Expand Acronyms

Overview

The Acronym Expander API resolves an acronym to its full meaning using a two-tier lookup: first checking a built-in dictionary of 28 common acronyms (technology, business, and general terms like API, CEO, FAQ), then falling back to an AI model when the input isn't in the dictionary. The `source` field on every response tells you which path was taken — `dictionary` for direct hits, `ai` for AI-generated expansions. Dictionary hits always return exactly one expansion; AI responses return up to three in descending order of likelihood. An optional `context` parameter (paid plans only) refines the AI path by biasing the model toward a specific domain — it has no effect on dictionary hits, which are deterministic and ignore context entirely.

Live Test Expand Acronyms Source →

Formula

One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the rest are its inputs, and the "field" pair says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.

=VERVE("acronymexpander", A2, "field", "source")

A2 holds the acronym you are looking up. Drag the formula down and each row resolves on its own.

With literal values

Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.

=VERVE("acronymexpander", "API", "field", "source")

Inputs

Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Input	Type	Where it goes	Description
`acronym`Required	string	argument 2 (A2)	The acronym to expand (max 20 characters) length 0–20
`context`OptionalPremium	string	"context", value	Optional context to help determine the correct meaning default General

Passing an option

=VERVE("acronymexpander", A2, "context", "software")

What lands in your sheet

The "field" pair is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.

Seeing everything at once

Drop the "field" pair and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.

=VERVE("acronymexpander", A2)

Good for exploring, not for filling down

The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the "field" pair accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.

Use as "field"	Type	Example cell value	Description
`acronym`	string	`API`	The acronym that was expanded Echoes the acronym from the request preserving the original casing — not the upper-cased form used internally for the dictionary lookup.
`expansions`	array[1]		List of possible acronym expansions with descriptions For dictionary hits (source='dictionary'), always contains exactly one entry. For AI responses (source='ai'), contains up to three entries in descending order of likelihood. The order is determined by the AI model and is not guaranteed to be stable across identical repeat calls.
`expansions.0.expansion`	string	`Application Programming Interface`	The full expansion of the acronym meaning
`expansions.0.description`	string	`A set of protocols for building software`	Description explaining what the expansion means
`expansions.0.category`	string	`technology`	Category or domain the acronym belongs to
`most_common`Premium	object	`{…}`	The most common or likely expansion for the acronym Equals expansions[0] when expansions has at least one entry. Returns null (not omitted) when the AI path returns an empty expansions array.
`most_common.expansion`Premium	string	`Application Programming Interface`	Most common expansion of the provided acronym
`most_common.description`Premium	string	`A set of protocols for building software`	Detailed description of the most common expansion
`most_common.category`Premium	string	`technology`	Category or domain for the most common expansion
`source`	string	`dictionary`	Source where the expansion data was retrieved from Either 'dictionary' or 'ai'. Use this to distinguish deterministic responses (dictionary — instant, identical across calls) from AI-generated ones (variable latency, may produce slightly different wording on repeat calls due to non-zero AI temperature).
`context_provided`	string	`software`	The context used to determine acronym meaning Echoes the resolved context value used by the request — typically 'General' when omitted, or the provided value otherwise. Useful for confirming the context the API actually used; ignored for dictionary hits.

Filling a whole column

Both platforms make one batched call for a column rather than one request per cell, and both cost the same — 10 credits per row looked up. How you write it differs, because the two runtimes batch at different points.

Rows 2–100 in one call

=VERVE("acronymexpander", A2:A100, "field", "source")

In Google Sheets, give the arguments ranges and the answers spill down from the cell you typed in. Custom functions there run synchronously and in isolation, so dragged cells cannot be coalesced — the range form is how a column becomes one call. The "field" pair is required here: a per-row two-column table has nowhere to spill. Use a full column per input (A2:A100, not A2) — a single-cell reference is read as row 1 only and the rest of the column comes back blank.

In Excel, type the formula once and fill down — no range form and none needed, because its runtime is asynchronous and the add-in coalesces the calls a fill produces into a single batched request. Do not hand VERVE.CALL a range: Excel flattens it into positional arguments, so A2:A100 arrives as a hundred separate arguments and the cell reads #ERR rather than filling.

Either way, column A holds your acronym values and the answers land beside them, one row each, blank rows skipped.

When a cell doesn't fill

A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.

Cell reads	What happened
`#ERR Not connected`	No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account.
`#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value`	A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference.
`#ERR No "x" in acronymexpander`	An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does.
`#ERR No data point "…"`	The `"field"` path is not in the response. Check it against the table above.
`#PREMIUM(field)`	The field exists but your plan does not include it.
`#ERR Out of credits`	The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date.

Before the formula works

The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.

Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
Type the formula above into any cell.

Use cases

Document Processing: Automatically expand acronyms in documents and technical writing for improved readability
Content Understanding: Help readers understand technical content and jargon by expanding acronyms in context
Technical Documentation: Create glossaries and expand acronyms in technical documentation automatically
Learning Tools: Build educational tools that help users learn and understand acronyms in various domains

Other ways to use Expand Acronyms

Set up Expand Acronyms on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Call it as a REST APIOne HTTPS endpoint and an x-api-key header, with SDKs for Node, Python and .NET.APIVerve →Reference →

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →