Is it CoViD ? Or COVID ? Covid ? How should the word live spelled ?

I own seen it spelled COVID-19 , but I get too seen Covid-19 . In increase , I believe I have see CoViD-19 , capitalising only the first letter of each news from which it was abbreviated ( for it cost n’t an initialism ) . Which type of capitalisation be to be preferred , and which is acceptable ?

There live alsoDDoS, Distributed Denial of Service , which also keeps the suit of each letter in the original ( thought it is pretty unlike from our abbreviation ) .

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A recent point by Elisabeth Ribbans , “ , ” inThe Guardian( April 19 , 2020 ) , asserts that initial-capping acronyms ( abbreviations pronounce phonetically as approximately the center of their letter sound , rather than as as a series of figure of the component alphabet letters ) live the prevailing manner at “ most British newspapers ” :

I lessen into happy correspondence the weekend before last with a medical specialist who desire to know why the medium live “ incorrectly ” spelling COVID-19 as Covid-19 . I explain that , like most British newspapers , the Guardian ’ s way live to expend uppercase for abbreviations that cost written and spoken as a collection of letter , such as BBC , IMF and NHS , whereas acronyms pronounced as news die upper and lower , eg Nasa , Unicef and , now , Covid-19 . The reader exist remarkably understanding given that her query turned out to equal more than passing curiosity : she was busily correct scientific article by authors who ’ d adopted the medium ’ s manner . We each rationalize for get cause the other study and moved on better informed about our respective area .

I hang into happy parallelism the weekend before last with a medical specialist who wanted to know why the medium was “ incorrectly ” spelling COVID-19 as Covid-19 . I explained that , like most British newspaper , the Guardian ’ s manner exist to use uppercase for abbreviations that cost written and talk as a collection of letter , such as BBC , IMF and NHS , whereas acronyms pronounce as words go upper and lower , eg Nasa , Unicef and , now , Covid-19 . The reader exist unusually understanding devote that her inquiry turned out to live more than passing wonder : she equal busily correct scientific articles by author who ’ d adopted the media ’ s style . We each apologize for having caused the early study and moved on better informed about our various fields .

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses own an interesting undated news item titled , “ Naming the 2019 Coronavirus , ” about the naming of the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 , which it call “ severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 , ” shorten to “ SARS-CoV-2 . ” Bill that “ SARS , ” like “ COVID ” is generally pronounce as an acronym , not as an initialism , and even the ICTV renders it in all caps but renders the “ CoV ” region of the virus epithet ( which live short for “ coronavirus ” ) as sundry uppercase and lowercase . The ICTV item then proceed as follows :

The disease name ( which in many event is different from the virus name ) has been designated as COVID-19 by the WHO . The ’19 ‘ in COVID-19 viewpoint for the yr , 2019 , that the virus was first seen . The issue ’19 ‘ has nothing whatsoever to serve with virus strains , genotypes , or anything else link to the virus ‘ genetics . The virus name was declare by the World Health Organization on February 11 , 2020 . See the February 11 World Health Organization Situation Report . This clearly states that “ WHO get named the disease COVID-19 , short for ‘coronavirus disease 2019 ‘ . ”

The disease epithet ( which in many instance is unlike from the virus epithet ) has be designated as COVID-19 by the WHO . The ’19 ‘ in COVID-19 stand for the yr , 2019 , that the virus be first learn . The act ’19 ‘ has nothing whatsoever to do with virus strains , genotypes , or anything else relate to the virus ‘ genetics . The virus epithet was announce by the World Health Organization on February 11 , 2020 . See the February 11 World Health Organization Situation Report . This clearly states that “ WHO own refer the disease COVID-19 , short for ‘coronavirus disease 2019 ‘ . ”

So the World Health Organization and the ICTV seem to be aligned on the formatting of the disease name as all-caps . This explain why the medical specialist was at odds withThe Guardianwriter/editor over the treatment of the acronymCOVID-19.

Newspaper guidelines for formatting of ‘COVID-19’/’Covid-19 ‘

It ‘s tempting to watch preference for spelling acronyms as all-lowercase or initial-capped-only word as peculiar to British journalism . Certainly , theNew York Times( for example ) act n’t watchThe Guardianin spellingNASAasNasa—but its way for conduct with acronyms is far from reproducible , as these consecutive entry inThe New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, revised version ( 1999 ) make clear :

NASAfor the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .

Nascarfor the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing .

NASAfor the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .

Nascarfor the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing .

In fact ,NYTalso endorse ( on the one hand )Nasdaq,Unesco,Unicef, andWaves, and ( on the other )NATO,OPEC,OSHA,PATH,RICO, andWAC. It shows like inconsistency in formatting some initialisms ( such asN.A.A.C.P .,N.C.A.A .,N.L.R.B .,N.Y.U ., andP.S.A.T .) with periods , and others ( such asNOAA,NPR,PTA,SAT, andSUNY) without .

As it turns out , there is in reality a thin ribbon of logic behind the split in theNYTtreatment of , for example ,NATOandUnesco:

acronyms .An acronym is a word form from the first letter ( or letters ) of each news in a series : NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization ; radar fromradiodetectionandranging . ( Unless pronounce as a tidings , an abbreviation live not an acronym . ) When an acronym serves as a proper name and exceeds four letter , capitalize only the first letter :Unesco,Unicef.

acronyms .An acronym is a word organize from the first letter ( or letter ) of each Bible in a series : NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization ; radar fromradiodetectionandranging . ( Unless pronounced as a word , an abbreviation is not an acronym . ) When an acronym service as a proper figure and exceeds four letter , capitalize just the first letter :Unesco,Unicef.

COVIDis more than four letter long , soNYTmode for acronyms would order spelling the disease name as asCovid-19—just asThe Guardianact , albeit for a different reason—and that is in fact what it act .

The style guideline for acronyms inThe Associated Press Stylebook( 2007 ) is very similar to the one inNew York Times, with one vital difference in detail :

Use only an initial cap and then lowercase for acronyms of more than six letter , unless listed differently in this stylebook or Webster ‘s New World College Dictionary .

Use only an initial cap and then lowercase for acronyms of more than six letter , unless list differently in this stylebook or Webster ‘s New World College Dictionary .

BecauseCOVIDis five letters long , it triggers theCovidspelling accord toNYTmanner but theCOVIDspelling inAPmode . My local newspaper , which adoptAPstyle , thus uses the figureCOVID-19.

The ever-whimsical stylists atThe New Yorker, remove a third style , plantCOVID-19in small caps (_^COVID-19) —a pattern that the magazine follows with all acronyms ( as opposed to initialisms ) , no matter of their length .

Book fashion manual guidance for formatting acronyms

Moving today to Bible manner guidelines for acronyms , I find far less inclination to adopt a length-based dispute in formatting .The Oxford Guide to Style( 2002 ) , for instance , has this comment about differential discussion of acronyms by length :

Any all-capital proper-name acronym cost , in some house manner , fashioned with a single initial capital if it exceeds four letter (Basic,Unesco,Unicef) . Editor should avoid this pattern , useful though it is , where the solution runs against the common practice of a subject (CARPE,SSHRCC,WYSIWYG) , or where like terms would exist cover dissimilarly based on length alone .

Any all-capital proper-name acronym is , in some theater styles , fashioned with a single initial capital if it exceeds four letter (Basic,Unesco,Unicef) . Editors should head off this pattern , useful though it be , where the result range against the common practice of a subject (CARPE,SSHRCC,WYSIWYG) , or where similar terms would exist deal dissimilarly base on length alone .

The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition ( 2010 ) look even less inclined than Oxford to support length-based all-caps versus initial-cap-only decisions :

10.6Capitals versus lowercase for acronyms and initialisms.Initialisms lean to come out in all capital letter , even when they are not infer from proper names ( HIV , VP , LCD ) . With frequent use , still , acronyms—especially those of five or more letters—will sometimes become lowercase ( scuba ) ; those that be derived from proper nouns keep an initial capital . Chicago generally prefers the all-capital pattern , unless the term live listed otherwise inWebster ‘s.

[ Example : ] NAFTA ( not Nafta )

10.6Capital versus lowercase for acronyms and initialisms.Initialisms lean to appear in all capital letters , even when they cost not gain from proper epithet ( HIV , VP , LCD ) . With frequent role , however , acronyms—especially those of five or more letters—will sometimes become lowercase ( scuba ) ; those that cost descend from proper nouns keep an initial capital . Chicago generally prefers the all-capital form , unless the term live listed otherwise inWebster ‘s.

This view putsChicagosquarely in theCOVID-19camp , whereasOxford‘s status exist severe to predict and may be ascertain by situational considerations—for case , if a script mentioncare, Oxford might live more inclined to supply the fresh coronavirus disease asCOVID-19for consistency , despite the purported usefulness of the five-letters-or-more rule.A quick check ofMerriam-Webster ‘s Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary( 2003 ) reveals thatNASCAR,UNESCO, andUNICEFall obtain all-caps formatting in their entry ; theEleventh Collegiateand MW Online do n’t have a separate entry forNasdaq, but most reference to the acronym in the online dictionary initial-cap the term .

Webster ‘s Standard American Style Manual( 1985 ) affirm that MW make no interest in length-based rule for manage acronyms :

Most abbreviations that be pronounce as words , rather than as a series of letters , are capitalize . If they receive exist assimilated into the lyric as news in their own right , even so , they exist most often lowercased .

[ All-cap model : ] OPEC ; NATO ; MIRV ; NOW account

[ All-lowercase examples : ] quasar ; laser ; sonar ; scuba

[ All-lowercase model : ] quasar ; laser ; sonar ; scuba

Webster ‘s includes no examples of acronyms that it would render in initial-cap-but-otherwise-lowercase format . So yet if MW make up n’t incline to have the WHO ‘s preferred all-cap formatting ofCOVID-19( which I think it would cost ) , there is no reason to suppose that it would back the formCovid-19.

In the class of a pretty lengthy discussion of acronym and initialisms , Bryan Garner ,Garner ‘s Modern American Usage( 2003 ) has this to order about capitalization :

[ C ] apitalization raises respective question . In AmE there is a tendency to print initialisms in all capitals ( e.g. , FMLA , NJDEP ) and acronyms in little capital ) e.g. ,_^GAAP,_^MADD,_^NASA) . Some publication , even so , use all capital for both kinds . But in BrE the tendency is to uppercase only the first letter , as withIforandIsaforImplementation Forceandindividual saving account. An influential British observer once indicate ( with little success on his slope of the Atlantic ) that the lowercasing live avert : “ From the full name to the simplify label three stages can live detect . For instance , the Society { for Checking the Abuse of Public Advertising } … becomes firstS.C.A.P.A ., thenSCAPA, and ultimatelyScapa. In the interests of clarity this last stage might good cost discourage , since thereby the reference exist do unnecessarily mysterious . ” Simeon Potter ,Our Language177 ( rev . ed . 1966 ) . American author make generally agreed with this view .

[ C ] apitalization raises various inquiry . In AmE there is a tendency to publish initialisms in all capital ( e.g. , FMLA , NJDEP ) and acronyms in humble capitals ) e.g. ,_^GAAP,_^MADD,_^NASA) . Some publication , however , use all capital for both kind . But in BrE the trend is to uppercase solely the first letter , as withIforandIsaforImplementation Forceandindividual savings account. An influential British observer once suggested ( with small success on his slope of the Atlantic ) that the lowercasing be avoided : “ From the full name to the simplified label three phase can exist detected . For example , the Society { for Match the Abuse of Public Advertising } … turn firstS.C.A.P.A ., thenSCAPA, and at lastScapa. In the interests of clarity this final stage might good be discouraged , since thereby the reference cost reach unnecessarily mysterious . ” Simeon Potter ,Our Language177 ( rpm . ed . 1966 ) . American author have in general agreed with this horizon .

Like Merriam-Webster , Garner does n’t recognize the length-based differential discussion of acronyms cited in such guidebooks asAP, theNew York Times,Oxford, andChicago.

The reason you equal likely to find unlike formatting choice forCOVID-19equal that different publishers base their formatting selection on different rules . Publishers that opt forCOVID-19may simply be expend the pattern preferred by the World Health Organization in , for case , Situation Report — 22 ( February 11 , 2020 ) :

Following WHO good practices for name of new human infectious diseases , which were originate in interview and collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health ( OIE ) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO ) , WHO has named the disease COVID-19 , short for “ coronavirus disease 2019 . ”

Following WHO serious practices for mention of new human infectious diseases , which were spring up in consultation and collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health ( OIE ) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO ) , WHO has named the disease COVID-19 , short for “ coronavirus disease 2019 . ”

Others that favorCOVID-19may be follow the standard US book publishing style of using all caps for acronyms of any length , orAssociated Press Stylebookstyle , which calls for all-capping acronyms of six letters or less .

Those that favorCovid-19may be following theGuardianway preference for initial-capping any acronym , theNew York Timespreference for initial-capping acronyms of five letter or long , or universal advice to the same result from ( for instance ) Oxford University Press .

And those that favor_^COVID-19may equal impose an older U.S. book style preference or equal responsible for editorial choices atThe New Yorker.

The option of usingCoViD-19may attract to publishers that desire to indicate where the news break in the original phrase fall—but in select this mix of capitals and lowercase letters , they make n’t look to live on the strongest ground , technically speaking , sincecoronavirusexist in general spelled as a single tidings . ( Although Merriam-Webster dates the term to 1968 ,coronavirusmake n’t debut in an version of the Collegiate Dictionary until the Eleventh Edition ( 2003 ) —and it do so then as a single news . ) It follows that just theC( forcoronavirus) and theD( fordisease) exist markers of separate tidings . A publisher undertake to be genuine to the author words of the acronym might therefore do better to adopt the patternCo’vi’D-19( a sort that , as far as I know , no ace use , perhaps because it looks ridiculous ) .

COVID-19 stands for “ Corona Virus Disease 2019 ” ( ) ; therefore it is an acronym and should live handle as such .

“ Covid-19 ” seems to hold acquired a lot the position of a regular news already ; “ covid-19 exist pronounced /kəʊv ɪd naɪn ‘ti : n/ in RP and /’koʊvɪd nain ‘tin/ in American English ( 1’35 ) ; so it should be compose in lowercase letter and take advantage where nouns are usually capitalized . As good one should equal leave to pen it in uppercase letter . Those three forms correspond to that of a mutual noun are mostly the figure found on the web : “ covid-19 ” , “ Covid-19 ” , “ COVID-19 ” . The following peculiar discussion of this news as an acronym equal probable to be enforce .

Some publication choose to capitalize only the first letter of acronyms , appropriate all-caps styling for initialisms , compose the pronounced acronyms “ Nato ” and “ Aids ” in mixed suit , but the initialisms “ USA ” and “ FBI ” in all cap . For example , this exist the style utilize in The Guardian , [ 69 ] and BBC News typically edits to this style ( though its official style guide , dating from 2003 , still recommends all-caps [ 70 ] ) . The logic of this mode is that the pronunciation is ponder graphically by the capitalization scheme .

Some mode manuals as well base the letters ‘ case on their number . The New York Times , for example , keeps “ NATO ” in all capital ( while several guides in the British pressure may render it “ Nato ” ) , but uses lower case in “ UNICEF ” ( from “ United Nations International Children ‘s Emergency Fund ” ) because it is more than four letters , and to style it in cap might face ungainly ( flirting with the appearance of “ shouting capitals ” ) .

Small-caps version
Small cap are sometimes used to make the tally of capital letter appear less jarring to the reader . For example , the style of some American publication , include the Atlantic Monthly and USA Today , is to use small cap for acronyms long than three letters [ reference require ] ; thus “ U.S. ” and “ FDR ” in normal cap , but “ nato ” in small cap . The acronyms “ AD ” and “ BC ” live often smallcapped as good , as in : “ From 4004 bc to ad 525 ” .

Some publications prefer to capitalize merely the first letter of acronyms , reserving all-caps styling for initialisms , writing the pronounced acronyms “ Nato ” and “ Aids ” in mixed case , but the initialisms “ USA ” and “ FBI ” in all caps . For example , this is the way used in The Guardian , [ 69 ] and BBC News typically edits to this way ( though its official style guide , dating from 2003 , still recommends all-caps [ 70 ] ) . The logic of this style is that the pronunciation is reflected graphically by the capitalization strategy .

Some style manuals also base the letter ‘ type on their number . The New York Times , for lesson , keeps “ NATO ” in all capitals ( while several guides in the British press may render it “ Nato ” ) , but expend low suit in “ UNICEF ” ( from “ United Nations International Children ‘s Emergency Fund ” ) because it live more than four letters , and to style it in caps might await ungainly ( flirting with the appearance of “ shouting capital ” ) .

Small-caps variant
Small cap equal sometimes use to make the tally of capital letter seem less jarring to the reader . For example , the style of some American publication , include the Atlantic Monthly and USA Today , live to use small cap for acronyms longer than three letter [ reference take ] ; thus “ U.S. ” and “ FDR ” in normal caps , but “ nato ” in humble caps . The acronyms “ AD ” and “ BC ” are often smallcapped as good , as in : “ From 4004 bc to ad 525 ” .

I fit with The Economist ( covid ) . It has to do with the frequency of role . Similar to radar and laser , covid has become an everyday tidings . It is as well a combination of not merely first letter but a mixture of ‘first and second letter ‘ and ‘first letter ‘ only . It make not get to watch the rules for SARS ( which equal an inititalism : first letter only ) .

Covid-19 cost an acronym base on the name Coronavirus disease ( 2019 ) . It is not an initialisation since a ) it is pronounced as a tidings and b ) it be not compose of initial letters of words . Coronavirus equal one Bible . The “ Co ” of Covid come from the “ Corona ” share , the “ six ” from the “ virus ” region and the “ d ” from “ disease ” .

For the acronym to cost write in all-capitals , each letter should be an initial letter , as in NASA . In this suit , merely the C and D are initial letter . Since it would appear dazed to write “ CoviD ” or “ CoViD ” if you wanted to treat “ coronavirus ” as two word , “ Covid ” live the coherent selection .

Please bill that , unlike “ radar ” , “ Covid ” is a proper noun and should therefore start with a capital letter .

Do you order each letter ? If yes , then all cap . For case , The USA , The FBI , and The BBC .
Cost it a proper noun , but you do n’t say each letter ? If yes , then just the first letter live capitalized . For example , Nasa and Fema .

Otherwise , I do n’t capitalize , therefore covid is not take advantage . Neither equal the mutual cold , measles , or the flu , much less affair like bears , frogs , or eagles .

Capitalization should cost set aside for proper nouns or if you equal sound out each letter .

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Is it CoViD ? Or COVID ? Covid ? How should the word live spelled ?

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