CompTIA A+ Acronyms

Acronym	Explanation
AC	Alternating Current
ACL	Access Control List
ACPI	Advanced Configuration Power Interface
ACT	Activity
ADSL	Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line
AES	Advanced Encryption Standard
AGP	Accelerated Graphics Port
AHCI	Advanced Host Controller Interface
AP	Access Point
APIPA	Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing
APM	Advanced Power Management
ARP	Address Resolution Protocol
ASR	Automated System Recovery
ATA	Advanced Technology Attachment
ATAPI	Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface
ATM	Asynchronous Transfer Mode
ATSC	Advanced Television Systems Committee
ATX	Advanced Technology Extended
AUP	Acceptable Use Policy
A/V	Audio Video
BD-R	Blu-ray Disk Recordable
BIOS	Basic Input/Output System
BNC	Bayonet-Neill-Concelman or British Naval Connector
BSOD	Blue Screen of Death
BTX	Balanced Technology Extended
CAD	Computer Aided Design
CAPTCHA	Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
CAS	Column Access Strobe
CCFL	Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp
CD	Compact Disc
CD-ROM	Compact Disc Read-Only Memory
CD-RW	Compact Disc Rewritable
CDFS	Compact Disc File System
CERT	Computer Emergency Response Team
CFS	Central File System or Common File System or Command File System
CIDR	Classless Inter-Domain Routing
CIFS	Common Internet File System
CMOS	Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
CPU	Central Processing Unit
CRT	Cathode Ray Tube
DAC	Discretionary Access Control
DC	Direct Current
DDoS	Distributed Denial of Service
DHCP	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DIMM	Dual Inline Memory Module
DMA	Direct Memory Access
DMZ	Demilitarized Zone
DNS	Domain Name Service or Domain Name Server
DoS	Denial of Service
DRAM	Dynamic Random Access Memory
DSL	Digital Subscriber Line
DVD	Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc
DVI	Digital Visual Interface
ECC	Error Correcting Code or Error Checking and Correction
EEPROM	Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
EFS	Encrypting File System
EMI	Electromagnetic Interference
ESD	Electrostatic Discharge
EULA	End-User License Agreement
FAT	File Allocation Table
FTP	File Transfer Protocol
FQDN	Fully Qualified Domain Name
GPU	Graphics Processing Unit
GUI	Graphical User Interface
HDD	Hard Disk Drive
HDMI	High-Definition Media Interface
HTML	Hypertext Markup Language
HTTP	Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HTTPS	Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure
I/O	Input/Output
ICMP	Internet Control Message Protocol
IDS	Intrusion Detection System
IP	Internet Protocol
IPSec	Internet Protocol Security
ISP	Internet Service Provider
LAN	Local Area Network
LCD	Liquid Crystal Display
LED	Light Emitting Diode
MAC	Media Access Control or Mandatory Access Control
MBR	Master Boot Record
MFA	Multifactor Authentication
NAT	Network Address Translation
NIC	Network Interface Card
NTFS	New Technology File System
OS	Operating System
PCIe	Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
POST	Power On Self Test
RAM	Random Access Memory
RAID	Redundant Array of Independent Disks
RJ-45	Registered Jack Function 45
SATA	Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
SSD	Solid State Drive
SSH	Secure Shell
SSID	Service Set Identifier
TCP/IP	Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
TLS	Transport Layer Security
UEFI	Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
UPS	Uninterruptible Power Supply
USB	Universal Serial Bus
VPN	Virtual Private Network
WAN	Wide Area Network
WiFi	Wireless Fidelity
WPA2	WiFi Protected Access 2

Why Master A+ Acronyms?

The CompTIA A+ exams (220-1101 and 220-1102) cover a vast array of topics, from hardware and networking to software troubleshooting and security. Acronyms are the language of IT support.

Hardware ID: Instantly recognize ports, cables, and components (e.g., HDMI, DIMM, SSD).
Troubleshooting: Understand error messages and system logs that use abbreviations like BSOD or POST.
Networking: Differentiate between protocols like TCP/IP, DHCP, and DNS.

How to Use This Glossary

Use this page as a quick reference while studying for the A+ exams.

Search: Use the search bar to find specific acronyms instantly.
Review: Go through the list to identify terms you are unfamiliar with.
Context: Try to use these acronyms in sentences or scenarios to reinforce your understanding.
Bookmark: Save this page to your study folder for easy access on any device.