What is the Abbreviation of International? 

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Abbreviations are used commonly throughout the English language. An abbreviation is a condensed version of a word or phrase. Abbreviations can be used to save space and time, avoid repeating long words and phrases, or simply to conform to standard usage.

The word ‘international’ has five common abbreviations, including Int’l, that depending on what sector you are in, will decide which abbreviation you should use. Continue reading to learn the five most common abbreviations for ‘international’ and when and how to use them.

Definition and Etymology of International

First coined in 1780, Jeremy Bentham combined the words ‘inter’ with ‘national’ to set a new word that would define the ‘law of nations’. The word became commonplace within the English language around 1882 when the international dateline was created.

The definition of international, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is to exist, occur or carried on between two separate nations, or countries.

Abbreviations of International

There are five common abbreviations of the word international. Depending on which sector you are in, or speaking and writing about, you will decide which abbreviation you should use. While mostly used in sports and politics, it can also be used as shorthand in any type of writing. Note the differences in casing and apostrophe placement within the abbreviations.

  • INT’L is used for political campaigns and letters. 
  • Int’l is used for students, common writing, or those who are not in a specific sector. 
  • Intl. can be found in military documents, especially in special forces documents. 
  • Int. is the most common abbreviation that will be found in sports, programming, and computing. 
  • INTL is used mostly for the industrial and aviation industries. 

Using Abbreviations in Sentences

Abbreviations are shortened (or abbreviated) forms of words and phrases. For example, “Mister” is changed to “Mr.” Abbreviations are normally regarded as informal in writing. Of course, you’ll see them in scholarly papers (as long as you follow rule number one), but abbreviations are generally considered a colloquial form of writing. Rules for using abbreviations in written form are:

  • Use parenthesis to introduce them.
  • Always abbreviate professional and personal titles.
  • Only abbreviate common terms.
  • Latin abbreviations should use punctuation.

Examples of Using International Abbreviations in Sentences

Some examples of how and when to use abbreviations for the word international can be industry-specific or quite ambiguous. A few examples of both are:

  • The U.S. Special Forces have started an Intl. campaign in Ukraine.
  • She crossed the Int’l dateline this morning and now she’s a day ahead of us.
  • Are you going to watch the Int. soccer game today?

 

Conor
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