Summary
In-depth Explanation
Abbreviations shorten a single word or phrase by cutting out letters. They are often used in informal writing as well as in specific situations such as addresses and recipes.
Titles
Many formal titles can be abbreviated. These abbreviations go before a person’s name:
Mr. – Mister
Mrs. – Used for married women
Dr. – Doctor
Prof. – Professor
Rev. – Reverend
St. – Saint
These title abbreviations go after someone’s name:
Sr. – Senior
Jr. – Junior
PhD – Doctor of Philosophy
MD – Doctor of Medicine
Here are a couple of examples of how to use these abbreviations:
I have an appointment with Dr. Smith.
His full name is Nicolas David Walters, Jr.
Days and Months
All days of the week can be abbreviated (with or without a period):
Mon. – Monday
Tue. – Tuesday
Wed. – Wednesday
Thu. – Thursday
Fri. – Friday
Sat. – Saturday
Sun. – Sunday
Months that are longer than four letters are often abbreviated as well:
Jan. – January
Feb. – February
Mar. – March
Apr. – April
Sept. – September
Oct. – October
Nov. – November
Dec. – December
Here is an example of how these abbreviations might be used in informal writting:
The date is Nov. 23rd, 2023.
Classes are held Mon. – Fri.
Measurements
Abbreviations are often used in measuring units, whether for time, distance, weight or volume. Here are some common examples:
min(s) – minute(s)
hr(s) – hour(s)
tsp – teaspoon(s)
oz – ounce(s)
gal – gallon(s)
ml – milliliter(s)
g – gram(s)
kg – kilogram(s)
lb – pound(s)
ft – foot/feet
in – inch(es)
mi – mile(s)
m – meter(s)
cm – centimeter(s)
km – kilometer(s)
mph – miles per hour
For example:
Add 2 tsp sugar to 10 ml water.
The speed limit is 65 mph.
Addresses
Here are some abbreviations we use when writing addresses. You may see these abbreviations with or without a period.
St – Street
Ave – Avenue
Rd – Road
Blvd – Boulevard
Dr – Drive
Ln – Lane
Ct – Court
Pl – Place
Hwy – Highway
Apt – Apartment
Ste – Suite
Fl – Floor
Bldg – Building
PO Box – Post Office Box
We also use abbreviations for states. For example:
AZ – Arizona
CA – California
CO – Colorado
IL – Illinois
MI – Michigan
NV – Nevada
NY – New York
TX – Texas
Some addresses use directionals, and we have abbreviations for those, too:
N – North
S – South
E – East
W – West
NE – Northeast
NW – Northwest
SE – Southeast
SW – Southwest
Here is an example address using these abbreviations:
367 Maple St.
Apt. 12
Springfield, NV 65742
Common Phrases
Some abbreviations are used for Latin phrases that are frequently borrowed in English.
e.g. – exempli gratia (means “for example” in Latin)
etc. – et cetera (means “and other similar things” in Latin)
i.e. – id est (means “that is” in Latin)
For example:
You can visit many famous cities in Europe, e.g., Paris, Rome and Berlin.
We’re going to visit museums, explore historical sites, eat local food, etc.
I love tropical fruits, i.e., fruits like mangoes, pineapples and bananas.
Other Common Abbreviations
p / pp – page / pages
vs – versus
ad – advertisement
app – application
decaf – decaffeinated
exam – examination
memo – memorandum
no. – number
approx. – approximately
photo – photograph
rhino – rhinoceros
hippo – hippopotamus