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A numeronym is a number-based word.

Anne H. Soukhanov, editor of the Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary, gives the original meaning of the term as "a telephone number that spells a word or a name" on a telephone dial/numpad.^[1]

A number may also denote how many times the character before or after it is repeated. This is typically used to represent a name or phrase in which several consecutive words start with the same letter, as in W3 (World Wide Web) or W3C (World Wide Web Consortium).

Types

Homophone

Most commonly, a numeronym is a word where a number is used to form an abbreviation (albeit not an acronym or an initialism). Pronouncing the letters and numbers may sound similar to the full word, as in "K9" (pronounced "kay-nine") for "canine, relating to dogs".

Examples

sk8r – Skater
B4: Before
l8r: Later, L8R also sometimes abbreviated as L8ER is commonly used in chat rooms and other text based communications as a way of saying good bye

Numerical contractions

Alternatively, letters between the first and last letters of a word may be replaced by a number representing the number of letters omitted, such as in "i18n" for "internationalization" where "18" stands in for the word's middle eighteen letters ("nternationalizatio"). Sometimes the last letter is also counted and omitted. These word shortenings are sometimes called alphanumeric acronyms, alphanumeric abbreviations, or numerical contractions. According to Tex Texin, the first numeronym of this kind was "S12n", the electronic mail account name given to Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) employee Jan Scherpenhuizen by a system administrator because his surname was too long to be an account name. By 1985, colleagues who found Jan's name unpronounceable often referred to him verbally as "S12n" (ess-twelve-en). The use of such numeronyms became part of DEC corporate culture.^[2]

Examples

Where words have multiple meanings, abbreviations such as these are almost always^{[citation needed]} used to refer to their computing sense; for example, G11n for "globalization" refers to software preparedness for global distribution,^[3] and not the social trend of globalization.

g11n – globalisation / globalization^[4]
i14y – interoperability^[5]
a11y – accessibility^[6]
m12n – modularisation / modularization^[7]
p13n – personalization^[8]
s5n – shorten^[9]
h7k – hyperlink
l10n – localisation^[10]
i18n – internationalization^[10]
a16z – Andreessen Horowitz^[11]
K8s – Kubernetes^[12]^[13]
o11y – Observability (software)^[14]
c12s – Communications
c14n – Canonicalization^[15]

Numeric numeronyms

Some numeronyms are composed entirely of numbers, such as "212" for "New Yorker", "4-1-1" for "information", "9-1-1" for "help", "101" for "basic introduction to a subject", and "420" for "Cannabis". Words of this type have existed for decades, including those in 10-code, which has been in use since before World War II. Chapter or title numbers of some jurisdictions' statutes have become numeronyms, for example 5150 and 187 from California's penal code. Largely because the production of many American movies and television programs are based in California, usage of these terms has spread beyond its original location and user population.

Examples

64 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
143 – I love you^[16]
187 – slang for "murder", based on section 187 of the California Penal Code.
520 – I love you (one of many numeronyms used in Chinese Internet Slang)

Other examples

In some cases, the use of appropriate case makes it easier to distinguish between letters such as uppercase "I" (eye) and lowercase "l" (el).

8′46″ – The length of time associated with the murder of George Floyd (May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis).^[17]^[18]
E15 – The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland^[19]

References

^ Jeffrey McQuain (September 16, 2001). "Screening the Novel Words of Harry Potter". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
^ Tex Texin. "Origin Of The Abbreviation I18n". Retrieved September 14, 2005.
^ Thierry Sourbier (2007-10-25). "Internationalization Encyclopedia globalization". i18n Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2002-12-30. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
^ "Canonical XML". W3C. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
^ "INTEROPERABILITY.net". Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
^ "a11yproject.com". Retrieved July 22, 2019.
^ "Modularization of XHTML in XML Schema". W3C. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
^ "p13n – Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
^ "s{horte}n". s5n.pw.
^ ^a ^b "Localization vs. Internationalization". w3.org. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
^ "About". a16z.com. Andreessen Horowitz. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
^ "Kubernetes (K8s) README". Kubernetes. November 12, 2020 – via GitHub.
^ Jeffries, Andy (September 24, 2019). "What's the difference between k3s vs k8s". www.civo.com. K8s is just an abbreviation of Kubernetes ("K" followed by 8 letters "ubernete" followed by "s").
^ Hartshorne | 06.26.18, Ben (2018-06-26). "How Are Structured Logs Different From Events?". Honeycomb. Retrieved 2021-01-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Exclusive XML Canonicalization Version 1.0". www.w3.org. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
^ "143 CLUB". Fred Rogers Center. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ Hill, Evan; Tiefenthäler, Ainara; Triebert, Christiaan; Jordan, Drew; Willis, Haley; Stein, Robin (2020-05-31). "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
^ "8 minutes, 46 seconds". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
^ Faye Flam (2010-04-23). "Iceland a hot spot of volcanic activity". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved 2010-04-23. Some scientists have come to abbreviate the volcano as E15, for the 15 letters that follow the E

[1] Jeffrey McQuain (September 16, 2001). "Screening the Novel Words of Harry Potter". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved 2010-04-12.

[2] Tex Texin. "Origin Of The Abbreviation I18n". Retrieved September 14, 2005.

[3] Thierry Sourbier (2007-10-25). "Internationalization Encyclopedia globalization". i18n Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2002-12-30. Retrieved November 11, 2007.

[4] "Canonical XML". W3C. Retrieved November 11, 2007.

[5] "INTEROPERABILITY.net". Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2007.

[6] "a11yproject.com". Retrieved July 22, 2019.

[7] "Modularization of XHTML in XML Schema". W3C. Retrieved November 11, 2007.

[8] "p13n – Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 2019-09-12.

[9] "s{horte}n". s5n.pw.

[w3.org-i18n-10] "Localization vs. Internationalization". w3.org. Retrieved 2021-03-01.

[11] "About". a16z.com. Andreessen Horowitz. Retrieved 2021-03-01.

[12] "Kubernetes (K8s) README". Kubernetes. November 12, 2020 – via GitHub.

[13] Jeffries, Andy (September 24, 2019). "What's the difference between k3s vs k8s". www.civo.com. K8s is just an abbreviation of Kubernetes ("K" followed by 8 letters "ubernete" followed by "s").

[14] Hartshorne | 06.26.18, Ben (2018-06-26). "How Are Structured Logs Different From Events?". Honeycomb. Retrieved 2021-01-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[15] "Exclusive XML Canonicalization Version 1.0". www.w3.org. Retrieved 2022-10-28.

[16] "143 CLUB". Fred Rogers Center. Retrieved 2 August 2018.

[17] Hill, Evan; Tiefenthäler, Ainara; Triebert, Christiaan; Jordan, Drew; Willis, Haley; Stein, Robin (2020-05-31). "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-02.

[18] "8 minutes, 46 seconds". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved 2020-06-02.

[19] Faye Flam (2010-04-23). "Iceland a hot spot of volcanic activity". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved 2010-04-23. Some scientists have come to abbreviate the volcano as E15, for the 15 letters that follow the E

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{short description|Number-based word}}
+A '''numeronym''' is a number-based word.
-A '''numeronym''' is a number-based word. Most commonly, a numeronym is a word where a number is used to form an [[abbreviation]] (albeit not an [[acronym]] or an [[initialism]]). Pronouncing the letters and numbers may sound similar to the full word, as in "[[Police dog|K9]]" (pronounced "kay-nine") for "[[dog|canine]], relating to [[Canidae|dogs]]". Alternatively, letters between the first and last letters of a word may be replaced by a number representing the number of letters omitted, such as in "i18n" for "[[Internationalization and localization|internationalization]]" where "18" stands in for the word's middle eighteen letters ("nternationalizatio"). Sometimes the last letter is also counted and omitted.  These word shortenings are sometimes called ''alphanumeric acronyms'', ''alphanumeric abbreviations'', or ''numerical contractions''. According to Tex Texin, the first numeronym of this kind was "S12n", the [[electronic mail]] account name given to [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] (DEC) employee Jan Scherpenhuizen by a [[system administrator]] because his [[surname]] was too long to be an account name. By 1985, colleagues who found Jan's name unpronounceable often referred to him verbally as "S12n" (''ess-twelve-en''). The use of such numeronyms became part of DEC corporate culture.<ref>{{cite web  | url=http://www.i18nguy.com/origini18n.html  |author=Tex Texin  |title=Origin Of The Abbreviation I18n  |accessdate=September 14, 2005 }}</ref>
-A number may also denote how many times the character before or after it is repeated. This is typically used to represent a name or phrase in which several consecutive words start with the same letter, as in [[World Wide Web|W3]] ([[World Wide Web]]) or [[W3C]] ([[World Wide Web Consortium]]). Some numeronyms are composed entirely of numbers, such as "[[Area code 212|212]]" for "[[New York City|New York]]er", "[[4-1-1]]" for "information", "[[9-1-1]]" for "help", "[[101 (term)|101]]" for "basic introduction to a subject", and "[[420 (cannabis culture)|420]]" for "Cannabis". Words of this type have existed for decades, including those in [[10-code]], which has been in use since before [[World War II]]. Chapter or title numbers of some jurisdictions' statutes have become numeronyms, for example [[5150 (involuntary psychiatric hold)|5150]] and [[187 (slang)|187]] from California's penal code. Largely because the production of many American movies and television programs are based in California, usage of these terms has spread beyond its original location and user population.
 Anne H. Soukhanov, editor of the ''[[Encarta Webster's Dictionary|Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary]]'', gives the original meaning of the term as "a telephone number that spells a [[Phoneword|word or a name" on a telephone dial/numpad]].<ref>{{cite news
@@ Line 17: / Line 15: @@
 }}</ref>
+A number may also denote how many times the character before or after it is repeated. This is typically used to represent a name or phrase in which several consecutive words start with the same letter, as in [[World Wide Web|W3]] ([[World Wide Web]]) or [[W3C]] ([[World Wide Web Consortium]]).
-== Examples ==
+== Types ==
+=== Homophone ===
+{{Main|Homophone}}
+Most commonly, a numeronym is a word where a number is used to form an [[abbreviation]] (albeit not an [[acronym]] or an [[initialism]]). Pronouncing the letters and numbers may sound similar to the full word, as in "[[Police dog|K9]]" (pronounced "kay-nine") for "[[dog|canine]], relating to [[Canidae|dogs]]".
+==== Examples ====
+* [[Sk8er Boi|sk8r]] – [[Skater (subculture)|Skater]]
+* [[wiktionary:B4|B4]]: Before
+* [[wiktionary:l8r|l8r]]: Later, L8R also sometimes abbreviated as L8ER is commonly used in chat rooms and other text based communications as a way of saying good bye
+=== Numerical contractions ===
+Alternatively, letters between the first and last letters of a word may be replaced by a number representing the number of letters omitted, such as in "i18n" for "[[Internationalization and localization|internationalization]]" where "18" stands in for the word's middle eighteen letters ("nternationalizatio"). Sometimes the last letter is also counted and omitted.  These word shortenings are sometimes called ''alphanumeric acronyms'', ''alphanumeric abbreviations'', or ''numerical contractions''. According to Tex Texin, the first numeronym of this kind was "S12n", the [[electronic mail]] account name given to [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] (DEC) employee Jan Scherpenhuizen by a [[system administrator]] because his [[surname]] was too long to be an account name. By 1985, colleagues who found Jan's name unpronounceable often referred to him verbally as "S12n" (''ess-twelve-en''). The use of such numeronyms became part of DEC corporate culture.<ref>{{cite web  | url=http://www.i18nguy.com/origini18n.html  |author=Tex Texin  |title=Origin Of The Abbreviation I18n  |accessdate=September 14, 2005 }}</ref>
+==== Examples ====
 Where words have multiple meanings, abbreviations such as these are almost always{{cn|date=March 2021}} used to refer to their computing sense; for example, ''G11n'' for "globalization" refers to software preparedness for global distribution,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
  |url        = http://www.i18ngurus.com/encyclopedia/globalization.html
@@ Line 28: / Line 41: @@
  |encyclopedia       = i18n Encyclopedia
  |accessdate = November 11, 2007
-}}</ref> and not the social trend of [[globalization]]. In some cases, the use of appropriate case makes it easier to distinguish between letters such as uppercase "I" (eye) and lowercase "l" (el).
+}}</ref> and not the social trend of [[globalization]].
-* 143 – I love you<ref>{{cite web |title=143 CLUB |url=http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/support-freds-legacy/143-club/ |website=Fred Rogers Center |accessdate=2 August 2018}}</ref>
-* [[187 (slang)|187]] – slang for "murder", based on section 187 of the California Penal Code.
-* 520 – I love you (one of many numeronyms used in [[Chinese Internet Slang#Numeronyms|Chinese Internet Slang]])
-* [[8′46″]] – The length of time associated with the [[murder of George Floyd]] (May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis).<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Hill|first1=Evan|last2=Tiefenthäler|first2=Ainara|last3=Triebert|first3=Christiaan|last4=Jordan|first4=Drew|last5=Willis|first5=Haley|last6=Stein|first6=Robin|date=2020-05-31|title=8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html|access-date=2020-06-02|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=8 minutes, 46 seconds|url=https://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2020/05/29/our-view-8-minutes-46-seconds/5273566002/|access-date=2020-06-02|website=St. Cloud Times|language=en}}</ref>
-* E15 – The [[Eyjafjallajökull]] volcano in Iceland<ref>{{cite news
- |author      = Faye Flam
- |authorlink  = Faye Flam
- |title       = Iceland a hot spot of volcanic activity
- |url         = http://articles.philly.com/2010-04-23/news/25212422_1_pinatubo-volcano-iceland
- |work        = [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]
- |date        = 2010-04-23
- |accessdate  = 2010-04-23
- |quote       = "Some scientists have come to abbreviate the volcano as E15, for the 15 letters that follow the E"
- |url-status     = dead
- |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120603125520/http://articles.philly.com/2010-04-23/news/25212422_1_pinatubo-volcano-iceland
- |archivedate = June 3, 2012
-}}</ref>
 * [[g11n]] – globalisation / globalization<ref>{{cite web
   | url=http://www.w3.org/TR/xml-c14n|title=Canonical XML
@@ Line 68: / Line 64: @@
   |work=W3C
   |accessdate=November 11, 2007 }}</ref>
-*p13n – [[personalization]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/p13n|title=p13n – Wiktionary|website=en.wiktionary.org|access-date=2019-09-12}}</ref>
+* p13n – [[personalization]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/p13n|title=p13n – Wiktionary|website=en.wiktionary.org|access-date=2019-09-12}}</ref>
-*s5n – shorten<ref>{{cite web|url=https://s5n.pw|title=s{horte}n|website=s5n.pw}}</ref>
+* s5n – shorten<ref>{{cite web|url=https://s5n.pw|title=s{horte}n|website=s5n.pw}}</ref>
-*h7k – hyperlink
+* h7k – hyperlink
-*l10n – [[Language_localisation|localisation]]<ref name="w3.org-i18n">{{cite web|url=https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-i18n|title=Localization vs. Internationalization|website=w3.org|access-date=2021-03-01}}</ref>
+* l10n – [[Language_localisation|localisation]]<ref name="w3.org-i18n">{{cite web|url=https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-i18n|title=Localization vs. Internationalization|website=w3.org|access-date=2021-03-01}}</ref>
-*i18n – [[Internationalization and localization#Naming|internationalization]]<ref name="w3.org-i18n" />
+* i18n – [[Internationalization and localization#Naming|internationalization]]<ref name="w3.org-i18n" />
-*a16z – [[Andreessen Horowitz]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://a16z.com/about/|title=About|publisher=Andreessen Horowitz|website=a16z.com|access-date=2021-03-01}}</ref>
+* a16z – [[Andreessen Horowitz]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://a16z.com/about/|title=About|publisher=Andreessen Horowitz|website=a16z.com|access-date=2021-03-01}}</ref>
+* K8s – [[Kubernetes]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/16b5f80780983995638e7ec3b071080a204e9006/README.md|title=Kubernetes (K8s) README|publisher=Kubernetes|via=GitHub|date=November 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.civo.com/blog/k8s-vs-k3s |title=What's the difference between k3s vs k8s |last=Jeffries |first=Andy |date=September 24, 2019 |website=www.civo.com |access-date= |quote="K8s is just an abbreviation of Kubernetes ("K" followed by 8 letters "ubernete" followed by "s")."}}</ref>
-*64 – [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]]
+* o11y – [[Observability (software)]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hartshorne {{!}} 06.26.18|first=Ben|date=2018-06-26|title=How Are Structured Logs Different From Events?|url=https://www.honeycomb.io/blog/how-are-structured-logs-different-from-events/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Honeycomb|language=en-US}}</ref>
-*K8s – [[Kubernetes]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/16b5f80780983995638e7ec3b071080a204e9006/README.md|title=Kubernetes (K8s) README|publisher=Kubernetes|via=GitHub|date=November 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.civo.com/blog/k8s-vs-k3s |title=What's the difference between k3s vs k8s |last=Jeffries |first=Andy |date=September 24, 2019 |website=www.civo.com |access-date= |quote="K8s is just an abbreviation of Kubernetes ("K" followed by 8 letters "ubernete" followed by "s")."}}</ref>
-*[[Sk8er Boi|sk8r]] – [[Skater (subculture)|Skater]]
+* c12s – [[Communications]]
-*o11y – [[Observability (software)]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hartshorne {{!}} 06.26.18|first=Ben|date=2018-06-26|title=How Are Structured Logs Different From Events?|url=https://www.honeycomb.io/blog/how-are-structured-logs-different-from-events/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Honeycomb|language=en-US}}</ref>
+* c14n – [[Canonicalization]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exclusive XML Canonicalization Version 1.0 |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/xml-exc-c14n/Overview.html |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=www.w3.org}}</ref>
-*c12s – [[Communications]]
+=== Numeric numeronyms ===
-*c14n – [[Canonicalization]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exclusive XML Canonicalization Version 1.0 |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/xml-exc-c14n/Overview.html |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=www.w3.org}}</ref>
+Some numeronyms are composed entirely of numbers, such as "[[Area code 212|212]]" for "[[New York City|New York]]er", "[[4-1-1]]" for "information", "[[9-1-1]]" for "help", "[[101 (term)|101]]" for "basic introduction to a subject", and "[[420 (cannabis culture)|420]]" for "Cannabis". Words of this type have existed for decades, including those in [[10-code]], which has been in use since before [[World War II]]. Chapter or title numbers of some jurisdictions' statutes have become numeronyms, for example [[5150 (involuntary psychiatric hold)|5150]] and [[187 (slang)|187]] from California's penal code. Largely because the production of many American movies and television programs are based in California, usage of these terms has spread beyond its original location and user population.
+==== Examples ====
+* 64 – [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]]
+* 143 – I love you<ref>{{cite web |title=143 CLUB |url=http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/support-freds-legacy/143-club/ |website=Fred Rogers Center |accessdate=2 August 2018}}</ref>
+* [[187 (slang)|187]] – slang for "murder", based on section 187 of the California Penal Code.
+* 520 – I love you (one of many numeronyms used in [[Chinese Internet Slang#Numeronyms|Chinese Internet Slang]])
+== Other examples ==
+In some cases, the use of appropriate case makes it easier to distinguish between letters such as uppercase "I" (eye) and lowercase "l" (el).
+* [[8′46″]] – The length of time associated with the [[murder of George Floyd]] (May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis).<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Hill|first1=Evan|last2=Tiefenthäler|first2=Ainara|last3=Triebert|first3=Christiaan|last4=Jordan|first4=Drew|last5=Willis|first5=Haley|last6=Stein|first6=Robin|date=2020-05-31|title=8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html|access-date=2020-06-02|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=8 minutes, 46 seconds|url=https://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2020/05/29/our-view-8-minutes-46-seconds/5273566002/|access-date=2020-06-02|website=St. Cloud Times|language=en}}</ref>
+* E15 – The [[Eyjafjallajökull]] volcano in Iceland<ref>{{cite news
+ |author      = Faye Flam
+ |authorlink  = Faye Flam
+ |title       = Iceland a hot spot of volcanic activity
+ |url         = http://articles.philly.com/2010-04-23/news/25212422_1_pinatubo-volcano-iceland
+ |work        = [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]
+ |date        = 2010-04-23
+ |accessdate  = 2010-04-23
+ |quote       = "Some scientists have come to abbreviate the volcano as E15, for the 15 letters that follow the E"
+ |url-status     = dead
+ |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120603125520/http://articles.philly.com/2010-04-23/news/25212422_1_pinatubo-volcano-iceland
+ |archivedate = June 3, 2012
+}}</ref>
 == See also ==