What's in a Name?

What’s in a Name?

Nov 14, 2019

B-P-A-S vs B-pas vs B-pass

Having someone mispronounce your name can be awkward, especially if you’re too polite to correct them. At BPAS, it happens to us a lot. It’s perfectly understandable when you look at how we’ve grown and evolved since our inception back in 1973.

What began as Benefit Plans Administrators, went to BPA, to BPA Harbridge, to BPAH, to Benefit Plans Administrative Services, to BPAS.

Is BPAS an acronym for Benefit Plans Administrative Services?

The answer is yes and no. Most people consider any abbreviation formed by letters taken from a series of words to be an acronym. But for the grammar geeks out there, BPAS is technically an initialism.

The difference between an acronym and initialism is simple. Acronyms take the first letter from each word of a phrase to form a single word. For example, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is pronounced as NAA-Saw. Initialism takes the first letter from each word of a phrase and pronounces each individual letter distinctly. Think of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) or UPS (United Parcel Service). BPAS is an initialism because each letter is pronounced distinctly:

Correct pronunciation: B-P-A-S (initialism)

Incorrect pronunciation: B-pas or B-pass (acronym)

The bottom line is when you want a great administrator and partner, remember the service, flexibility, and expertise you can only get with the initialism of BPAS. One Company. One Call.

Here’s a fun quiz to test your knowledge:
CD Certificate of Deposit Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

NRS Northeast Retirement Services Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

ASAP As Soon As Possible Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

DVD Digital Versatile Disc Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

AWOL Absent Without Official Leave Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

SWAT Special Weapons and Tactics Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

VEBA Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

HB&T Hand Benefits & Trust Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym

BPAS Benefit Plans Administrative Services Ο Initialism

Ο Acronym