Curious about why you sometimes see the term a.k.a and aka used interchangeably? Wondering which one is correct, or if you have been writing it all wrong? No worries, both are correct as long as you stay consistent, and we’ll explain those differences below so you can decide which might be best to use, and in which scenario. The terms a.k.a. and aka are acronyms for the phrase also known as. Most often used to describe a person’s aliases, pseudonyms or nicknames, a.k.a. and aka may also be used when describing another name for a place or object. When the phrase also known as was first abbreviated into an acronym the letters were separated by periods, signaling that
this was indeed an acronym and not a word in its own right. As a.k.a. became more commonly used, the periods within the abbreviation were dropped. In fact, aka is widely preferred over a.k.a and even the Merriam-Webster and Oxford English dictionaries list it as aka within their example sources. It also doesn’t resemble
any other common English word so it works well as a standalone when used as aka. You may find some professors or writing instructors prefer one way over another, and in that situation, always do what your instruction dictates for assignments or work. Even MLA and APA formatting doesn’t specifically specify one over the other and accepts either use – allowing writing instructors to dictate what
they prefer. But for personal use, you can use whichever you are most comfortable with. You can see its usage over time in this Ngram: Whether you are reading a.k.a or aka, it is pronounced the same way. The pronunciation is ay-kay-ay and enunciates the three letters separately and not as one word. We’ve established that you can use both the acronym either with or without periods and there is no one correct answer. But, did you know you can use either
capital or lowercase letters? As stated previously, either is considered correct, but stay consistent with its use. As mentioned, you have quite a few options to choose from when determining which is your go-to preference. Whether you use A.K.A, AKA, a.k.a, or aka you can’t go wrong unless you decide to intermix them. Take a look at these examples to see AKA in use: In these days of every-man-for-himself-ism,
the guy who takes over is the one who isn’t afraid to break the rules and stand out—like Steven Yeun (a.k.a. Glenn on The Walking Dead), dressed here in the season’s most sophisticated, crisply tailored, workplace-ready tweed suits. (GQ Magazine) The geniuses behind Saturday’s SNL episode invited “America’s Dad”—A.K.A. Tom Hanks—into our homes to help calm us down by
adding some humor to it all. (Glamour Magazine) Kimberly J. Brown, AKA Marnie Cromwell, did you a major solid and is letting you in on what one of the series’ most iconic villains, Kal, is up to 15 years later. (Seventeen
Magazine) Although it may be fairly obvious when you can use the acronym, there are some hard and fast rules of when NOT to use it in academic writing. For informal writing, it is acceptable for use in a variety of situations, as explained above, but you need to take care when sticking to more technical publications. What’s not okay in academic contexts is the informal use of aka to introduce an ad-hoc alternative
term purely to describe/characterize something – such as, for example: Houston’s new Astrodome, aka. the Eighth Wonder of the World. ( This Day in Sports) If you have ever been a bit stressed
about the use of aka and its proper form, you don’t have anything to worry about as all forms are generally accepted. However, since even well-published dictionary sources use the aka style, you might want to follow suit. Be sure to share to help anyone else who might be stressing!What
Does AKA Mean?
The Evolution of AKA
How
to Pronounce AKA
How to Use AKA
AKA Sentence Examples
When Not to Use AKA
In Conclusion
abbreviation also known as: According to police records he is Joe Smith a.k.a. “Baby Face Smith” and Joseph Smathers.or AKA, aka
QUIZ
SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?
Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!
Question 1 of 6
Which form is commonly used with other verbs to express intention?
Origin of a.k.a.
First recorded in 1945–50
Words nearby a.k.a.
Ajmer-Merwara, à jour, ajuga, AK, AK-47, a.k.a., Akademi, akala, Akan, akaryote, akasha
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
Words related to a.k.a.
moniker, pseudonym, alias, appellation, anonym, handle, nickname, byname, label, nomenclature, tag, otherwise, nom de guerre, nom de plume, pen name, allonym, fictitious name, incognito, pet name
How to use a.k.a. in a sentence
“Please, please do not permit this to happen here in Florida,” wrote Cris K. Smith of East Polk County.
ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
His monotonous music is, really, like the audio soundtrack to a k-hole.
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
What more could one desire of him, I pray, Than just to hop around and stand for K?
Urinary sediments may be studied under three heads: A. Unorganized sediments.
British Dictionary definitions for a.k.a. (1 of 2)
noun plural aka a vine, Metrosideros scandens, found in New Zealand
British Dictionary definitions for a.k.a. (2 of 2)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for a.k.a.
An abbreviation meaning “also known as.” It is primarily used by law enforcement officials to specify an alias: “John Smith, aka Jonathan Jones.”
notes for aka
The abbreviation, which also appears as AKA and a.k.a., is often used figuratively and facetiously: “my cousin, aka the worst gossip in the neighborhood.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.