There is also a list of "old style" abbreviations used to refer to US states before the US Postal Service switched to two-letter state abbreviations. If you are using Google to search for old records, these records will probably use the old abbreviation. Before 1963, there were no ZIP codes used on postal mail in the United States, and the U.S. Post Office preferred that people wrote out state and territory names completely to avoid confusion in sorting mail. These are the two-letter abbreviations that are used by the United States Postal Service. The company is based in, New Jersey. Academic degrees following a person's name are abbreviated and include periods with no spaces. In bibliographies, lists, charts where space is at a premium, reference lists, footnotes and endnotes, and in mailing addresses, state names are usually shortened using the postal abbreviation. The decision will depend on the context of your writing and on the style guide you're following. Forced Order. He lives in Pennsylvania, but plans to move to Tacoma, Wash. The two letter abbreviations came into use in 1963. In other contexts, such as newspaper articles, the traditional abbreviations for the states are used. Since the Postal Service instituted ZIP codes and their accompanying state postal codes in 1963, the two-letter abbreviations have steadily gained popularity. - apartment 4. These abbreviations (short names) were used in mailing addresses before the introduction of two-letter U.S. postal abbreviations. In the early 1800s, it had established a standardized list of acceptable abbreviations, updating it in 1874. What's the Preferred Way to Write the Abbreviation for United States? D.I.Y. Traditional State Abbreviations In addition to the postal abbreviations listed above, the states in the United States can also be shortened with a system typically called "traditional" abbreviations. In lists and tabular material, use the traditional abbreviation. This page has a form you can use to see what city a US or Canadian postal code refers to. The Web's largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource. In running text, use the traditional abbreviations for states when they appear in conjunction with a city, and spell out when they stand alone. Finally, United States may be abbreviated to U.S. when used as an adjective, but in formal writing, it's customarily spelled out as a noun. (id est = in other words) e.g. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing … Some writers and editors still prefer to use the older forms of state abbreviations (see "Traditional Abbreviations in the table below), though this is rare. Which Words in a Title Should Be Capitalized? united states map quiz abbreviations – staes and capitals map of us map usa with all names 14 map of usa e Letter Does Not Appear In Any U S State Name Simplemost U S GEOGRAPHY 36 best Seterra Map Quizzes images on Pinterest Postal and Traditional State Abbreviations Reference Guide 36 best Seterra Map Quizzes images on Pinterest Us Map Games With State … - bring your own bottle, used for parties where guests are expected to bring their own drinks or restaurants that don't sell alcohol. Home How to use the OED Abbreviations. In 1987, the Secretary of Commerce switched to the two-letter State Alpha Code for state abbreviations. Knowing to search Google for both the state and its old fashioned abbreviation, such as Washington OR "Wash." can widen your search possibilities. Legal citation manuals, such as The Bluebook and The ALW… Click on a letter to see the abbreviations beginning with that letter. Note, however, that Chicago recommends using the two-letter postal codes (and therefore US) wherever abbreviations are used." These foldables make fun and simple study center activities and great interactive study guides for homework practice. Also, be sure to use a lowercase “state” in both of these instances to avoid any confusion. What Is a Style Guide and Which One Do You Need? For example: This rule applies also if you are writing something formal and following a style guide, such as the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA Style, American Psychological Association Publication Manual (APA), or Associated Press Style (AP). Find out what is the most common shorthand of TRADitional on Abbreviations.com! Apart from the postal abbreviations, there are no officially designated traditional (or standard) abbreviations for the provinces. Abbreviations. For example, they can be used in writing after a city (like in "Miami, Fla."). In the past, states were generally abbreviated in domestic articles and news stories, but they were always spelled out in international content. The Associated Press Stylebook states that in contexts other than mailing addresses, the traditional state abbreviations should be used. If you follow the older practice, be consistent in your use of the traditional abbreviations, and remember that eight states (Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah) are only rarely abbreviated when using the older (pre-ZIP code) forms. Postal Service (see "Postal Abbreviations" in the chart below) should always be used where a Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code follows. The traditional abbreviations are still commonly used in other ways besides mailing addresses. (Sarah Vowell, "Assassination Vacation," 2005). In short-form listings of party affiliation, use the traditional abbreviation (D-Ala., R-Mont.). Similarly, the Alabama abbreviation is AL (and not Al). When used in an address, use the two-letter USPS abbreviation. The U.S.: State Abbreviations - Map Quiz Game: The United States Postal Service (USPS) has established a set of uppercase abbreviations to help process mail using automated equipment. - as soon as possible 5. Sources: 1831, Table of Post Offices in the United States; 1874 and 1943, United States Official Postal Guide; 6/1963, Postal Bulletin 20368; 10/1963, Post Office Department Publication 59, Abbreviations for Use with ZIP Code.. Popular Quizzes Today. This page was last changed on 14 May 2020, at 09:40. Rate 5 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star . United States Map Quiz Abbreviations. U.S. The Associated Press Stylebook, the usage guide for most United States newspapers, counsels the use of abbreviations for most state names, when appended to a city name (for example, "Santa Ana, Calif."). Looking for the abbreviation of TRADitional? If you are following the Chicago Manual, you'll remove the periods to become US except in bibliography or reference entries pertaining to U.S. statutes, court cases, and other legal-context usages, which retain the periods. This kind of image (United States Map Quiz Abbreviations – Postal and Traditional State Abbreviations Reference Guide) earlier mentioned can be branded having: submitted by simply mistermap on 2017-08-07 11:36:31. The traditional abbreviations for U.S. states and territories, widely used in mailing addresses prior to the introduction of two-letter U.S. postal abbreviations, are still commonly used for other purposes (such as legal citation), and are still recognized (though discouraged) by … Traditional US state abbreviations, which were used prior to the introduction … For example, Washington State is a university in the state of Washington. The two-letter, no-period state abbreviations recommended by the U.S. 6. c/o - care of, used when sending mail to someone who's not at their usual address 7. dept. A.S.A.P. " In publications using traditional state abbreviations, use periods to abbreviate United States and its states and territories: U.S., N.Y., Ill. AP suggests spelling out "Alaska," "Hawaii," and all state names with five or fewer letters; and, unlike the old GPO recommendations, AP suggests spelling out the names of all non-state territories, with the exception of the District of Columbia (D.C.). The standard, or traditional, abbreviations, were widely used on mailing addresses and in other contexts before the two-letter postal abbreviations were introduced. This handy chart has both the postal and the traditional abbreviations, for your reference: Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Several sets of codes and abbreviations are used to represent the political divisions of the United States for postal addresses, data processing, general abbreviations, and other purposes. From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Chicago Manual of Style and AP Style Manual state abbreviations, FIPS State Codes of the US and Outlying Areas, https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_U.S._states_by_traditional_abbreviation&oldid=6941016, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. Promoting ZIP Codes in New York City, 1966 To allow space for the ZIP Code in the last line of an address, state names needed to be abbreviated. There are situations, however, in which it's correct to spell out state names. (et cetera = and so forth) By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Why the ZIP Code Abbreviations Were Developed. by Derek Plays Quiz Updated Mar 18, 2020 . B.Y.O.B. Students can find additional information in the Undergraduate Student Guide and Graduate & Professional Student Guide. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Some of them are the same as the two-letter postal abbreviations. U.S. maps; States; Cities; Lakes; National Parks In most cases, postal abbreviations are appropriate and well understood. These postal abbreviations may also be used in any context where abbreviations are appropriate. Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff . 10 Tips for Using Abbreviations Correctly, How to Write a Bibliography For a Science Fair Project, Definition and Examples of Analysis in Composition, Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia, M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester, B.A., English, State University of New York, "Our family had been transferred from Endicott, New York, to Raleigh, North Carolina. There are situations, however, in which it's correct to spell out state names. - approximately 2. appt. That was the word used by the people at IBM, transferred, "Both men were raised in the Midwest (Garfield in Ohio, Guiteau in Illinois) by a single, widowed parent." State Abbreviations: State Abbreviations List. The addition of seven additional characters on a final address line (ZIP code plus two spaces) necessitated the shortening of state abbreviations to fewer characters. 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