This list contains acronyms, initialisms, and pseudo-blends  that begin with the letter Z.

For the purposes of this list:

• acronym = an abbreviation pronounced as if it were a word, e.g., SARS = severe acute respiratory syndrome, pronounced to rhyme with cars
• initialism = an abbreviation pronounced wholly or partly using the names of its constituent letters, e.g., CD = compact disc, pronounced cee dee
• pseudo-blend = an abbreviation whose extra or omitted letters mean that it cannot stand as a true acronym, initialism, or portmanteau (a word formed by combining two or more words).

(a) = acronym, e.g.: SARS – (a) severe acute respiratory syndrome

(i) = initialism, e.g.: CD – (i) compact disc

(p) = pseudo-blend, e.g.: UNIFEM – (p) United Nations Development Fund for Women

(s) = symbol (none of the above, representing and pronounced as something else; for example: MHz – megahertz)

Some terms are spoken as either acronym or initialism, e.g., VoIP, pronounced both as voyp and V-O-I-P.

(Main list of acronyms)

• z – (s) Zepto
• Z – (s) Zetta

• za – (s) Zhuang languages (ISO 639-1 code)
• zA – (s) Zeptoampere
• ZA – (s) South Africa (ISO 3166 digram)
• ZA – Zambia (FIPS 10-4 country code) – Zettaampere
• ZAF – (s) South Africa (ISO 3166 trigram)
• ZAMS – (i) Zero age main sequence
• ZANU-PF – (i) Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front
• ZAR – (s) South African rand (ISO 4217 currency code)
• ZAR – Zaire (ISO 3166 trigram, obsolete 1997)
• ZAS – (i/a) Zylinder Abschaltung System

• ZBT – (i) Zero-Balance Transfer (accounting)

• zC – (s) Zeptocoulomb
• ZC – (s) Zettacoulomb
• ZCM – (n) ZENworks Configuration Management
• ZCMK – (a) Zone Control Master Key
• ZCU – (i) Zimbabwe Cricket Union

• zF – (s) Zeptofarad
• ZF – (s) Zettafarad

• zg – (s) Zeptogram
• Zg – (s) Zettagram

• zh – (s) Chinese language (ISO 639-1 code)
• zH – (s) Zeptohenry
• ZH – (s) Zettahenry
• zha – (s) Zhuang languages (ISO 639-2 code)
• zho – (s) Chinese language (ISO 639-2 code)

• Zi – (s) Zebi
• ZI – (s) Zimbabwe (FIPS 10-4 country code)
• ZIF – (s) Zero Insertion Force (The device on a)
• ZIP – (a) Zone Improvement Plan code
• ZIRP – (a) Zero interest-rate policy

• zJ – (s) Zeptojoule
• ZJ – (s) Zettajoule

• zK – (s) Zeptokelvin
• ZK – (s) Zettakelvin

• zL – (s) Zeptolitre
• ZL – (s) Zettalitre

• zm – (s) Zeptometre
• Zm – (s) Zettametre
• ZM – (s) Zambia (ISO 3166 digram)
• ZMB – (s) Zambia (ISO 3166 trigram)
• ZMK – (s) Zambian kwacha (ISO 4217 currency code)

• zN – (s) Zeptonewton
• Zn – (s) Zinc
• ZN – (s) Zettanewton

• ZOPFAN – (i) Zone of Peace, Freedom And Neutrality

• Zr – (s) Zirconium
• ZR – (s) Zaire (ISO 3166 digram; obsolete 1997)

• zs – (s) Zeptosecond
• Zs – (s) Zettasecond
• ZS – (s) Zettasiemens

• zT – (s) Zeptotesla
• ZT – (s) Zettatesla

• zu – (s) Zulu language (ISO 639-1 code)
• ZUG – (a) Z User Group
• ZUI – (a) Zooming User Interface ("zoo-wee")
• zul – (s) Zulu language (ISO 639-2 code)

• zV – (s) Zeptovolt
• ZV – (s) Zettavolt

• zW – (s) Zeptowatt
• ZW – (s) Zettawatt
• ZW – Zimbabwe (ISO 3166 digram)
• ZWD – (s) Zimbabwe dollar (ISO 4217 currency code)
• ZWE – (s) Zimbabwe (ISO 3166 trigram)

• ZZZ – (p) to be tired (internet slang)