Did state abbreviations used to be 3 letters?

Did state abbreviations used to be 3 letters?

To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations.

Do state abbreviations have to be capitalized?

State abbreviations are entirely a matter of style, and you should use the abbreviation and format dictated by your editor, house style, or preferred style manual. APA style, for a counterexample, stipulates the use of the two-letter USPS ZIP Code abbreviations, which are always capitalized and never include periods.

How to learn the abbreviations for all 50 states?

Use our free state abbreviations quiz to learn the abbreviations for all 50 states. These are the two-letter abbreviations that are used by the United States Postal Service. This is a fill-in-the-blank quiz, so just type the correct state abbreviation into the box below, and then click the “Check” button.

Are there any states that do not have an abbreviation?

Traditional abbreviations were used before the two-letter postal codes became standard. The abbreviations are sometimes still used in note taking and text writing. Eight states are never abbreviated in text though; Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. It’s easy to remember that rule.

What are the abbreviations for Tennessee and Texas?

Giving either state the abbreviation of TE would be confusing; therefore, Tennessee is TN and Texas is TX. Much of the confusion around state abbreviations comes from the eight states that begin with “M” (Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana).

What are the abbreviations for Alabama and Arkansas?

State Abbreviations US STATE ABBREVIATION Alabama AL Alaska AK Arizona AZ Arkansas AR