Common Abbreviations
Abbreviations are so widely used in printed material that it is beneficial to be able to write and read the most common ones. The use of an abbreviation aids in saving time, space and energy. Please note abbreviations may vary, specifically with use of periods and capitalization, e.g., mpg, MPG, m.p.g. & Mpg.
List of Common Abbreviations
Our list of common abbreviations contains over 350 items. To assist with your search, we also provided the following categories: Time, Days of the week, Degrees, Education, Measurement, Military titles, Months of the year, Other, Parts of speech, States, territories & countries, Streets & roads, Time and Titles.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Category |
|---|---|---|
| A.D. | in the year of our Lord (Anno Domini) | time |
| a.m., A.M | before noon; morning (ante meridiem) | time |
| AAHPERD | American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance | education |
| AASA | American Association of School Administrators | education |
| abbr. | abbreviation | other |
| acct. | accountant | other |
| ad lib | improvise (ad libitum) | other |
| AD/HD | Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder | education |
| adj | adjective | parts of speech |
| adv | adverb | parts of speech |
| AFT | American Federation of Teachers | education |
| AK | Alaska | states, territories & countries |
| AKA | also know as | other |
| AL, Ala. | Alabama | states, territories & countries |
| alt. | alternate, altitude | other |
| Am., Amer. | America, American | states, territories & countries |
| amt. | amount | measurement |
| anon | anonymous | other |
| ans | answer | other |
| AP | Advanced Placement | education |
| Apr. | April | months of the year |
| AR, Ark. | Arkansas | states, territories & countries |
| arith. | arithmetic | other |
| art. | article | parts of speech |
| ASCD | Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development | education |
| assn., assoc. | association | other |
| asst. | assistant | other |
| atty. | attorney | other |
| Aug. | august | months of the year |
| Ave. | avenue | street & roads |
| AZ, Ariz. | Arizona | states, territories & countries |
| Azerb | Azerbaijan | states, territories & countries |
| B.A. | Bachelor of Arts | degrees |
| B.C. | before Christ | time |
| B.S. | Bachelor of Science | degrees |
| bet. | between | other |
| bib. | bibliography | other |
| biog. | biography | other |
| bldg. | building | other |
| Blvd. | boulevard | street & roads |
| Br., Brit. | British | other |
| bro | brother | other |
| bros | brothers | other |
| bu. | bushel | measurement |
| C | Celsius, centigrade | measurement |
| c. | carat, cent, centimeter, century, chapter & cup | measurement / other |
| C.E. | Common Era | time |
| CA, cal., Calif. | California | states, territories & countries |
| Can., Canad. | Canada, Canadian | states, territories & countries |
| cap. | capital, capitalize | other |
| Capt. | captain | military titles |
| cc | cubic centimeter | measurement |
| CEC | Council for Exceptional Children | education |
| CEEB | College Entrance Exam Board | education |
| cert. | certificate | other |
| ch. | church | other |
| chap., ch. | chapter | other |
| cm | centimeter | measurement |
| CO, Col. | Colorado | states, territories & countries |
| Co. | company, county | other |
| COD | cash on delivery, collect on delivery | other |
| col. | column | other |
| Col. | Colonel | military titles |
| conj | conjunction | parts of speech |
| Corp. | corporation | other |
| CT, Conn. | Connecticut | states, territories & countries |
| ct. | cent, court | other |
| cu. | cubic | measurement |
| CZ | Canal Zone | states, territories & countries |
| D.D. | Doctor of Divinity | degrees |
| D.D.S. | Doctor of Dental Surgery | degrees |
| DC | District of Columbia | states, territories & countries |
| DE, Del. | Delaware | states, territories & countries |
| Dec. | December | months of the year |
| dept. | department | other |
| diam. | diameter | measurement |
| div. | division | other |
| D.M.D. | Doctor of Dental Medicine | degrees |
| doz. | dozen | measurement |
| Dr. | doctor | titles |
| Dr. | drive | streets & roads |
| DST | daylight saving time | time |
| E | east, eastern & excellent | other |
| e.g. | for example (exempli gratia) | other |
| ea. | each | other |
| ed. | edition | other |
| Ed.D | Doctor of Education | degrees |
| EH | Emotionally Handicap | education |
| elec. | electric | other |
| ELL | English Language Learner | education |
| Eng. | English | other |
| ERIC | Educational Resources Information Center | education |
| ESL | English as a Second Language | education |
| esp. | especially | other |
| Esq. | Esquire | titles |
| et al | and others (et alia) | other |
| etc. | et cetera (and others) | other |
| ETS | Educational Testing Service | education |
| ex. | example | other |
| F | Fahrenheit | measurement |
| f. | female | other |
| FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation | other |
| Feb. | February | months of the year |
| fem. | feminine | other |
| fig. | figure | other |
| FL, Fla. | Florida | states, territories & countries |
| freq. | frequency | other |
| Fri., Fr. | Friday | days of the week |
| ft. | feet, foot & fort | measurement |
| G | good | other |
| g. | gram | measurement |
| GA, Ga. | Georgia | states, territories & countries |
| gal. | gallon | measurement |
| GB | gigabyte | measurement |
| GED | General Educational Development Test (high school equivalency test) | education |
| Gen. | General | military titles |
| geog. | geographic, geographical & geography | other |
| gm | gram | measurement |
| gov. | governor | titles |
| govt. | government | other |
| gt. | great | other |
| GU | Guam | states, territories & countries |
| H.M.S. | His (Her) Majesty's Ship | other |
| H.R.H | Her (His) Royal Highness | titles |
| H.S. | high school | other |
| Herz. | Herzegovina | states, territories & countries |
| HI | Hawaii | states, territories & countries |
| Hon. | Honorable | titles |
| hosp. | hospital | other |
| hr. | hour | time |
| ht. | height | measurement |
| Hwy. | Highway | streets & roads |
| i.e. | that is (that is) | other |
| IA, Ia. | Iowa | states, territories & countries |
| ibid | in the same place (ibidem) | other |
| ID | Idaho | states, territories & countries |
| ID | identification | other |
| IEP | Individualized Education Plan | education |
| IL, Ill. | Illinois | states, territories & countries |
| illus. | illustration | other |
| IN, Ind. | Indiana | states, territories & countries |
| in. | inch | measurement |
| Inc. | incorporated | other |
| incl. | including | other |
| Ind. | Indian | other |
| interj | interjection | parts of speech |
| intrans. | intransitive | other |
| intro | introduction | other |
| IRA | International Reading Associations | education |
| Jan. | January | months of the year |
| jour. | journal | other |
| Jr., jun. | junior | titles |
| Jul. | July | months of the year |
| K | Kelvin | measurement |
| KB | kilobyte | measurement |
| kg | kilogram | measurement |
| km | kilometer | measurement |
| KS, Kan., Kans. | Kansas | states, territories & countries |
| KY, Ky. | Kentucky | states, territories & countries |
| L | liter, large & left | measurement / other |
| LA, La. | Louisiana | states, territories & countries |
| lat. | latitude | other |
| lb | pound | measurement |
| LD | Learning Disabled | education |
| LDA | Learning Disabilities Association | education |
| LEP | Limited English Proficiency | education |
| Ln. | Lane | streets & roads |
| long. | longitude | other |
| LRE | Least Restrictive Environment | education |
| Lt. | lieutenant | military titles |
| ltd. | limited | other |
| m. | meter, mile & male | measurement / other |
| M.A. | Masters of Arts | degrees |
| M.D. | Doctor of Medicine | degrees |
| MA, Mass. | Massachusetts | states, territories & countries |
| mag. | magazine | other |
| Maj. | major | military titles |
| Mar. | march | months of the year |
| masc. | masculine | other |
| math | mathematics | other |
| MB | megabyte | measurement |
| MD, Md. | Maryland | states, territories & countries |
| mdse. | merchandise | other |
| ME, Me. | Maine | states, territories & countries |
| med. | medium | other |
| MENC | National Association for Music Education | education |
| Mex. | Mexican & Mexico | states, territories & countries |
| mg | milligram | measurement |
| mgr. | manager | other |
| MH | Mentally Handicapped | education |
| MI, Mich. | Michigan | states, territories & countries |
| min. | minute | time |
| misc. | miscellaneous | other |
| ml | milliliter | measurement |
| mm | millimeter | measurement |
| MN, Minn. | Minnesota | states, territories & countries |
| MO, Mo. | Missouri | states, territories & countries |
| mo. | month | time |
| Mon. | Monday | days of the week |
| mpg | miles per gallon | measurement |
| mph | miles per hour | measurement |
| Mr. | Mister | titles |
| Mrs. | Miss (married) | titles |
| MS, Miss. | Mississippi | states, territories & countries |
| Ms. | Miss | titles |
| MT, Mont. | Montana | states, territories & countries |
| mt. | mountain & mount | other |
| n | noun | parts of speech |
| N | north & northern | other |
| NAEA | National Art Education Association | education |
| NAEP | National Assessment of Educational Progress | education |
| NAESP | National Association of Elementary School Principles | education |
| NAEYC | National Association for the Education of Young People | education |
| NASSP | National Association of Secondary School Principals | education |
| NC | North Carolina | states, territories & countries |
| NCATE | National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education | education |
| NCEA | National Catholic Educational Association | education |
| NCES | National Center for Educational Statistics | education |
| NCPT | National Congress of Parents and Teachers | education |
| NCSS | National Council for Social Studies | education |
| NCTE | National Council of Teachers of English | education |
| NCTM | National Council of Teachers of Mathematics | education |
| ND, N. Dak. | North Dakota | states, territories & countries |
| NE | northeast | other |
| NE, Neb., Nebr. | Nebraska | states, territories & countries |
| NEA | National Education Association | education |
| neg. | negative | other |
| neut. | neuter | other |
| NH | New Hampshire | states, territories & countries |
| NJ | New Jersey | states, territories & countries |
| NM, N. Mex. | New Mexico | states, territories & countries |
| no. | north & number | other |
| Nov. | November | months of the year |
| NSF | National Science Foundation | education |
| NSTA | National Science Teachers Association | education |
| NV, Nev. | Nevada | states, territories & countries |
| NY | New York | states, territories & countries |
| NZ | New Zealand | states, territories & countries |
| obj. | object & objective | other |
| Oct. | October | months of the year |
| off. | office | other |
| OH | Ohio | states, territories & countries |
| OK, Okla. | Oklahoma | states, territories & countries |
| opp. | opposite | other |
| OR, Ore., Oreg. | Oregon | states, territories & countries |
| oz. | ounce | measurement |
| p. | page | other |
| P.O. | post office | other |
| PA, Pa., Penn. & Penna. | Pennsylvania | states, territories & countries |
| part. | participle | other |
| pat. | patient | other |
| pd. | paid | other |
| pg. | page | other |
| Ph.D. | Doctor of Philosophy | degrees |
| pk. | peck & park | measurement / other |
| pkg. | package | other |
| Pkwy. | Parkway | streets & roads |
| pl. | plural | other |
| PM, p.m. | afternoon/evening (post meridiem) | time |
| pn, pron | pronoun | parts of speech |
| pop. | population | other |
| poss. | possessive | other |
| pp | pages | other |
| PR | Puerto Rico | states, territories & countries |
| pr. | pair | other |
| prep | preposition | parts of speech |
| Pres. | President | titles |
| prin. | principal | other |
| prof. | professor | titles |
| PS | public school & post script | other |
| pt. | pint | measurement |
| pt. | point | other |
| PTA | Parent-Teacher Association | education |
| PTO | paid time off | other |
| PTO | Parent-Teacher Organization | education |
| qt. | quart | measurement |
| r. | right | other |
| R.N. | Registered Nurse | degrees |
| R.S.V.P | please reply | other |
| rd. | rod | other |
| Rd. | Road | streets & roads |
| rec'd., recd | received | other |
| ref. | referee & reference | other |
| reg. | region & regular | other |
| res. | residence | other |
| Rev. | Reverend | titles |
| RFD | rural free delivery | other |
| RI | Rhode island | states, territories & countries |
| rpm | revolutions per minute | measurement |
| RR | railroad | other |
| rt. | right | other |
| rte. | route | other |
| Russ Fed | Russian Federation | other |
| S | south, southern, small & satisfactory | other |
| SAT | Scholastic Aptitude Test | education |
| Sat. | Saturday | days of the week |
| SC | South Carolina | states, territories & countries |
| sci. | science | other |
| SD, S. Dak. | South Dakota | states, territories & countries |
| SE | southeast | other |
| sec. | second | time |
| Sept. | September | months of the year |
| Sgt. | Sergeant | military titles |
| SI | International System of Units | other |
| sing. | singular | other |
| so. | south | other |
| sq | square | other |
| Sr. | Sister & Senior | titles |
| SS | steamship | other |
| st. | state | states, territories & countries |
| St. | street | street & roads |
| St. | saint | other |
| subj. | subject | other |
| Sun. | Sunday | days of the week |
| Supt. | Superintendent | titles |
| SW | southwest | other |
| T | TRUE | other |
| tbsp., tbs. | tablespoon | measurement |
| TD | touchdown | other |
| tel. | telephone | other |
| Thurs., Thu., & Thur. | Thursday | days of the week |
| TN, Tenn. | Tennessee | states, territories & countries |
| trans. | transitive | other |
| tsp. | teaspoon | measurement |
| Tue., Tues. | Tuesday | days of the week |
| TX, Tex. | Texas | states, territories & countries |
| UN | United Nation | states, territories & countries |
| univ. | university | other |
| US | United States | states, territories & countries |
| USA | United States of America | states, territories & countries |
| USSR | Union of Soviet Republics | states, territories & countries |
| usu. | usually & usual | other |
| UT | Utah | states, territories & countries |
| v, vb. | verb | parts of speech |
| v.i. | verb intransitive | parts of speech |
| v.t. | verb transitive | parts of speech |
| Va., VA | Virginia | states, territories & countries |
| var. | variant | other |
| vet | veterinarian & veteran | other |
| VG | very good | other |
| VI | Virgin Islands | states, territories & countries |
| vocab. | vocabulary | other |
| vol. | volume & volunteer | measurement / other |
| VP | vice president | titles |
| vs. | versus | other |
| VT, Vt. | Vermont | states, territories & countries |
| W | west & western | other |
| WA, Wash. | Washington | states, territories & countries |
| Wed. | Wednesday | days of the week |
| WI, Wis., Wisc. | Wisconsin | states, territories & countries |
| wk. | week | time |
| wt. | weight | measurement |
| WV, W. VA. | West Virginia | states, territories & countries |
| www | world wide web | other |
| WY, Wyo. | Wyoming | states, territories & countries |
| yd. | yard | measurement |
| yr. | year | time |
Sources:
Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Merriam-Webster Children’s Dictionary. New York, NY: Dk Publishing.
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