Jennifer and Stephanie, you might be interested in my test on how to address an envelope. Grapholalia, I loved your example of the chemical engineer and the periodic table. It agrees with your rendering of “counties” too. If I think some of them may not know an abbreviation, I am going to spell it despite space limitations.Ĭookie, AP does agree with your rule of abbreviating “Street” only in a complete address. My principle for all business writing is to give readers what they need. Karla and C.R., I find it helpful to consider what my readers do know rather than what they should know. Hi, Karla, Cookie, Grapholalia, C.R., Jennifer, and Stephanie. What rules do you follow for rendering the names of states, provinces, and territories? I follow that principle so my readers will not be confused for a moment by MA, MO, CO, ON, OR or AK. To my mind, the only place for two-letter abbreviations of states, provinces, and territories is in addresses. When you need to abbreviate the names of Canadian provinces and territories, use the two-letter abbreviations of the Canada Post, which are appropriate in both English and French: My Microsoft spelling and grammar checker flagged the abbreviations above, suggesting the two-letter postal versions. AP and Gregg prefer the abbreviations listed above, but Gregg acknowledges the growing popularity of the two-letter postal versions. Chicago prefers the two-letter postal abbreviations. I bet you are wondering which style is preferred for slides, tables, and other places with limited space. However, notice that these abbreviations have periods, and in some the second letter of a two-letter abbreviation is lower case.ĭid you notice the absence of a few states? Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah are not abbreviated in AP style. Some of them are the same as the two-letter postal abbreviations. However, if you are a journalist or business writer who follows The Associated Press Stylebook ( AP), you will abbreviate the state using the traditional state abbreviations below. I strongly prefer the spelled-out style because it eliminates confusion about the name of the state.
State abbreviations for on manual#
Guideline: In business writing, when you refer in text to a city-state combination, such as Orlando, Florida, spell out the state name if you follow the guidelines of The Chicago Manual of Style ( Chicago) or The Gregg Reference Manual ( Gregg). That way, your reader will recognize Virginia right away rather than having to translate VA. Guideline: In business writing and journalism, when you refer to a state in text (rather than a chart), always spell it out.