2 letter state abbreviation history book

A book of the names and address of people living in a city. The name of each of the brazilian states below is preceded by its commonly used two letter abbreviation. Old style and old fashioned us state abbreviations. These abbreviations short names were used in mailing addresses before the introduction of two letter u. Usps state abbreviations printable geography, 2nd5th. The usps wants the 2 letter state abbreviation, not the spelledout state name. Dont expect the usa to go to a 2letter code any time soon.

It bases its list of country names and abbreviations on the list of names published by the united nations. The countrys location has made it vulnerable, and its borders have moved several times. Appendix b two letter state and possession abbreviations. Since the postal service instituted zip codes and their accompanying state postal codes in 1963, the twoletter abbreviations have steadily gained popularity. This quiz is for those of us that are not the fastest typists in the world but still like to finish a quiz for the sake of knowledge and learning. 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. According to, an abbreviation is a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole, as dr.

The two letter abbreviations were adopted by the u. In 1987, the secretary of commerce switched to the two letter state alpha code for state abbreviations. The changeover to the twoletter state abbreviations was not instantaneous. Scammers are pretending to be government employees. Day in may 8 like stuff from a squid 4 drink of the gods 6 graffiti artist, to some 6 lady with an unreadable poker face 4 fried seafood staple 8.

Online educational lessons teach usa geography, perfect for online learning and homeschooling and home schools. Do you know the abbreviations of all the states in the united states of america. This is often done incorrectly, as people put either the full state name or a three letter abbreviated version fla. Modern twoletter abbreviated codes for the states and territories originated in october 1963, with the issuance of publication 59. The oldest traces of people in what is today poland date from the stone age. This documentary film describes how, in the early 1960s, a group of leaders in the field of name abbreviation were brought together by the united states postal service to determine all of the twoletter abbreviations for the fifty states. Search for abbreviation meaning, word to abbreviate, or lists of abbreviations. He and his wife, chris woolwinemoen, produced thousands of awardwinning maps that are used all over the world and content that aids students, teachers, travelers and parents with their geography and map questions. In 1987, the secretary of commerce switched to the more commonly used twoletter postal code abbreviations. To avoid duplications, some abbreviations are not intuitive. Chicago style differs from ap style state abbreviations in that chicago style allows these two.

State abbreviations and state postal codes fact monster. The department provided an initial list of abbreviations in june 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. Appendix etwoletter abbreviations for canadian provinces and territories and u. Ive attempted two different ways in trying to obtain the city name as well as the state abbreviation only from the address class, with no luck. The first is returning the state like so ca 92055 with the zip code, and the second attempt returns the full state name.

Appendix b twoletter state and possession abbreviations. States writing style guide western michigan university. Aug 10, 2006 two letter abbreviations standardize everything. Standard 2letter abbreviations united states and its.

For standard legal documents, intext citations are rendered either as i a complete sentence that supports a claim in the immediately preceding sentence of text, or, ii when the citation relates to a particular part of a sentence, as a clause within the sentence, immediately following the claim it supports. How were the 2 letter abbreviations selected for states with. Finally, if you have two states that would still end up with the same abbreviation, use the first and last letters. The twoletter, noperiod state abbreviations recommended by the u. In 1987, the secretary of commerce switched to the more commonly used two letter postal code abbreviations. State abbreviations who we are usps about usps home. The two letter postal abbreviation system is complicated by the fact that several state names begin with the same letter e. To make room for the zip code, state names needed to be abbreviated. The united states post office uspo introduced the abbreviations when they introduced zip codes to make room for the zip codes to be included in.

Ny, sd, wv, etc take the first two letters of the state name to form the abbreviation. Other united states america two letter state abbreviations more. The postal abbreviations for all 50 states are here, along with the traditional abbreviations plus some history and how to use them in formal writing. This applies to chicago manual of style and the american psychological association style apa. Oct 10, 2007 appendix e two letter abbreviations for canadian provinces and territories and u. For example, they can be used in writing after a city like in miami, fla.

You scored % this beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%. The two letter abbreviations came into use in 1963. When a state name is followed by a zip code, you should always use the twoletter, noperiod abbreviation see below. What is the 2 letter abbreviation for march and may answers. To complain about ap style, write to the associated press, 450 w. The traditional abbreviations are still commonly used in other ways besides mailing addresses. Just about anyone can learn the official twoletter postal abbreviation for each u. The abbreviated state artists rendition of movie poster. Twoletter abbreviations for canadian provinces and territories. If you follow the older practice, be consistent in your use of the traditional abbreviations, and remember that eight states. The second, if there are two words, take the first letter of each word to make the abbreviation. Postal service to make room on letters for the new fivedigit zip code that was developed at the same time.

In october 1963, the department settled on the current twoletter abbreviations. Initialisms are abbreviations that are pronounced one letter at a. Desk with a laptop and a style guide book with various clutter nearby. Why did they change the abbreviation of the states to 2. Two letter state abbreviations of the united states test. In october 1963, the department settled on the current two letter abbreviations. Jan 24, 2020 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. These abbreviations short names were used in mailing addresses before the introduction of twoletter u. Twoletter abbreviations for canadian provinces and. Ny, sd, wv third, take the first two letters of the state to make the abbreviation.

Then i have a separate dict with the twoletter acronym for each state. Constant contact cc replaced all of my 2letter state info with the full names. List of state abbreviations, capital cities, constitutions. How were the 2 letter abbreviations selected for states. International programs two letter state abbreviations. A threeletter acronym tla, or threeletter abbreviation, is an abbreviation consisting of three letters. So basically the decision to have a 2letter code is roughly equivalent of an article in a international treaty. The usps wants the 2letter state abbreviation, not the spelledout state name. I hate the post offices twoletter state abbreviations. When used in an address, use the twoletter usps abbreviation. The postal service style of twoletter state, province, and freely associated state abbreviations is to be used. The united states postal service has been accepting and using common state abbreviations since 1874. Whats more, the twoletter codes that people are familiar with today actually. Jul 07, 2019 when used in a mailing address, the two letter abbreviation is written in capital letters, uses no punctuation, and does not include spaces between the letters.

When writing news stories, no state name is necessary in the body of the story if it is the same. Two letter state abbreviations of the united states. When a state name is followed by a zip code, you should always use the two letter, noperiod abbreviation see below. Use twoletter postal abbreviations only in mailing addresses which include a zip code. Two letter us state abbreviations quiz in 2 12 minutes. The english language contains various twoletter words. If there are two words in the states name, take the first letter of each. These are usually the initial letters of the words of the phrase abbreviated, and are written in capital letters upper case. Appendix e two letter abbreviations for canadian provinces and territories and u. Take the first and last letter of the state name to form the abbreviation.

The state of poland emerged for the first time in the 9th century. The standard two letter abbreviation for the state of south carolina is sc. The abbreviations are used primarily for mailing addresses and are often referred to as postal abbreviations or postal codes. Postal services twoletter abbreviation for each state, and then complete the map. Now i want to add a third column to map state name with its. Two letter postal abbreviations for state names went into effect on july 1, 1963. To make room the department issued 2 letter abbreviation for all states and territories. State abbreviations are twoletter symbols used to represent each state. Though it is usually preferable to write out the full name, space constraints often require use of an abbreviation. When did state abbreviations change to two letters. Test your knowledge on this geography quiz to see how you do and compare your score to others.

John moen is a cartographer who along with his wife are the orignal founders of. If youre sending a letter, though, it will make it to its destination whether you write out the state s name, use the two letter abbreviation, or use some other abbrviation. The old list of postal abbreviations included a dozen or so twoletter abbreviations, and those abbreviations were carried into the new list, with continuity taking precedence over other possible claims. May 07, 2017 the english language contains various twoletter words. Since the postal service instituted zip codes and their accompanying state postal codes in 1963, the two letter abbreviations have steadily gained popularity.

Abbreviations and letter symbols abbreviations and. You should do the quiz two letter us state abbreviations which gives you 60 seconds for the same quiz. The post office department implemented the 5 digit zip code back then and a standard line only allowed for 23 carracters. Feb 22, 2018 the old list of postal abbreviations included a dozen or so two letter abbreviations, and those abbreviations were carried into the new list, with continuity taking precedence over other possible claims. The united states postal service prefers these abbreviations. Postal services two letter abbreviation for each state, and then complete the map. I made a failing grade on a united states map when i was a sixthgrader 1964 because i used an informational document from the post office to label the states. If youre sending a letter, though, it will make it to its destination whether you write out the states name, use the twoletter abbreviation, or use some other abbrviation.

A three letter acronym tla, or three letter abbreviation, is an abbreviation consisting of three letters. The 2 letter codes shown below are supplied by the iso international organization for standardization. The 2letter codes shown below are supplied by the iso international organization for standardization. Its just one of those things you eventually commit to memory. Initialisms and acronyms are two types of abbreviations that are used to shorten phrases. Sep 01, 2018 beat the clock to guess the two letter abbreviation for each selected state. Beat the clock to guess the twoletter abbreviation for each selected state. History the modern twoletter abbreviated codes for the states and territories originated during the post offices switch to zip codes in 1963. Postal and traditional state abbreviations reference guide. The number is reduced somewhat by the three letter rule. Jan 14, 2010 history the modern twoletter abbreviated codes for the states and territories originated during the post offices switch to zip codes in 1963. Appendix e, twoletter abbreviations for canadian provinces and territories and u. Appendix e twoletter abbreviations for canadian provinces and territories and u.

After a heyday between the 16th and 18th centuries, poland disintegrated. Can you name the words that can be formed from state abbreviations. Twoletter postal abbreviations for state names went into effect on july 1, 1963. Can you name the us states per the 2nd letter of their postal abbreviation. Looking for a state or us territorys abbreviation or postal code.