We have recently wondered exactly how to and when to use final forms of Hebrew letters in acronyms (עכו”ם not ה”מ):
One of Hyehudi’s wise readers has presently offered us counsel:
When the acronym is pronounced like a word itself, e.g., “Rambam,” “Tanach,” use the final form of the letter. When the acronym is not pronounced as a new word, use the initial form.
As we said, there are two options.
- Nouns or concepts get finalized letters, phrases, however common, do not.
- The more commonly used acronyms get finalized letters, while all others do not.
The first one does seem better, right?