Adding Acronyms & Definitions

Growing your organization's acronym dictionary is easy. Define.wtf provides three intuitive ways to add new acronyms and definitions, whether you're onboarding, searching, or just exploring.

Three Ways to Add

1. Floating Action Button (FAB)

The quickest way to start adding is the Floating Action Button in the bottom-right corner of every authenticated page.

Accessing the FAB

• Desktop: Look for a circular button with a "+" icon in the bottom-right
• Mobile: Same location, optimized for touch (larger tap target)
• Available: On all app pages (dashboard, browse, search, acronym pages, etc.)

Why Use It

• Always accessible — never more than one click away
• No navigation required — just click and start typing
• Mobile-friendly — sized for thumb taps

2. Command Palette — "Add New Acronym"

Use the command palette for keyboard-fast entry.

Steps

1. Press Cmd+K (macOS) or Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux)
2. Type or scroll to find "Add new acronym" action
3. Press Enter
4. The add form opens as a modal dialog

Why Use It

• Fastest for keyboard power users
• No context switching (stays in command mode)
• Great when you're already searching

3. Search Autocomplete — "Add It" Link

When your search returns zero results, an "Add it" link appears to quickly create the missing acronym.

Steps

1. Open the command palette (Cmd+K)
2. Search for an acronym that doesn't exist (e.g., "XYZ")
3. See "No results for XYZ"
4. Click or press "Add it" link below the search box
5. The add form opens with "XYZ" pre-filled

Why Use It

• Zero friction — don't search for what isn't there, just add it
• Pre-filled — term is automatically populated
• Contextual — you were already looking for that term

The Definition Form

All three entry points open the Definition Form, which has two modes:

• "Add Acronym" — Create a brand new acronym + definition
• "Add Definition" — Add a new definition to an existing acronym

The form switches automatically based on whether the acronym exists.

Adding a New Acronym + Definition

Here's what you'll fill in:

1. Acronym Term (Required)

The actual acronym letters.

• Input: Text field, e.g., "OKR", "API", "SCIM"
• Auto-uppercase: Your entry is automatically uppercased (e.g., type "okr" → becomes "OKR")
• Character limit: Max 20 characters
• Validation: No spaces or special characters allowed
• Uniqueness: Error if acronym already exists (switches to "add definition" mode)

2. Title / Expansion (Required)

The full meaning or explanation of the acronym.

• Input: Text field, e.g., "Objectives and Key Results"
• Profanity filter: Checked for profanity/slurs
• Character limit: Max 200 characters
• Visibility: This is what appears in search results and Slack lookups
• Help text: "What does this acronym stand for or mean?"

3. Description (Optional)

Additional context or explanation beyond the title.

• Input: Text area (multi-line), e.g., "OKRs are a goal-setting framework used to align teams around measurable outcomes..."
• Fallback: If empty, the title is used as the description
• Profanity filter: Checked like title
• Character limit: Max 2,000 characters
• Markdown support: Limited formatting (bold, italic, links) may be supported
• When to use: Add context only if it clarifies beyond the title

4. Category (Required)

The department or team that owns this acronym.

• Input: Dropdown with existing categories + "Create New" option
• Existing categories: Select from your organization's list (e.g., "Engineering", "Sales", "Finance")
• Create new: Type a new category name (auto-checked for profanity)
• Color assignment: New categories auto-assigned a unique color
• Implication: The category determines the visual pill color on browse
• Help text: "Which department uses this acronym?"

5. Tags (Optional)

Free-form labels for discovery and filtering.

• Input: Autocomplete tag picker with suggestions
• Popular tags: Common organization tags appear as quick-pick buttons
• Create new: Type a new tag and press Enter or click "Create"
• Multi-select: Add multiple tags (e.g., "financial", "strategic", "external")
• Profanity filter: Tag names checked
• Suggestions: System suggests tags based on similar acronyms
• Max tags: Typically 10 per definition

Tag Examples

• By context: financial, technical, marketing-specific, internal-only
• By usage: new-acronym, deprecated, external-partner, legacy
• By domain: software, compliance, operations

6. Department Context (Optional)

Additional metadata about which department(s) this acronym applies to.

• Input: Multi-select or free-form text
• Example: "Sales team primary, used by Marketing for quarterly reviews"
• Visibility: Helps new team members understand scope
• Help text: "Which teams primarily use this?"

Content Filtering

All text fields (title, description, tags) are automatically checked for inappropriate language. This helps keep the dictionary professional and inclusive.

If Content Is Rejected

If your entry is rejected:

1. An error message tells you which field has an issue
2. Remove the flagged content
3. Try again

Your technical term was flagged? If a legitimate word is blocked, contact your administrator to add it to the allowlist.

Adding a Definition to an Existing Acronym

If the acronym already exists, the form switches to "Add Definition" mode:

Steps

1. Follow steps 1–3 above to reach the form
2. Acronym term field will be disabled (already exists)
3. Fill in Title (required) and Description (optional)
4. Select Category and add Tags (same as above)
5. Click "Add Definition"

Multiple Definitions

Each acronym can have multiple definitions. Examples:

• OKR: Different departments may define it slightly differently (strategic vs. tactical)
• API: "Application Programming Interface" vs. "Advanced Programming Integration" (rare alternative)
• ROI: "Return on Investment" (finance) vs. "Region of Interest" (data science)

The community votes to surface the most useful definitions. The top-voted definition becomes the primary (shown in Slack, browse cards).

Form Validation

Before submission, the form checks:

If validation fails, the field highlights in red with an error message.

Submission & Confirmation

Click the blue "Add Acronym" or "Add Definition" button to submit.

On Success

• Confirmation toast appears ("Acronym added!" or "Definition submitted!")
• Redirect: You're taken to the acronym page
• Visibility: Your acronym/definition appears immediately
• Gamification: You earn points toward your profile badge

On Error

• Error toast appears with details
• Form persists: Your data stays in the form (not lost)
• Action: Fix and resubmit

Tips for Great Contributions

Write Clear Titles

• Good: "Objectives and Key Results" (expands the acronym meaningfully)
• Good: "Application Programming Interface" (industry-standard definition)
• Avoid: "something" (too vague)
• Avoid: "OKR" (just repeats the acronym)

Use Descriptions for Context

• When to add: If the title alone doesn't explain enough
• Example: Title = "OKR", Description = "A goal-setting framework where companies set company-level goals each quarter. Each goal has 3–5 measurable key results."
• Benefit: Helps new team members ramp faster

Tag Thoughtfully

• Use existing popular tags when they apply
• Create new tags for truly unique attributes
• Tags help with discovery and filtering

Choose the Right Category

• Pick the primary department that uses this acronym
• If it's cross-functional, pick the originating team
• Descriptions can mention "also used by Sales" if relevant

Avoid Duplicates

• Use search first to check if the acronym exists
• If it exists, add a definition instead of creating a duplicate acronym
• Duplicates may be merged by moderators

Editing Your Contributions

Edit an Acronym You Added

1. Navigate to the acronym page
2. Click "Edit" (appears if you're the original contributor or admin)
3. Modify fields (cannot change the term itself)
4. Click "Save"

Edit a Definition You Added

1. Navigate to the acronym page
2. Find your definition in the definitions list
3. Click "Edit" on that specific definition
4. Modify and save

Delete a Definition

• Click "Delete" on your definition
• Soft delete: Hidden but not permanently removed (reversible)
• Only admins can permanently delete

Gamification Points

When you add an acronym or definition, you earn points:

• New acronym: 50 points
• New definition: 25 points
• Upvoted definition: 1 point per upvote (accrues over time)

These points appear on your profile and the organization leaderboard. See Gamification for details.

Mobile Form Experience

On mobile devices, the definition form:

• Stacks vertically for easy thumbing through fields
• Large text inputs for mobile keyboard
• Native select dropdowns for category picker (uses device UI)
• Tag picker scrolls horizontally if many suggestions
• Full-height submission button — easy to hit

The experience is identical in functionality to desktop, just optimized for touch.

Bulk Import (Admin Feature)

If you're an administrator with many acronyms to add at once, see the Admin Guide for CSV bulk import, which allows uploading 100+ acronyms in one operation.

Troubleshooting

I got a "Profanity filter" error but my term isn't profane

• The word may be on your organization's custom blocklist
• Contact your administrator about the blocklist
• Try rephrasing with a synonym

The acronym I'm trying to add already exists

• The form should automatically switch to "Add Definition" mode
• If not, search first to see the existing acronym
• Navigate to that acronym page and click "Add Definition" instead

I can't see the category I want

• You can create a new category right in the form (type in the category dropdown)
• New categories are created with a unique auto-assigned color
• If you're restricted from creating categories, contact your admin

Form validation rejects my input for unclear reasons

• Check character limits (Acronym max 20, Title max 200)
• Ensure no special characters in the acronym (letters + numbers only)
• Verify profanity filter (try removing potentially flagged words)
• Clear browser cache and try again

Next Steps

• Learn about Definitions & Voting to understand how your contributions are ranked
• Check Browsing to see where your acronym appears
• Visit your Profile to track your contributions and gamification points