Revised as of
25 Jan 2023
I reckon most people recognize the aka, AKA, or a.k.a. All three mean the same thing, also known as. They’re pronounced the same as well: ay–kay–ay.
The first and third versions are in common usage, although the aka is more popular these days. You can use all uppercase letters or all lowercase . . . Of course, if it is the start of a sentence, spell it out.
Way back when, the accepted punctuation for aka was a.k.a.,. Today, a writer has more options, spelling-wise, as well as the final comma. Use a comma or not — a.k.a., OR a.k.a.
I’ve read the arguments over whether to use that comma or not, and I gotta say, the arguments against that comma have won me over. I had learned the a.k.a., version but when you look at it all spelled out — also known as Joe Blow — it’s silly to stick a comma in there. The whole point of a.k.a. is whatever the also known as is, which makes it an essential phrase. Meanwhile the entire also known as Joe Blow is a nonessential phrase so it should be set off with commas, as in Joseph, also known as Joe Blow, is fifty-eight today.
Whichever format you choose to use, be consistent.
NOTE: While I know that AKA is also an acronym that means above the knee amputation or refers to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, I’m going to ignore it in the interest of commonality.
Formatting Tips started . . .
. . . as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with words that should have been capitalized or italicized, in quotes or not, what should be spelled out and what can be abbreviated, proper styling for the Latin names of plants, the proper formatting and usage of titles and more in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us any questions you’ve had on this subject that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| aka | AKA | a.k.a. |
|---|---|---|
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Initialism | ||
| also known as | ||
| Describes a person’s aliases, pseudonyms or nicknames
May be used to describe another name for a place or object |
||
| Examples: | ||
| James Brown, aka the “Godfather of Soul”, died on Christmas Day in 2006.
The police and lawyers know that aka introduces a person’s alias. Who would have imagined that Ted White would lose in North Vancouver, aka The Land That Time Forgot? |
Football, on the other hand, AKA handball or American football, I just don’t get!
Paris, AKA the City of Lights, is home to the Eiffel Tower. |
According to police records he is Joe Smith, a.k.a., “Baby Face Smith” and Joseph Smathers.
From the very beginning, Stuart Leslie Goddard, a.k.a., Adam Ant, knew he was going to be a star. Shannon and her doll Felicity, a.k.a., Heather, are both dressed in paisley-print glitter dresses and boots. |
| Preferred by Dictionaries: | ||
| Cambridge University Macmillan Dictionary Merriam-Webster Oxford Dictionary Your Dictionary.com |
Collins Dictionary Dictionary.com The Free Dictionary |
|
| Preferred by Style Guides: | ||
| AP Style Guide The ASA Style Guide BuzzFeed Style Guide CLSI Style Guide for Authors and Editors(although they prefer you not use it) The Economist Style Guide The Elements of Style Garner’s Modern English Usage Intellect Style Guide MLA Handbook New Hart’s Rules |
The Guardian-Observer Style Guide | APA Style Chicago Manual of Style The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage Scientific Style and Format United States Government Publishing Office |
| Punctuation | ||
| Rule: Use commas as an interrupter to set off the base a.k.a. phrase. | ||
| Voldemort, aka Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the . . . | Voldemort, AKA Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the . . . | Traditional: Voldemort, a.k.a., Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the . . . Contemporary: |
| Rule: Use parentheses as the interrupter. | ||
| Voldemort (aka Tom Marvolo Riddle) is the . . . | Voldemort (AKA Tom Marvolo Riddle) is the . . . | Traditional: Voldemort (a.k.a., Tom Marvolo Riddle) is the . . . Contemporary: |
| History of the Word: | ||
| First recorded between 1945–50. | ||
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Formatting Tips by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for aka vs AKA vs a.k.a.
Apple Dictionary.com
Lexico.com: aka
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Joseph Merrick, a.k.a., the Elephant Man, 1889, is by an unknown photographer and is in the public domain courtesy of “Death Of The ‘Elephant Man'”, British Medical Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1529 (19 Apr 1890), pp. 916–917, doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.1529.905, via Wikimedia Commons.
