How to Use "AKA"

Identifying Common AKA Uses

Replace “also known as” with AKA. Since AKA stands for “also known as,” swap out “AKA” for “also known as” and see if it still makes sense. This is the best way to tell if you are using AKA correctly. For example, in the phrase “Jennifer Jones, AKA my best friend” adding “also known as” in place of “AKA” would make it, “Jennifer Jones, also known as my best friend.” This still makes sense, so AKA works well here. However, “also known as” in the phrase, “Disneyland, AKA created by Walt Disney,” would become “Disneyland, also known as created by Walt Disney.” The “AKA” or “also known as” in this sentence is unneeded. Even if you take out “created by” it would still not work because Disneyland (a place) is not a pseudonym for Walt Disney (a person).

Use AKA to indicate a person’s other names or roles. AKA most often comes between 2 names that a person may go by. This indicates a person’s significance in your life, something they have accomplished, or a role they once played. For example, you might use AKA to let readers know what other roles a person plays in your life, such as “Mrs. McKraken, AKA my neighbor Phyllis,” or “Deidre Smith, AKA my mother.” Another option might be to indicate a role that someone played or still plays in TV or film, such as, “Orlando Bloom, AKA Legolas in the Lord of the Rings,” or, “Retta, AKA Donna from Parks and Recreation.” You will often see AKA used in this way, especially in articles about film and television.

Use AKA to give information about the subject in a creative way. Try using AKA to give a person, place, or thing a special meaning that it might not have otherwise. Follow up AKA with a word or phrase that tells readers something about the subject, or that elaborates on the subject’s features. For example, when talking or writing about your least favorite high school English teacher, you might indicate what that teacher was like using AKA, such as, “Mr. Doherty, AKA the meanest teacher in the entire school.” You could also use AKA to indicate your feelings about a thing, such as apple pie. For example, you might say or write, “Apple pie, AKA warm hugs in food form.” Tip: Although, AKA can indicate a relationship between words and concepts, remember that it is an abbreviation with a very specific meaning, so its uses are limited. Opt for something else if AKA does not work for your situation.

Spelling, Capitalizing, and Punctuating

Use AKA without periods between the letters. AKA used to include periods between the letters as a general rule, as in “a.k.a.” However, many sources have dropped the periods, and AKA is no longer listed in the dictionary with the periods included. Writing AKA without periods is even recommended by the Associated Press (AP) style guide. Keep in mind that writing “a.k.a” is not wrong, it is just less common than it once was. You may still write “a.k.a” this way if it looks better to you or if your teacher prefers this option.

Write AKA in all lowercase or all capital letters. None of the letters in AKA need to be capitalized. Therefore, it is more common for all 3 letters to be lowercase, such as “aka.” However, you may capitalize all 3 letters if you prefer, such as “AKA.” Do not write AKA with 1 or 2 capital letters, such as “aKA,” or “AkA.” For titles and headings, write AKA in all capital letters, such as “AKA.”Tip: When in doubt about how to write AKA, check with your teacher or consult the style guide for the type of writing you are doing. You can also read other sources too see how AKA is most often used in them and adopt the most common form.

Pronounce AKA as “ay-kay-ay” even if periods are not included. If you opt to leave out the periods when you write out AKA, remember that this does not change the way you pronounce it. Pronounce each letter on its own in sequence, such as “ay-kay-ay.”