People write the abbreviation in messages and work emails, and out loud they either spell it out, A-S-A-P, or say it as one word, like ay-sap.
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verb + asap (call me asap); I need it asap; asap, please
- Can you call me back asap? The landlord needs an answer today.
- My phone screen cracked again, I need to get it fixed asap.
- Let me know asap if you're coming, I'm booking the table tonight.
What changed
First versionDear Dr Wilson, could you please check my draft asap?
RevisionDear Dr Wilson, could you please check my draft as soon as you can?
In a request to an academic supervisor, asap reads like an order: check this urgently. The polite alternative is as soon as you can: the request to hurry is still there, but the timing is left to the other person.
ASAP is about when something happens, not about how fast the work is done. If you mean at the earliest moment, say as soon as possible; as fast as possible describes speed: I ran as fast as I could. The abbreviation isn't written in an IELTS essay, and in Speaking people say it in full: as soon as possible.
Your turn
Hey Sam, my mum wants to see the party photos tonight, so can you send them ___?
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asap — This is a message to a friend, and the photos are needed tonight, so the short asap fits. At your earliest convenience is a phrase from formal letters, and in a message to a friend it sounds like a letter from the bank.
Write a message to a friend asking for something that needs to be done urgently. Use asap and explain why it's urgent.
Can you send me Jake's number asap? I want to invite him before the tickets sell out.
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