The standard abbreviation for circle is Cir.: capital C, lowercase ir, then a period. The official postal form is CIR, in capitals with no period. You will meet it most often at the end of a street name, as in 18 Maple Cir., where a short, curved or looped road is called a circle.
The same three letters can mean other things in law and math, so where you see them matters. This page covers the address use first, then the look-alikes.
Quick facts
Main abbreviation
Cir.Postal suffix
CIRPlural
Circles is CIRS on mailPeriod or no period
Cir. in writing; CIR with no period on mailUsed in
Addresses, maps, forms, delivery appsNot to be confused with
Cir. for circuit in court citationsRelated terms
Ct. (court), Pl. (place), Ln. (lane)
The abbreviation for circle in a street address
In street names, "Circle" is a suffix, the word after the main name, just like Street, Avenue or Lane. Most circle streets are short loops or rounded dead ends in neighborhoods. The Postal Service keeps an official list of suffix abbreviations, and on that list circle becomes CIR.
Envelope:
Rosa Delgado
18 MAPLE CIR
DENVER CO 80211
All capitals, no punctuation and the short suffix is the format mail sorting machines read most easily.
On a letterhead, a wedding invitation or a business card you can write it the friendlier way, "18 Maple Cir.," or spell out "Maple Circle" in full. Both reach the same house.
Cir., CIR or Circle: which to use
| Where | Write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mail and shipping labels | CIR | 402 OAK HILL CIR |
| Online address forms | Cir or Circle | 402 Oak Hill Cir |
| Letters, invitations, signs | Cir. or Circle | 402 Oak Hill Cir. |
| News stories and essays | Circle | She lives on Oak Hill Circle. |
| Several streets at once | Circles or CIRS | Oak and Elm Circles |
A simple rule: the more formal or narrative the writing, the more likely you should spell out the word. Many news style guides abbreviate only Street, Avenue and Boulevard with a house number, and spell out all other suffixes, circle included.
Variant spellings you may see
Older records and hand written addresses sometimes shorten circle to CRCL, CRCLE, CIRC or CIRCL. The postal system recognizes several of these and converts them to CIR when it standardizes an address. When you complete a form on your own, stick with Cir. or CIR so the address matches what the post office already has on file.
Do not confuse circle with Court (Ct.) or Close (Cl.), a suffix common in British addresses. A wrong suffix can send a package to the next street over, because many developments use the same base name, such as Willow Ct. and Willow Cir.
Cir. outside addresses
In legal writing, Cir. almost always means circuit, as in a federal court of appeals for a numbered circuit. A citation that ends "(9th Cir.)" points to the Ninth Circuit, not a street. Circ. with a second c may stand for circulation in publishing or for circumference in a math or sewing note.
Geometry has its own shorthand. Teachers often write a small circle symbol before a letter to name a circle by its center, so "circle O" can appear as the symbol followed by O. The word circumference is usually just C in formulas, as in C = 2πr.
Examples in sentences
- "Ship it to 7 Lark Cir., Apt. 2." (Apt. is covered on the apartment abbreviation page.)
- "The party is at the blue house on Ridge Circle."
- "Address line 1: 55 BAYVIEW CIR"
- "Both Cedar Cir. and Cedar Ct. are off the same main road, so check the suffix."
For other street words, compare boulevard and parkway, or look through every street word in the common abbreviations collection.
Questions people ask
What is the circle abbreviation for an address?
Use Cir. in ordinary writing and CIR, all capitals with no period, on mail and shipping labels. Both are widely understood.
Does Cir. need a period?
In regular writing, yes: Cir. In postal format, no: the Postal Service prefers CIR with no punctuation at all.
How do you abbreviate Circles, plural?
On mail, the plural suffix is CIRS. In regular text it is clearer to write the full word, as in "Elm and Oak Circles."
What does Cir. mean in a court case?
It stands for circuit. A citation such as (5th Cir.) refers to a federal appeals court for that numbered circuit.
Is Cr. an abbreviation for circle?
Not a standard one. Cr. is more often used for creek or credit, so stick with Cir. to avoid confusion.