THE WORD DOCTOR
1/23/07 - Department of Redundancy Department

Dear Word Doctor,

My roommate and I are having a debate we wish you to solve. Is it proper to say PIN or PIN number?

-Barbara

It should correctly be written PIN with no number afterward because PIN is an acronym for "personal identification number," and PIN number is, more-or-less, like writing "personal identification number number."

The same goes for:

-VIN number (vehicle identification number)
-UPC code (universal product code code)
-ATM machine (automatic teller machine machine)
-HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus virus)
-CD disc (compact disc disc) and DVD disc (digital video disc disc)
-Chai tea (Chai is tea in Hindi, so anytime you have chai, it must be tea).

This rule stands strong for writing, but it can waver in speech for these reasons:

1) PIN number is so common nowadays that very few will be troubled by its redundancy.
2) To say each letter in the acronym (P-I-N) is ridiculous and troublesome.
3) You could argue that PIN could be mistaken for pin. Although the chances of this mistake happening are equal to winning Powerball, it could still happen.

While I am discussing redundancies, I need to warn about redundant phrasing (something that is far too abundant in the cooperate/retail world). Phrases such as "an added bonus" and "free gift" are all examples of redundancies and should be avoided.

Paul Brains (Common Errors in English Usage) points out that some redundancies are allowed, if only by tradition. He lists "safe haven," "hot water heater," "tuna fish," and "new beginnings" as examples (and though they are allowed, no one's writing will suffer due to ignoring them).

So there it is. When writing, avoid redundancies at all cost; however, there's no need to whip out the verbal red pen in cases of speech (unless you're an abrasive person).

Till next time.

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