NOTE: You would use this feature if you had a lengthy document and wanted to capture all of the acronyms that are mentioned in the document so that you can create an appendix, a glossary, or an acronyms table. You might also use it to make sure that you identified all acronyms the first time they were mentioned in the document, as this is the standard for technical writing.
This is a quick and easy way to find all the acronyms in an MS Word document. Remember that this command searches for consecutive capital letters, so it cannot distinguish between ‘SCBA’ and ‘DO NOT.’
For Word 2003:
1. Open the ‘Find’ window (Ctrl + F).
2. Check the box labeled ‘Use Wildcards.’
3. Type <[A-Z]{2,}> into the’Find what’ field (no spaces).
4. Click ‘Highlight all items found in:’ and choose ‘Main Document.’
5. Click ‘Find All.’
6. Voila! All of your acronyms will be highlighted.
2. Check the box labeled ‘Use Wildcards.’
3. Type <[A-Z]{2,}> into the’Find what’ field (no spaces).
4. Click ‘Highlight all items found in:’ and choose ‘Main Document.’
5. Click ‘Find All.’
6. Voila! All of your acronyms will be highlighted.
For Word 2007:
Follow Steps 1-3 above (for Word 2003)
4. Click ‘Reading Highlight,’ and then ‘Highlight All.’
5. You should be able to see all of your acronyms highlighted.
4. Click ‘Reading Highlight,’ and then ‘Highlight All.’
5. You should be able to see all of your acronyms highlighted.
