RSVP is an

initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

derived from the French phrase ''Répondez s'il vous plaît'', literally meaning "Respond, if you please", or just "Please respond", to require confirmation of an invitation. The initialism "RSVP" is no longer used much in France, where it is considered formal and old-fashioned. In France, it is now more common to use "Réponse attendue avant le ...", meaning "

our Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...

answer is expected before ...". In addition, the French initialism "SVP" is frequently used to represent "S'il vous plaît" ("Please").

Variations

The phrase "RSVP, regrets only", – or "Regrets only", is a popular modern variation that implies "if you do not reply, that will be taken as an acceptance." More specifically, if most invitations can be assumed to be accepted, a "regrets only" RSVP will reduce the communication required by both the host and their guests. The phrase "Regrets only" refers to the assumption that a declination will be worded with some variation of "We regret we cannot attend ...". Before sending the RSVP invitation, the host may mail out a "save the date" card to advise the date and location of the celebration. This may be used when the event will be held a considerable time in the future and/or in a distant location to allow for travel plans -- such applies to weddings, christenings, or any other important events.

Modern-day RSVPs

In recent years, digital RSVPs have become common, particularly for wedding invitations. In this context, the initialism seems to have loosened its tie to its original meaning. Some writers incorrectly use the phrase "Please RSVP", which is a case of

RAS syndrome RAS syndrome (where "RAS" stands for "redundant acronym syndrome", making the phrase "RAS syndrome" homological) is the redundant use of one or more of the words that make up an acronym (or other initialism) in conjunction with the abbreviated ...

or a

pleonasm Pleonasm (; , ) is redundancy in linguistic expression, such as "black darkness" or "burning fire". It is a manifestation of tautology by traditional rhetorical criteria and might be considered a fault of style. Pleonasm may also be used for em ...

References

{{Reflist Etiquette Letters (message)