The most common community abbreviation is Comm., a capital C, three more letters and a period. You see it on bus stop signs, school schedules, parking permits and building directories: Comm. Center, Comm. College, Comm. Room.
The trouble is that Comm. also stands for committee, commission, commerce and communications. When those words could appear in the same document, writers switch to Cmty. or Cmnty., which keep the letters that only community has. Neither form is fixed by a single official rule, so clarity is the real test.
Quick facts
Most common
Comm.Clearer option
Cmty. or Cmnty.Plural
Comms. or Cmtys., rarely usedType
Abbreviation, read as the full wordCommunity college
Often shortened to CCNot to be confused with
Comm. for committee or communications
Community abbreviation options at a glance
| Form | Typical use | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Comm. | Signs, schedules, directories | Can mean committee, commission, commerce |
| Cmty. | Government forms, budgets, reports | Less familiar to some readers |
| Cmnty. | Notes, maps, database labels | Long for a short form |
| CC | Community college names | Also means carbon copy, credit card |
| Com. | Old records | Looks like the start of a web address |
Using the abbreviation for community on signs and names
Public places use the short form when a sign or a schedule has only so much room.
- "Oak Park Comm. Center, Rm. 2"
- "Comm. Garden plots open in spring"
- "Riverside Comm. College, Bldg. C"
- "Comm. Pool hours: noon to 6"
Bus route sign: "Route 7 to Westside Comm. Ctr." Read it as Westside Community Center. The abbreviation for center, Ctr., often travels with it; see the center abbreviation page.
When Cmty. is the better choice
City and county paperwork often mentions community and committee on the same page. A budget line reading "Comm. Dev. Fund" could be a committee fund or a community development fund. Writing "Cmty. Dev. Fund" removes the guess.
Meeting agenda: "Item 4: Cmty. Advisory Comm. report." Here Cmty. is community and Comm. is committee, so both words can sit side by side without confusion.
If you work with a shared database or a grant form, check whether the organization already has a preferred spelling, and use it every time.
Community college and other common pairings
Community college is so common that people often shorten the whole phrase to CC, as in "I took English 101 at the local CC." Students may also say "comm college" out loud. On transcripts and applications, use the full name of the school instead.
Other pairings you may see include development (Dev.), association (Assn.) and foundation (Fdn.). Nonprofits sometimes use the initialism CBO, for community based organization, in grant writing.
Capitals, periods and plurals
Capitalize the short form inside a proper name, like Hillside Comm. Church, and keep it lowercase in running notes: "comm. meeting tonight." American writing adds the period. In all capital signs, write COMM or CMTY with no period.
Plurals are rare, because most writers just spell out communities. If you must shorten it in a table, Cmtys. is the clearer choice.
Spell it out when in doubt
Community is a word readers like to see in full. In letters, essays, mission statements and press releases, write the whole word. Save the short forms for signs, tight columns and internal notes. The common abbreviations section has more guidance on picking clear forms, while how to abbreviate covers the basic rules for building short forms.
Questions people ask
How do you abbreviate community?
The usual abbreviation for community is Comm. When it might be mistaken for committee or communications, writers use Cmty. or Cmnty. instead.
How do you abbreviate community college?
In casual speech and writing, people say CC or "comm college." On signs and schedules you may see Comm. College or Comm. Coll. Use the full school name on official documents.
Does Comm. mean community or committee?
It can mean either, plus commission, commerce or communications. Look at the context, or use Cmty. for community to avoid the overlap.
Is community abbreviated with a period?
Yes, in American English the short forms Comm. and Cmty. end with a period. All capital signs usually drop it.