iScribo

Author: Maria del Mar Pérez

  • What is ChatGPT? Learn the Keys for Beginners

    What is ChatGPT? Learn the Keys for Beginners

    The topic of the moment! Why is everyone talking about it? What is ChatGPT and what is it for? What is a chatbot and why should you care? ChatGPT is new in our lives and it seems that it has arrived to stay forever. It has landed with force in the world of technology and has revolutionised the planet without us expecting it. A thousand questions and concerns arise, so, to get our ideas clear, let’s learn a little about this creation of artificial intelligence.

    In this iScribo article, discover the keys to understanding the foundations of this technological product that is as admired as it is controversial.

    What is ChatGPT doing and Why Does it Work?

    What is ChatGPT used for? First of all, let’s go through its meaning. It is a technological tool that has been born thanks to artificial intelligence. The ChatGPT chatbot generates fully coherent and accurate written content that emulates human writing.

    It has burst into our lives because it is an interactive system that responds to your questions, all of them, as if it were a natural conversation, and it is available in a multitude of languages. It is able to adapt to the social context and the age of the questioner. In short, it is as if you were interacting on the internet with a very cultured person in the flesh.

    If you are wondering what ChatGPT is and how it works, the best thing to do is to try it out. It is very intuitive and precise, just ask it a question and it will answer it for you. You can also combine it with other types of applications to increase the speed with which you resolve your doubts. Take a look at your mobile phone and select one of your favourite chat apps, you will see that some of them include the possibility of combining it with ChatGPT.

    Fears it Arouses

    Many people are still sceptical about ChatGPT, as it is a very advanced technology that we are not used to.

    Some of the ChatGPT fears are that people see their jobs in jeopardy, such as the world of linguistics and writers. However, it still makes mistakes that need to be developed, and we have no doubt that it will be.

    In the world of education, students have found an ally in this evolution of artificial intelligence to deliver their essays, projects and assignments. Teachers now need to look for alternatives to make students work harder.

    Don’t panic! Technology cannot take away our work completely, but it does present us with the opportunity to adapt to it in order to improve productivity and quality, so let’s look on the bright side. With this kind of technology, we can work faster and better.

    Differences Between ChatGPT and GPT-3

    GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3) is the predecessor of ChatGPT. It is a deep learning neural network that generates content and predicts the series of words or phrases that will make up the text as a whole. It was designed to perform a variety of tasks, such as translating, proofreading, problem solving and text generation.

    GPT-3 is also used to analyse customer reviews when testing a product, as well as in the world of video games. It may sound strange, but this brings naturalness to the characters that have to interact with humans.

    It is also used to generate text in applications, without GPT-3 many of the applications we use every day would not have seen the light of day. Finally, GPT-3 is used in marketing campaigns.

    Remind you of anything? GPT-3 is the technology used by our spell and grammar checker iScribo since it was born. iScribo corrects your Spanish documents in real time with the help of artificial intelligence and our wonderful team of linguists behind the teaching. Technology and art combined in a product that makes your life easier.

    Both ChatGPT and GPT-3 are fed in real time. We teach them and they teach us.

    Technology As Your Assistant

    We must adapt to the times and not fall into the despair of a world that is advancing at the speed of light. Read, learn and overcome your fears, this is the only way to get the most out of artificial intelligence. Use technological tools as your virtual assistant in your personal and professional life to set yourself apart from the competition. You won’t regret it.

    Do you know any ChatGPT alternative and have you tried it? Just think, there are many objects and tools that you use every day that work thanks to this type of technology. Tell us in the comments about your experience and let us know if you notice the difference with the iScribo engine, your spell and grammar checker in Spanish.

  • What are the Rules of Dialogue Writing in Spanish

    What are the Rules of Dialogue Writing in Spanish

    Do you know how to write dialogues in Spanish? Learning how an interaction dialogue works in Spanish is crucial for it to be read fluently and accurately.

    The rules for writing dialogues generate doubts and, if we look closely, they are one of the most important parts of stories. Interviews, articles, novels, film scripts, etc., we can find this type of communication exchange very frequently day after day.

    What is a Dialogue?

    A dialogue is a type of communication between two or more people. It is an essential part of human interaction and, therefore, writing dialogues correctly will allow us to share thoughts, ideas or conversations, among others.

    Keep reading to learn the basics about simple dialogues in Spanish, because, yeah, they can be complicated sometimes.

    Different Parts of a Dialogue

    When we talk about writing dialogues in Spanish, most of the time we are referring to literary dialogue. In this type of dialogue, we can distinguish two parts:

    Parlamento: It indicates the speech of each character:

    —Oye, Marisa —dijo Enrique enfadado antes de irse.

    (“Hey, Marisa – said Enrique angrily before leaving.)

    Acotación: This is also called an inciso (parenthetical remark) and it clarifies who is speaking, where and how, among other things.

    —Oye, Marisa —dijo Enrique enfadado antes de irse.

    Remember that the parlamentos may or may not have an acotación.

    The Dash in Spanish Dialogues

    When it comes to the punctuation marks in dialogues, the dash or long dash takes centre stage, as it introduces the dialogue:

    —Ven, Marcos —dijo Sergio—. Quiero darte el regalo.

    (“Come, Marcos, said Sergio. I want to give you the gift.)

    It is written next to the word that follows it. Also, as you can see in the example, it is used whenever there is a pause for clarification with verbs of speech, understanding or thought.

    Use a dash for each speech of different characters.

    In the example above, you can also appreciate that the punctuation mark that accompanies the sentence goes right at the end of the clause, again, attached to the dash.

    One last little trick, if the acotación is a non-verbal thought, use the Latin quotation marks in another sentence to express it:

    —Margarita va a llegar tarde.

    «Deberíamos comenzar la fiesta sin ella…», pensó Jacinto.

    (“Margarita is going to be late.

    “We should start the party without her…”, Jacinto thought.)

    Be Patient!

    Nobody said typing was easy and writing Spanish dialogues correctly takes time. I say this because the dash does not appear on the Spanish keyboard, you will have to insert it as a symbol or search for “raya” in a browser to copy and paste it.

    We recommend that you practice, repeatedly, until you internalise these rules. The more you write, the sooner you will apply the rule automatically. iScribo corrects your Spanish in real time so you don’t have to waste time going over what you write more than once. Have you tried it yet? Tell us about it in the comments.

  • Lingüística y Beneficios del Aprendizaje Automático

    Lingüística y Beneficios del Aprendizaje Automático

    El aprendizaje automático (machine learning) y la lingüística computacional, en la actualidad, se aplican a todas las ramas del conocimiento. Así es, ¡a todas! Con este artículo aprenderás los beneficios del aprendizaje automático, así como algunos conceptos clave de este mundo tecnológico tan amplio.

    A veces nos asustamos cuando nos vemos inmersos en el mundo de la tecnología pero, si le prestamos atención, nos daremos cuenta de que es un campo inmenso del que podemos aprender maravillas. Es más, la tecnología lo que hace al fin y al cabo es mejorar nuestra calidad de vida.

    ¿Cómo funciona la lingüística computacional? ¿Están todas estas disciplinas relacionadas? ¿Qué vínculo comparten iScribo, la inteligencia artificial y estas ramas del conocimiento? Sigue leyendo y sumérgete en este tema de moda.

    ¿Qué es el aprendizaje automático?

    El aprendizaje automático (machine learning por su término en inglés) es una disciplina de la inteligencia artificial y, a su vez, de la informática que estudia y aplica el uso de datos y algoritmos para emular la didáctica de las personas. Durante este proceso, el aprendizaje automático mejora los patrones humanos para evitar cometer los mismos errores una y otra vez. En definitiva, trata de ayudar a automatizar las tareas para ahorrar tiempo y recursos.

    Se trata de una evolución de la programación informática tal y como la conocemos hoy en día ya que desarrolla modelos predictivos que, tras entrenarlos, se convierten en patrones de datos que implementa la inteligencia artificial.

    Las técnicas algorítmicas son la clave del aprendizaje automático ya que resuelven problemas concretos.

    ¿Qué es la lingüística computacional?

    La lingüística computacional es una subdisciplina de la lingüística aplicada a la tecnología. Se trata de enseñar y traducir el lenguaje de las personas al de las máquinas y viceversa. Los aportes de la lingüística computacional a la inteligencia artificial son innumerables. Podríamos decir que, sin este tipo de lingüística, las máquinas no entenderían a las personas.

    Aquí el lenguaje de procesamiento natural es clave, puesto que también está desarrollado por la lingüística computacional, al igual que el aprendizaje automático y la semántica computacional.

    Gracias a la lingüística computacional tenemos al alcance nuestras manos hasta la tecnología más compleja. Y sí, los lingüistas desempeñan tareas cruciales para que todo esto sea posible, se trata nada más y nada menos que de una profesión presente y futura.

    Inteligencia artificial y aprendizaje automático

    El aprendizaje automático es una rama de la IA. Mientras que la IA se centra en emular las tareas humanas, el aprendizaje automático es lo que educa a la inteligencia artificial. Es decir, busca la manera de que la IA aprenda a realizar ese tipo de tareas. ¡Las máquinas también necesitan que las enseñen y reparen!

    La IA avanza en la creación de sistemas inteligentes que desempeñen una o más tareas complejas. Por otro lado, el aprendizaje automático ayuda a que esas máquinas lleven a cabo la tarea específica para la que deberían estar capacitadas. Como puedes ver, esta disciplina y subdisciplina se necesitan la una a la otra para funcionar a la perfección. Esta simbiosis es imprescindible para el buen funcionamiento de software y aparatos que utilizas en tu casa, como por ejemplo, un buscador web o un altavoz inteligente.

    Ahora bien, hay mucha tecnología detrás del aprendizaje automático y se necesitan muchas personas para llevarlo a cabo.

    Lingüística, IA y iScribo

    En el centro de la lingüística y la inteligencia artificial se encuentra nuestra herramienta. El corrector ortográfico y gramatical de iScribo pretende que mejores tu español escrito y, para ello, su motor dirigido por la inteligencia artificial corrige mientras escribes en tiempo real gracias a las reglas del idioma que ha aprendido.

    En resumen, la lingüística, como ciencia del lenguaje, permite que conozcamos las reglas de español. Aparte, tenemos la subciencia de la lingüística computacional, que le traduce a nuestro corrector estas normas del idioma y la inteligencia artificial en sí las aplica. ¿Has probado ya nuestra herramienta tan completa? Cuéntanos en los comentarios qué te parece iScribo, el corrector que combina la lingüística y la inteligencia artificial a través del aprendizaje automático.

  • Linguistics and Benefits of Machine Learning

    Linguistics and Benefits of Machine Learning

    Machine learning and computational linguistics are now being applied to all branches of knowledge. That’s right, all of them! In this article you will learn the benefits of machine learning, as well as some key concepts of this wide-ranging technological world.

    Sometimes we feel scared when we are immersed in the world of technology but, if we pay attention to it, we will realise that it is a huge field from which we can learn wonders. In fact, what technology does in the end is to improve our quality of life, no less than that.

    What do computational linguists do? What is a computational linguist? What is the link between iScribo, artificial intelligence and these branches of knowledge? Read this article to answer all these questions and dive into this trending topic.

    What is Machine Learning and How Does it Work?

    Machine learning is a discipline inside of artificial intelligence and computer science that studies and applies the use of data and algorithms to emulate human learning. In the process, machine learning improves human patterns to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again, as well as the unnecessary repetitions. In short, it tries to help automate tasks to save time and resources.

    It is an evolution of computer programming as we know it today, as it develops predictive models that, after training, become data patterns to be implemented by artificial intelligence.

    Algorithmic techniques are the key to machine learning as they solve specific problems.

    What is Computational Linguistics?

    Computational linguistics is a sub-discipline of linguistics applied to technology. It is about teaching and translating the language of people into the language of machines and vice versa. The contributions of computational linguistics to artificial intelligence are innumerable. We could say that, without this type of linguistics, machines would not understand people.

    Here natural language processing is key, as it is also developed by computational linguistics, as well as machine learning and computational semantics. People are essential to perform this task.

    Thanks to computational linguistics, even the most complex technology is at our fingertips. And yes, linguists play a crucial role in making all this possible – it is nothing less than a present and future profession, give it thought and you’ll see clearly why.

    Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

    What is the difference between ai and machine learning? We’ll make it simple as we could be comparing them the whole day. Machine learning is a branch of AI. While AI focuses on emulating human tasks, machine learning is what educates artificial intelligence. That is, it looks for ways for AI to learn how to perform such tasks – machines also need to be taught and repaired! They make the perfect teacher-student symbiosis.

    AI makes progress in creating intelligent systems that perform one or more complex tasks. On the other hand, machine learning helps those machines perform the specific task they should be trained to do. As you can see, this discipline and sub-discipline need each other to function perfectly. This tandem is essential for the proper functioning of software and devices that you use in your home, such as a web browser or a smart interactive speaker.

    However, there is a lot of technology behind machine learning and it takes a lot of people to perform it.

    Linguistics, AI & iScribo

    This is all a bit difficult to process, but once you’ve learnt the basic concepts of machine learning, linguistics and artificial intelligence, you’ll see how they all work together to perform magic!

    Our tool is at the heart of linguistics and artificial intelligence. Wow! The iScribo spelling and grammar checker aims to help you improve your written Spanish. To do this, its artificial intelligence-driven engine corrects as you write in real time thanks to the rules of the language it has learned.

    In short, linguistics, as the science of language, allows us to know the rules of Spanish. In addition, we have the sub-science of computational linguistics, which translates these language rules to our proofreader and the artificial intelligence itself applies them.

    Have you already tried our comprehensive tool? Let us know in the comments what you think of iScribo, the proofreader that combines linguistics and artificial intelligence through machine learning.

  • 11 Recursos Para Utilizar Correctamente el Español

    11 Recursos Para Utilizar Correctamente el Español

    A la hora de escribir, es normal que te surjan dudas. Incluso los hablantes nativos tienen que consultar cómo se escribe cierta palabra o frase. Por suerte, existen recursos para utilizar correctamente el español, oficiales y no oficiales, que verás que son las mejores herramientas para escribir en español.

    Desde los recursos para escribir en español de los académicos hasta canales de expertos que ocupan un lugar privilegiado en el desarrollo de la lengua española, lee este artículo y conoce estos sitios web que te ayudarán cada vez que lo necesites.

    Recursos en línea para aprender español

    Este artículo debe comenzar, como no podía ser de otra manera, con los recursos en línea oficiales de nuestros académicos y otras herramientas para aprender español de organismos que tratan de preservar el buen uso de la lengua.

    1. RAE: seguro que lo has adivinado. La Real Academia Española no solo cuenta con numerosas publicaciones, sino que sus canales y páginas web están aquí para ayudarnos y mostrarnos el camino del español perfecto. Además de consultar el diccionario oficial, la RAE cuenta con un canal de consultas rápidas o un diccionario de dudas, entre otros. Dedícale el tiempo que necesites a familiarizarte con sus sitios web para sacarles el máximo provecho.

    2. Fundéu: Nuestro segundo recurso favorito. Podrás buscar consultas ya resueltas y preguntar lo que no encuentres. No solo en su página web, también puedes contactar con estos expertos de la lengua en tiempo real a través de las redes sociales.

    3. Academia Mexicana de la Lengua: ya sabes que el español tiene muchas variantes y todas de ellas son válidas. Este recurso nos abre las puertas al español latino, el más hablado en el mundo. Échale un vistazo al diccionario de mexicanismos de Guido Gómez de Silva.

    Recursos para aprender español para extranjeros

    La comunidad de expertos es inmensa y siempre puedes acudir a más de una herramienta para que te ayude con tu español. Si el idioma de Cervantes no es tu lengua materna, no te preocupes, además de los recursos ya mencionados, puedes acudir a los siguientes:

    4. Instituto Cervantes: este instituto es el encargado de llevar el español a cualquier parte del mundo. Como extranjero que aprende el español, estarás más que familiarizado con la labor de esta organización. Hoy te recomendamos El libro del español perfecto cuyo título habla por sí solo.

    5. RTVE: aprender y mejorar el español a través de pódcast es una idea muy original para desarrollar la multitarea. Cuando vayas en el coche, te relajes en la playa o en un día de pesca, escuchar testimonios e historias hará que mejores en un abrir y cerrar de ojos.

    6. Wikilengua: Este recurso tan completo expande tus horizontes del español. Aquí verás cómo se aplican las normas del español según lo que dicta la RAE. Toda una fuente de sabiduría en un formato de búsqueda intuitivo.

    Otros recursos para utilizar correctamente el español

    ¡Podríamos hablar de instituciones o personas que mejoran nuestra lengua todo el día! Aquí te dejamos algunas personalidades o entidades que han colaborado para que el buen uso del español llegue a todos los usuarios.

    7. El Diccionario de uso del español de María Moliner: no está tan enfocado a la norma pero sí al uso. Merece la pena utilizarlo con frecuencia para aprender hasta dónde llegan las fronteras del español.

    8. Diccionario de sinónimos y antónimos de El País: los periódicos tienen sus propios libros de estilo pero en ocasiones utilizan sus recursos para aplicar la normal y hacérnosla llegar. Busca una acepción y sorpréndete con su familia de palabras.

    9. Minucias del lenguaje: esta obra de José G. Moreno plantea reflexiones, dudas, explicaciones, investigaciones, etcétera del español en México. Se trata de una publicación muy completa acerca de los recursos sintácticos, ortográficos o fonéticos del español, entre otros.

    10. El dardo en la palabra: del ilustre Fernando Lázaro Carreter. Se trata de una obra que recopila artículos periodísticos y explica el impacto de los mismos en la evolución del español como lengua.

    iScribo, tu herramienta para escribir

    Es normal tener dudas a la hora de escribir cualquier idioma, por eso es cada vez más frecuente buscar recursos para escribir en español de la mejor forma posible.

    11. iScribo: pretende que todo el mundo escriba un español lo más correcto posible. Se trata de una herramienta más que añadir a la lista en cuanto a la escritura adecuada del español. ¿Qué otras herramientas conoces? ¿Qué otro recurso se aplica en América Latina? Cuéntanos en los comentarios, ¡se trata de aprender!

  • 11 Resources for the Correct Use of Spanish

    11 Resources for the Correct Use of Spanish

    When it comes to writing, it is normal to have doubts. Even native speakers ask themselves how to spell a certain word or phrase. Luckily, if you wonder what the best way is to learn Spanish as an adult, there are resources for the correct use of Spanish, both official and unofficial, that you’ll find quite helpful.

    From resources to learn Spanish and write it like academics to expert channels that occupy a privileged place in the development of the language, read this article and learn these websites that will help you every time you need it.

    Online Resources to Help Learn Spanish

    This article must begin, as it could not be otherwise, with the official online resources of our academics and other tools to help learn Spanish from organisations that try to preserve the good use of the language.

    1. RAE: you’ve probably guessed it. The Real Academia Española not only has numerous publications, but its channels and web pages are here to help us and show us the way to perfect Spanish. In addition to consulting their dictionaries in Spanish, the RAE has a quick consultation channel or a dictionary of doubts, among others. Take the time you need to familiarise yourself with its websites and make the most out of them.

    2. Fundéu: Our second favorite resource, as you probably know too. You can search for queries that have already been solved and ask what you can’t find. There is always an expert ready to help. Not only on their website, you can also contact them in real time through social networks.

    3. Academia Mexicana de la Lengua: you already know that Spanish has many variants and all of them are valid. This resource is the key to Latin Spanish, the most widely spoken in the world. Do you know Guido Gómez de Silva’s dictionary of Mexicanisms?

    Resources for Learning Spanish as a Foreign Language

    The community of experts is immense and you can always turn to more than one tool to help you with your Spanish. If the language of Cervantes is not your native language, don’t worry, in addition to the resources already mentioned, you can check the following:

    4. Instituto Cervantes: this institute oversees bringing Spanish to any part of the world. As a foreigner learning Spanish, you will be more than familiar with the work of this organisation. Today we recommend El libro del español perfecto whose title speaks for itself.

    5. RTVE: learning and improving Spanish through podcasts is a very original idea to develop multitasking and the language itself. When you are in the car, relaxing on the beach or on a fishing day, listening to testimonials and stories will make you improve in no time – and you won’t even realise it!

    6. Wikilengua: This comprehensive resource expands your Spanish horizons. Here you will see how the rules of Spanish are applied as dictated by the RAE. A wealth of wisdom in an intuitive searching format.

    Other Resources for the Correct Use of Spanish

    We could talk about institutions or people who improve our language all day long! In the end, there are so many Spanish lovers spread around the world. Here we leave you some personalities or entities that have collaborated so that the good use of Spanish reaches all users.

    7. The Diccionario de uso del español by María Moliner: is not so much focused on the norm but on usage. It is worth using it frequently to learn how far the frontiers of Spanish extend.

    8. Diccionario de sinónimos y antónimos by El País: newspapers have their own style guides and sometimes they use their own resources to apply the rules and bring them to us. Look up a meaning and be surprised by its family of words.

    9. Minucias del lenguaje: this work by Jose G. Moreno presents reflections, doubts, explanations, research, etc. on Spanish in Mexico. It is a very comprehensive publication on the syntactic, orthographic and phonetic resources of Spanish, among others.

    10. El dardo en la palabra by the illustrious Fernando Lázaro Carreter: it is a work that compiles journalistic articles and explains their impact on the evolution of Spanish as a language.

    iScribo, your Tool to Write in Spanish

    It is normal to have doubts when writing any language, so it is increasingly common to look for resources to write in Spanish in the best possible way.

    11. iScribo: it aims to help everyone write Spanish as correctly as possible. This is one more tool to add to the list in terms of proper Spanish writing. What other tools do you know of, and what other resources are used in Latin America? Tell us in the comments and remember that it’s all about learning!

  • 8 Ejemplos de Acrónimos en Español y su Concepto

    8 Ejemplos de Acrónimos en Español y su Concepto

    Hoy en día está de moda abreviar al escribir, pues bien, ¡esto ha existido toda vida! Aunque no lo creas, los acrónimos en español son agrupaciones de palabras que se pueden leer de forma natural sílaba a sílaba. Por ejemplo:

    1. ONU: /ó-nu/, acrónimo para Organización de las Naciones Unidas.

    La norma dice que cuando se juntan dos o más palabras para formar una sola, es un acrónimo.

    Si quieres saber qué distingue un acrónimo de una abreviatura o de una sigla, continúa leyendo. iScribo te ayuda a aclarar los aspectos de la gramática que, a priori, pueden parecerte más complicados.

    ¿Qué diferencia hay entre siglas y acrónimos?

    La diferencia entre siglas y acrónimos es sencilla. ¿Qué son las siglas? Las siglas en español son signos lingüísticos formados, por regla general, por letras iniciales de los términos que expresa. Por ejemplo, BCE (Banco Central Europeo).

    A veces, acrónimos y siglas pueden compartir funciones y designar equitativamente una palabra, como es el caso anterior de la ONU.

    Ahora bien, ¿cuál es la diferencia entre abreviaturas y siglas? Como ya tenemos claros los conceptos de acrónimos y siglas, te explicaremos el de las abreviaturas. Se trata de una o varias letras que se usan para representar de manera breve una palabra, por ejemplo, tel. para teléfono.

    Ejemplos de acrónimos

    Existen diferentes tipos de acrónimos en español, por ejemplo, los que funcionan como siglas o los que juntan varias palabras sin tener que ser siglas. A continuación te enseñamos varios ejemplos:

    2. Docudrama: de documental y drama.

    3. Fundéu: Por supuesto, no podíamos dejar a la Fundación del Español Urgente fuera de este artículo.

    4. Euríbor: Es el tipo europeo de oferta interbancaria. Este acrónimo se ha formado a partir del inglés interbank offered rate. Como puedes ver, hay acrónimos que siguen una formación muy peculiar.

    5. Ovni: objeto volador/volante no identificado.

    6. Láser: al igual que con el número cuatro de esta lista, viene «prestado» del inglés. Significa light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, en español amplificación de luz mediante emisión inducida de radiación.

    7. RAE: claro que sí, nuestra institución favorita, la Real Academia de la Lengua Española, es a la vez sigla y acrónimo.

    8. Unesco: Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura.

    iScribo y los acrónimos en español

    Nuestra herramienta te ayuda a escribir bien los acrónimos, además de otros aspectos gramaticales y ortográficos en español.

    Tampoco está de más conocer la norma, puesto que hay muchos aspectos que debes saber acerca de los acrónimos, ¿se escriben con mayúscula, minúscula, van en cursiva? ¡Es todo un mundo! Cuéntanos en los comentarios cómo llevas el tema de las siglas y acrónimos. Escríbenos también algunos ejemplos, ¿a qué estás esperando?

  • 8 Examples of Acronyms in Spanish & Their Meaning

    8 Examples of Acronyms in Spanish & Their Meaning

    Nowadays it is trendy to abbreviate when writing, well, this has been around all our lives! What does ‘acronyms’ mean in Spanish? Believe it or not, Spanish acronyms are group of words that can be read naturally syllable by syllable. For example:

    1. ONU: /ó-nu/, acronym for ‘Organización de las Naciones Unidas’ (United Nations).

    The rule says also that when two or more words are put together to form a single word, it is an acronym.

    If you want to know what the difference between acronyms and abbreviations is, read on. iScribo helps you to clarify the aspects of grammar that, at first glance, may seem more complicated for all of us.

    Difference Between Acronyms and Abbreviations

    The difference between acronyms and initialisms (siglas) is simple. What are siglas? Siglas in Spanish are linguistic signs formed, as a general rule, by the initial letters of the terms they express. For example, BCE for ‘Banco Central Europeo’ (European Central Bank).

    Sometimes, acronyms and siglas can share functions and designate a word equally, as in the case above explained of the ONU.

    But what is the difference between abbreviations and acronyms? Now that we are clear on the concepts of acronyms and siglas, we will explain the concept of abbreviations. Abbreviations are one or more letters used to represent a word briefly, for example, ‘tel.’ for ‘teléfono’ (telephone).

    Examples of Acronyms in Spanish

    There are different Spanish acronyms, for example, those that function as siglas or those that join several words without having to be siglas. Here are some examples:

    2. Docudrama: from ‘documental’ and ‘drama.’

    3. Fundéu: Of course, we couldn’t leave the ‘Fundación del Español Urgente’ out of this article.

    4. Euríbor: ‘Tipo europeo de oferta interbancaria.’ This acronym is formed from the English interbank offered rate. As you can see, there are acronyms that follow a very peculiar formation.

    5. Ovni: ‘Objeto volador/volante no identificado’ (Unidentified flying object, UFO.)

    6. Láser: ‘Amplificación de luz mediante emisión inducida de radiación’. As with number four on this list, it is “borrowed” from English. It stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

    7. RAE: of course, our favourite institution, the ‘Real Academia de la Lengua Española’, is both an acronym and a sigla.

    8. Unesco: ‘Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura’ (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).

    iScribo and Spanish Acronyms

    Our tool helps you to write acronyms properly, as well as other grammatical and spelling aspects in Spanish. Also, we always recommend to know the rules, as there are many things you need to learn about acronyms: are they capitalised, lowercase, italicised, etc.? It’s a whole world! Tell us in the comments how you deal with acronyms, siglas and abbreviations. Write us some examples too, what are you waiting for?

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