FAO

What Does FAO Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

FAO means "For The Attention Of " and "Food and Agricultural Organization."

For The Attention Of

The abbreviation FAO is most commonly used in business correspondence to mean "For The Attention Of." It is usually followed by the name of a person when a letter or email is addressed to a company, but the sender wishes it to be read by that specific person. Of note: "For The Attention Of" can also be abbreviated as FTAO.

Food and Agricultural Organization

FAO also means "Food and Agricultural Organization." This is an agency of the United Nations (UN) that acts as a neutral forum where nations meet to negotiate agreements and debate policy. The UN FAO is a source of knowledge and information which helps countries to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, with the aim of ensuring good nutrition and food security.

Image for FAO

When I write FAO, I mean this:

FAO commonly means For The Attention Of, but also means Food and Agricultural Organization.

Summary of Key Points

"For the Attention Of" is, by far, the most common meaning for FAO when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

FAO
Definition:	For the Attention of
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	1: Easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of FAO in Sentences

Here's an example of FAO in correspondence, with the meaning "For The Attention Of":

From: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
To: PricewaterhouseCoopers. FAO: Brian Cullinan.
Subject: You're Fired!.

An Academic Look at FAO

FAO is an initialism abbreviation. Technically, this means it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., Eff Ay Oh). However, as FAO is typically used for efficiency in writing and not efficiency in speech it is not often uttered using its letters. Initialisms contrast with acronyms, which are spoken like words.