The usual Wednesday abbreviation is Wed., the first three letters of the day with a period after them. It is the form you will find on printed calendars, store hours signs, school notices and most style guides.
Two other short forms come up often. W stands alone on class schedules and pill organizers, and Weds. is a casual four letter version many people write in notes. All three mean the same midweek day; the right one depends on how much room you have and how formal the writing is.
Quick facts
Standard
Wed.Shortest
W (schedules, planners, pill boxes)Informal
Weds.Period
Yes in running text; often dropped on signs and gridsPlural
Weds. or Wednesdays written outDay of week
Fourth day on a Sunday start calendarName origin
Old English for Woden's day
Wednesday abbreviation choices side by side
Each short form has a job. Pick based on space and audience.
| Form | Letters | Typical place |
|---|---|---|
| Wed. | 3 plus period | Calendars, invitations, emails, news style |
| Wed | 3, no period | Phone screens, signs, spreadsheet headers |
| Weds. | 4 plus period | Handwritten notes, casual messages |
| W | 1 | College timetables, planners, medicine organizers |
| We | 2 | Some two letter calendar grids |
For anything a teacher, boss or client will read, Wed. is the safe choice.
Reading MWF and other class codes
College course listings pack the meeting days into a string of single letters. Wednesday is W, and it shows up most often in MWF, which means a class meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A listing of MW means Monday and Wednesday only.
Course catalog line: "BIO 110, MWF 9:00 to 9:50." The class meets three mornings a week, and the middle one is Wednesday.
The same schedules use R for Thursday so it will not clash with T for Tuesday, a quirk explained on the Thursday abbreviation page. Wednesday never has that problem because no other day starts with W.
Should Wed. have a period?
In sentences, yes. American style puts a period after most abbreviations made from the start of a word, so Wed. is the textbook form. If the abbreviation ends a sentence, that one period does double duty; do not add a second.
On signs, tables and app screens the period is often dropped, and Wed is fine there. What matters is being consistent. If Mon. and Tue. have periods on your flyer, Wed. should too. Capitalize the W every time, since day names are proper nouns in English.
Writing Wednesday in dates and schedules
When a date needs the weekday, the short form usually goes first, followed by a comma:
- "Wed., Oct. 14" on a printed program
- "Meeting moved to Wed. at 3 p.m." in a work email
- "Trash pickup: Wed." on a building notice
- "Open Mon. to Wed., 10 to 6" on a shop door
- "Weds. works for me" in a quick text to a friend
In formal writing such as a wedding invitation or a cover letter, spell the day out in full. Short forms belong where space is tight. To shorten the month in the same date, see the month abbreviations guide, and for the time of day, see a.m. and p.m.
Where the name Wednesday comes from
The English name comes from Old English Wōdnesdæg, meaning Woden's day. Woden was a chief god in early Germanic belief. Many languages that grew from Latin name the day after the planet and god Mercury instead, which is why the Spanish word is miércoles.
The old spelling also explains the odd silent d. Most Americans say "WENZ day," yet the d stays in the written word as a leftover from Woden. That gap between sound and spelling is one reason people misspell the day as Wensday, and one reason the short form Wed. is handy in quick notes.
Tips and look-alikes
- Wed. vs wed: with a capital and a period it is the day; lowercase "wed" is the verb for getting married. Capitals keep "Wed. ceremony" from reading oddly.
- W vs Weds.: W works only where readers expect single letter days, such as a timetable. In a sentence, write Wed. or Weds.
- Midweek nickname: Wednesday is often called "hump day," the middle of the work week.
- More short forms: browse the common abbreviations list for other days, months and everyday words.
Questions people ask
Which three letters shorten Wednesday?
It is Wed. With a period it is standard in text; without one it is common on signs and screens.
Is Weds. a correct abbreviation?
Yes, it is widely understood and fine for notes and casual writing. Most style guides and printed calendars prefer Wed., so use that in formal work.
Why is Wednesday W on a class schedule?
Course timetables give each day one letter to save space. W is unique to Wednesday, so a class listed as MWF meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
How do you abbreviate Wednesday in two letters?
Some calendars use We. It is less common than Wed. but readers will understand it in a grid of two letter days.
Do you capitalize the abbreviation for Wednesday?
Yes. Day names are proper nouns, so the short form keeps its capital W.