicates additional email recipients who receive a copy. They are not interchangeable.

See ATTN in the abbreviation list ↓

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Showing 92 of 92 abbreviations.

Business abbreviations: 92 useful terms

Abbreviation	Full form	Meaning in English
Emails and business communication (17)
ASAP	as soon as possible	as quickly as possible
Example:Please send the signed contract ASAP.
attn.	(for the) attention (of)	for the attention of a particular person or department
Example:Attn.: Accounts Payable — please process the attached invoice.
cc	carbon copy	an email copy sent to additional recipients
Example:I have cc’d our finance manager on this email. Note: In email, CC refers to a recipient of a copy, not a physical carbon copy.
enc(s)	enclosure(s)	an item or document included with a letter
Example:Please find the signed forms in the encs. attached to this letter.
pto	please turn over	please look at the other side of the page
Example:For the terms and conditions, PTO.
re	with reference to, regarding	regarding; about the subject mentioned
Example:Re: Invoice 1042 — please confirm the payment date.
SAE	stamped addressed envelope	an addressed envelope with postage already paid
Example:Please enclose an SAE if you would like a reply by post. Note: The standard full form is “stamped addressed envelope.”
FYI	for your information	information shared for awareness; no action necessarily required
Example:FYI, the client has approved the proposal.
FYA	for your action	something the recipient is expected to act on
Example:FYA: Please review the attached contract.
EOD	end of day	by the end of the day
Example:Please send the report by EOD Friday.
COB	close of business	by the end of the working day
Example:We need your approval by COB Monday.
OOO	out of office	away from work or unavailable to respond
Example:I am OOO until next Wednesday.
ETA	estimated time of arrival	the expected arrival or delivery time
Example:What is the ETA for the shipment?
TBD	to be determined	not yet decided
Example:The meeting location is still TBD.
TBC	to be confirmed	awaiting confirmation
Example:The start date is TBC.
RSVP	répondez s’il vous plaît (please respond)	please confirm whether you will attend
Example:Please RSVP by 15 May.
NRN	no reply necessary	no response is needed
Example:NRN — this is just a status update.
Finance and accounting (19)
a/c	account	an account or account number
Example:Please confirm the a/c number before sending the payment.
acct	account	an account, often in banking or accounting
Example:The supplier’s acct details are shown at the bottom of the invoice.
B/E	bill of exchange	a written order to pay a specified sum
Example:The exporter accepted a B/E payable in 60 days.
C/N	credit note	a document reducing the amount owed on an invoice
Example:We issued a C/N for the items returned by the customer.
cod	cash on delivery	payment collected when goods are delivered
Example:The courier offers COD for eligible deliveries.
D/A	documents against acceptance	shipping documents released after acceptance of a bill of exchange
Example:The collection is on D/A terms, with payment due at maturity. Note: Documents are released after acceptance of a bill of exchange, not necessarily immediate payment.
D/P	documents against payment	shipping documents released once payment is made
Example:The bank released the shipping documents against D/P. Note: Documents are released after payment; this differs from D/A.
L/C	letter of credit	a bank commitment to pay when agreed conditions are met
Example:The exporter requested payment by an irrevocable L/C.
VAT	Value Added Tax	a tax added to goods and services
Example:The invoice shows the price excluding VAT.
P&L	profit and loss	an account of a business's income and expenses
Example:The P&L statement shows a profit this quarter.
ROI	return on investment	profit or benefit relative to the cost of an investment
Example:We calculated the ROI of the campaign.
EBITDA	earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization	a measure of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization
Example:The company reported higher EBITDA this year.
AR	accounts receivable	money owed to a business by customers
Example:The AR team follows up on unpaid invoices.
AP	accounts payable	money a business owes its suppliers
Example:Please forward the invoice to AP.
PO	purchase order	a formal request to buy goods or services
Example:Please include the PO number on your invoice.
YTD	year to date	from the start of the current year to today
Example:Our YTD revenue has increased.
QTD	quarter to date	from the start of the current quarter to today
Example:QTD sales are above the target.
FY	fiscal year	the 12-month period used for financial reporting
Example:The new budget covers FY 2027.
OPEX	operating expenses	the day-to-day costs of running a business
Example:We need to reduce OPEX next quarter.
Marketing and sales (14)
B2B	business-to-business	transactions or services between businesses
Example:Our B2B platform connects manufacturers with wholesalers.
B2C	business-to-consumer	sales from a business directly to consumers
Example:The company expanded its B2C online store last year. Note: B2C usually means business-to-consumer, rather than business-to-customer.
B2E	business-to-employee, business-to-employer	business services or communications aimed at employees
Example:The B2E portal lets staff access payslips and company announcements.
RRP	recommended retail price	an item's suggested selling price to customers
Example:The product has an RRP of £79, although retailers may set their own prices.
KPI	key performance indicator	a measurable indicator of progress toward a goal
Example:Customer retention is one of our main KPIs.
CRM	customer relationship management	a system or strategy for managing customer relationships
Example:Please update the lead in our CRM.
CPC	cost per click	the advertising cost of one click
Example:The average CPC fell this month.
CPM	cost per mille	the cost per 1,000 ad impressions
Example:We compared the CPM across two campaigns.
CTR	click-through rate	the percentage of impressions that result in clicks
Example:The email campaign achieved a higher CTR.
CPA	cost per acquisition / cost per action	the cost of an acquisition or specified action
Example:Our CPA decreased after we improved the landing page.
CAC	customer acquisition cost	the average cost of gaining a new customer
Example:We track CAC alongside customer lifetime value.
CLV	customer lifetime value	the estimated total value of a customer relationship
Example:The team is working to increase CLV.
MQL	marketing qualified lead	a potential customer qualified by the marketing team
Example:The campaign generated 30 new MQLs.
SQL	sales qualified lead	a potential customer qualified by the sales team
Example:Sales contacted each SQL within one day.
Management and human resources (12)
Corp.	Corporation	a legally incorporated company
Example:The agreement was signed by ABC Corp.
Inc	Incorporated (US)	a company registered as a corporation, usually in the US
Example:The supplier is registered as Example Trading Inc. Note: Inc. identifies a corporation under US law; it is not equivalent to every corporate form elsewhere.
HR	human resources	the department responsible for people and employment
Example:Please contact HR about your leave request.
CEO	chief executive officer	the executive responsible for overall company leadership
Example:The CEO presented the annual strategy.
CFO	chief financial officer	the executive responsible for financial strategy
Example:The CFO approved the new budget.
COO	chief operating officer	the executive responsible for daily operations
Example:The COO oversees daily operations.
CTO	chief technology officer	the executive responsible for technology strategy
Example:The CTO reviewed the security plan.
WFH	work from home	working remotely from home
Example:Our team can WFH twice a week.
FTE	full-time equivalent	a workload measure equivalent to one full-time worker
Example:The project requires three FTEs.
OKR	objectives and key results	a goal-setting method combining objectives with measurable results
Example:We review our OKRs every quarter.
SOP	standard operating procedure	written instructions for a routine work process
Example:Follow the SOP when processing refunds.
PIP	performance improvement plan	a formal plan to improve an employee's work performance
Example:The manager discussed the PIP with the employee.
International trade and logistics (22)
B/L	bill of lading	a transport document and receipt for goods shipped by sea
Example:Please email us a copy of the B/L once the goods have shipped.
cif	cost, insurance, freight	an Incoterms rule where the seller pays cost, insurance and freight to the destination port
Example:The seller offered a CIF Rotterdam price for the shipment. Note: CIF and CFR apply to sea and inland waterway transport; choose a suitable rule for other modes.
cip	carriage and insurance paid to	an Incoterms rule where the seller pays carriage and insurance to a named destination
Example:The goods will be shipped CIP Warsaw under Incoterms® 2020. Note: Under Incoterms® 2020, CIP has specific insurance requirements and is not identical to CIF.
cpt	carriage paid to	an Incoterms rule where the seller pays carriage to a named destination
Example:The contract specifies CPT Berlin, Incoterms® 2020.
ddp	Delivered duty paid	an Incoterms rule where the seller delivers goods with import duties paid
Example:The seller quoted DDP Paris, Incoterms® 2020.
ddu	Delivered Duty Unpaid	an older trade term meaning delivery without import duties paid; no longer a current Incoterms rule
Example:The 2008 contract uses DDU, but we should agree on a current Incoterms® 2020 rule. Note: DDU was removed from the Incoterms rules in 2010; check the current DAP or DDP terms instead.
des	delivered ex ship (...named port)	an older sea-transport trade term; no longer a current Incoterms rule
Example:The archived shipping agreement specifies DES Southampton. Note: DES is an obsolete Incoterms term; check the current rules before using it in a contract.
DN	debit note	a document showing an additional amount charged
Example:The supplier sent a DN to correct an undercharged amount.
EXW	ex works (from a named place)	an Incoterms rule where goods are made available at the seller's premises
Example:The supplier offered EXW Kraków, Incoterms® 2020. Note: For exports, check whether EXW is appropriate for customs clearance and loading responsibilities.
fob	free on board (to a named port of shipment)	an Incoterms rule where goods are loaded on board the ship at the port of shipment
Example:The goods were sold FOB Gdańsk, Incoterms® 2020. Note: FOB applies to sea and inland waterway transport and may be unsuitable for some container shipments.
for	free on rail	an older railway trade term, not a current Incoterms rule
Example:The historical contract uses FOR; the parties should specify an appropriate current delivery rule. Note: FOR is a historical railway term, not a current Incoterms rule.
p&p	postage and packing	charges for shipping and packaging
Example:The total is £45 plus £5 P&P.
DAP	delivered at place	an Incoterms rule where goods are delivered to a named place ready for unloading
Example:The goods were sold under DAP Warsaw, Incoterms® 2020.
DPU	delivered at place unloaded	an Incoterms rule where goods are delivered and unloaded at a named place
Example:The contract specifies DPU Hamburg, Incoterms® 2020.
FCA	free carrier	an Incoterms rule where goods are handed to a carrier at an agreed location
Example:The supplier quoted FCA Kraków, Incoterms® 2020.
FAS	free alongside ship	an Incoterms rule where goods are placed alongside the ship at the port of shipment
Example:The exporter offered FAS Gdańsk, Incoterms® 2020.
AWB	air waybill	a document covering goods transported by air
Example:The AWB number is on the shipping documents.
HS	harmonized system	an international system for classifying traded products
Example:Check the HS code before preparing the customs declaration.
EORI	economic operators registration and identification	an identification number for customs operators in the EU
Example:The importer must provide its EORI number.
POD	proof of delivery	confirmation that a shipment was delivered
Example:The courier emailed the POD to our office.
SKU	stock keeping unit	a unique code used to identify an inventory item
Example:Each product variant has a unique SKU.
MOQ	minimum order quantity	the smallest number of units a supplier will accept in an order
Example:The supplier has an MOQ of 500 units.
Other business abbreviations (8)
Advt.	advertisement	a paid message promoting a product or service
Example:We placed an advt. in the trade magazine last month.
cf.	compare	see another item for comparison
Example:For the revised delivery schedule, cf. section 4 of the agreement.
cfr.	cost and freight (CFR, reguła Incoterms)	an Incoterms rule where the seller pays cost and freight to the destination port
Example:The quotation is CFR Hamburg, Incoterms® 2020. Note: The Incoterms abbreviation is CFR (Cost and Freight); do not confuse it with cf. (compare).
c/o	care of	delivered to someone at another person's or organization's address
Example:Please send the documents c/o the London branch.
cwo	cash with order	payment is required when an order is placed
Example:This supplier requires CWO for first-time orders.
LTD.	limited	a company with limited liability
Example:The invoice was issued by Example Services Ltd. Note: Ltd. denotes limited liability in certain jurisdictions, but its legal meaning depends on the country.
p.p.	per procurationem	signed on behalf of someone with their authority
Example:The letter was signed “p.p. J. Smith” on behalf of the director.
ZIP (code)	Zone Improvement Plan (US)	a US postal code
Example:Enter your five-digit ZIP code in the billing address field.

Frequently asked questions about business abbreviations

What does ATTN mean in an email?

ATTN stands for attention. It directs a message or document to a specific person or department, such as Attn: Sales Department.

How do you use ATTN in business correspondence?

Write Attn: before the recipient’s name or department, for example Attn: John Smith. It helps route a letter or document to the right person.

What is the difference between ATTN and CC?

ATTN identifies the person or department a message is intended for. CC indicates additional email recipients who receive a copy.

What does B2B mean?

B2B means business-to-business: commercial activity between companies. For example, We offer B2B pricing for wholesale customers.

What does ASAP mean at work?

ASAP means as soon as possible. For example, Please confirm the delivery date ASAP. When possible, a specific deadline is clearer.

Business English Abbreviations

What does ATTN mean in business English?

Business abbreviations: 92 useful terms

Emails and business communication (17)

Finance and accounting (19)

Marketing and sales (14)

Management and human resources (12)

International trade and logistics (22)

Other business abbreviations (8)