The usual assistant abbreviation is Asst., capital A up front, dot at the back. It turns up on name badges, office doors, staff lists and email signatures, as in "Asst. Manager" or "Asst. Principal." An older form with an apostrophe, Ass't, means the same thing and still turns up on printed forms.
Short as it is, the abbreviation is meant for tight spaces. In a full sentence, write assistant. The sections below cover the plural, the use of periods, and the separate sets of initials that many assistant jobs go by, such as TA and PA.
Quick facts
Main abbreviation
Asst.Also used
Ass't, Asst (no period), ASST on formsPlural
Assts.Period
Yes in formal American styleUsed in
Job titles, staff directories, schedules, signaturesIn sentences
Spell out assistantNot to be confused with
Assoc. (associate)
Assistant abbreviation forms compared
| Form | Where it fits | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Asst. | Most job titles and lists | Asst. Coach R. Patel |
| Ass't | Older forms and some printed records | Ass't Supt. of Schools |
| Asst | Spreadsheets, labels, British style | Asst Buyer |
| ASST | All capital forms and database fields | TITLE: ASST MGR |
Asst. is the form to reach for in American writing. It is the form most readers recognize, and it keeps the first letters of the word, which makes it easy to read at a glance.
Using the abbreviation for assistant in job titles
Place Asst. right before the main title it modifies. It reads as "assistant" when spoken.
- Asst. Mgr. assistant manager (see the manager abbreviation)
- Asst. Prof. assistant professor (more in the professor abbreviation page)
- Asst. Dir. assistant director
- Asst. Supv. assistant supervisor
- Asst. Prin. assistant principal
An email signature: "Jordan Lee, Asst. Dir. of Admissions." A reader sees right away that Jordan works under the director of admissions.
On a business card with plenty of room, many people prefer to spell the full title out. It looks more polished and avoids a stack of periods.
Dots, capital letters and the plural
- The dot: most US style guides put a period after Asst. because the word is cut short. British writers often drop it.
- Capitals: capitalize Asst. when it is part of a formal title before a name. In a lowercase list or column, "asst." is fine.
- Plural: Assts., with the s tucked in ahead of the dot. Example: "Assts. to the Dean."
- A or an: say "an assistant," and write "an Asst. Mgr." since it is read as the full word.
Avoid shortening the word to its first three letters. That form reads as a crude word, so Asst. with the t is the one to use.
Initials used for assistant jobs
Many roles have their own sets of letters, and in these the A stands for assistant:
| Letters | Full title | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| TA | Teaching assistant | Schools and colleges |
| EA | Executive assistant | Offices |
| AP | Assistant principal | Schools |
| PA | Physician assistant or personal assistant | Clinics, offices, film sets |
| CNA | Certified nursing assistant | Hospitals, care homes |
| MA | Medical assistant | Doctor's offices |
These are initialisms, said letter by letter, which makes them different from Asst., a shortened word. The difference is explained in acronym vs abbreviation. Watch for overlap: AP also means Advanced Placement in schools, and MA also means Master of Arts.
Asst. vs Assoc. and other look-alikes
In colleges, assistant professor and associate professor are different ranks, with associate the higher one. Writing Asst. Prof. when you mean Assoc. Prof. changes someone's title, so double check before printing.
- Asst. assistant
- Assoc. associate
- Assn. association
- Attn. attention, used on mail and memos
Dozens of other office short forms sit in our common abbreviations roundup.
Sample lines with Asst.
- "Please see Asst. Coach Rivera after practice."
- "Staff list: Dir., two Assts., one Coord."
- "Office of the Asst. Superintendent, Room 210."
- "Shift lead: Kim (Asst. Mgr.)"
- "Asst. Editor, Sports Desk" on a newspaper masthead.
Notice that each line is a label, a list or a sign. In a paragraph you would write "the assistant coach" or "the assistant superintendent" in full, which reads more smoothly and leaves no doubt about the title.
Questions people ask
What is the abbreviation for assistant?
The standard abbreviation is Asst., with a period. Ass't is an older version that means the same thing.
Is it Asst. or Ast.?
Asst. with two s letters is the accepted form. Ast. is not standard and may confuse readers.
How do you abbreviate assistant manager?
Write Asst. Mgr. On a badge or schedule, Asst. Manager is also common and a little easier to read.
What is the plural of Asst.?
The plural is Assts., with the s added before the period. In most sentences it is clearer to write assistants in full.
Does Asst. need a period?
In American writing, yes, because it is a shortened word. In British style and in some data fields, the period is often left off.