If nothing else, for the reason already discussed, that sometimes things like VAT are pronounced as a word and sometimes as initials. If you just write it like everyone else in the world who doesn’t write for the Guardian, then it’s just up to the reader whether it’s used as an acronym or an initialism. Nobody at NASA writes “Nasa” and NATO doesn’t use “Nato” (and “pin number” is redundant).
It’s like when the New Yorker uses diacriticals on words with repeated vowels like “coöperate.” Never once has anyone read that and thought “boy, that sure makes that word easier to read.” It just makes you think they’re being pretentious for attention.
Wow. That’s dumb.
If nothing else, for the reason already discussed, that sometimes things like VAT are pronounced as a word and sometimes as initials. If you just write it like everyone else in the world who doesn’t write for the Guardian, then it’s just up to the reader whether it’s used as an acronym or an initialism. Nobody at NASA writes “Nasa” and NATO doesn’t use “Nato” (and “pin number” is redundant).
It’s like when the New Yorker uses diacriticals on words with repeated vowels like “coöperate.” Never once has anyone read that and thought “boy, that sure makes that word easier to read.” It just makes you think they’re being pretentious for attention.