Dots or no dots: the four kinds
Swedish style guides sort abbreviations by how they were made, and that decides the dots. Learn the four kinds and you can work out the spelling of abbreviations that aren't in the list.
| Kind | How it is made | Dots | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avbrytning | the word is cut off before its end | a dot after each cut word | inkl., ev., t.ex., bl.a., fr.o.m. |
| Sammandragning | first and last letters kept | no dot | ca, nr, dr, jfr, tfn, Gbg |
| Initialförkortning | first letter of each word or word part | never | EU, CSN, vd, tv, sms |
| Måttenhet | a unit of measurement | never | km, kg, dl, kr, min, tim |
Three more rules cover most of what remains:
- No spaces inside. Write t.ex., bl.a., t.o.m. without spaces after the inner dots. The exceptions dvs. and osv. need only the final dot, though d.v.s. and o.s.v. are also correct.
- No double dot at the end. When an abbreviation ends a sentence, its dot is the full stop: Packa termos, macka, vantar m.m.
- Capitals only for spelled-out names. Names read letter by letter are all capitals (DN, CSN); names read as a word get one capital (Nato); ordinary words are lower case even when spelled out (vd, tv, sms, dna).
Endings and compounds
An abbreviation read letter by letter takes its endings after a colon: EU:s, tv:n, sms:a. One read as a word needs none: Natos. In a compound, a hyphen joins the abbreviation to the next word: e-post, EU-länder, id-kort.
| Abbreviation | With an ending | In a compound |
|---|---|---|
| EU | EU:s regler | EU-länder |
| tv | tv:n är på | kabel-tv |
| sms | ett sms, sms:et | sms-lån |
| Nato | Natos medlemmar | Natomöte |
When to write the words out
Språkrådet's advice is to use few abbreviations in running text: they save the writer time and cost the reader some. Abbreviations that are the normal name of a thing (EU, CSN, dna) are always fine. The everyday ones like t.ex., bl.a. and osv. suit lists, tables and notes better than a cover letter. And a new abbreviation should be explained the first time: Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB).
Sources: Språkrådet, Snabba skrivregler (Institutet för språk och folkminnen, 2024), chapter 4; Regeringskansliet, Myndigheternas skrivregler (Ds 2001:32), chapter 8. Last checked 7 October 2026. Where a list gives several forms, we show the one it recommends first and the others under “Also seen”. This page is our own summary and is not published by Språkrådet.
Reading something full of abbreviations and long words? Paste it into the Swedish reader to tap any word for its meaning, or break up a long compound with the compound splitter. To say the numbers in prices and times aloud, try the numbers converter.
Frequently asked questions
What does t.ex. mean in Swedish?
Till exempel: for example, the Swedish e.g. It is the most common abbreviation in the language, and it is written with two dots and no space: t.ex.
Is it t.ex. or t. ex.?
T.ex., with no space. Myndigheternas skrivregler, the Swedish government's style guide, recommends dropping the spaces after the dots inside an abbreviation, because the dots already hold it together. Språkrådet's Snabba skrivregler writes t.ex., bl.a. and m.m. the same way.
Should I write pga or p.g.a.?
Språkrådet's list of common abbreviations has p.g.a., with dots, because each word is cut short. Pga without dots is very common in newspapers, adverts and texts, and nobody will misunderstand it, but in a school or work text p.g.a. is the safe choice. The same goes for osv. and dvs., where a single dot at the end is enough.
Why do some abbreviations have dots and others not?
It depends on how the word was shortened. A word cut off before its end gets a dot (inkl. for inklusive). A word that keeps its first and last letters gets none (ca for cirka, nr for nummer). Initials never have dots (CSN, vd), and neither do units (kg, kr, dl).
How do you say abbreviations aloud in Swedish?
Abbreviations with dots are read as the full words: t.ex. is said till exempel, never te-ex. Initials are spelled out with Swedish letter names (CSN is se-ess-enn, vd is vede), unless they are pronounced as a word, like Nato or aids.
What does mvh mean at the end of an email?
Med vänlig hälsning or med vänliga hälsningar: kind regards. It is fine in everyday emails, but in a formal letter or a job application write the words out.