The standard Mississippi abbreviation is MS, the two-letter postal code you write on envelopes, packages and forms. The traditional abbreviation, which still appears in newspaper datelines and in a few older reference works, is Miss., with a period.
Both are correct in the right place. Think of MS as the code for machines and mail, and Miss. as a writer's shorthand. In a normal sentence, though, most editors want the full name, Mississippi, spelled out.
Quick facts
Postal code
MSTraditional abbreviation
Miss.AP style
Miss. after a city in datelines; full name in body textCapital city
JacksonZIP Codes
Begin with 386 through 397Not to be confused with
MO (Missouri), MN (Minnesota), MI (Michigan)
Mississippi abbreviation options compared
| Version | Use it for | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| MS | Addresses, labels, online forms, spreadsheets | Tupelo, MS 38801 |
| Miss. | Datelines, tables and lists in traditional style | OXFORD, Miss. |
| Mississippi | Sentences in letters, essays and articles | The festival returns to Mississippi in spring. |
MS is always two capital letters with no period. Miss. is a capital M, two lowercase s letters and a period.
Using MS on mail and forms
Postal planners rolled out the two-letter codes in the 1960s, the same decade ZIP Codes arrived, so sorting machines could handle shorter address lines. Any address line, order form or state drop-down menu expects MS for Mississippi.
Shipping form: City: Hattiesburg. State: MS. ZIP: 39401. Typing MO or MI here would point the package to Missouri or Michigan, which is why carriers check the code against the ZIP.
Mississippi ZIP Codes fall between 386 and 397 for their first three digits, so a mismatch between code and ZIP is easy to spot.
Miss. in AP style and traditional writing
Long before the postal codes, writers used shortened state names with periods. For Mississippi, that form is Miss. AP style still uses it right after the town that opens a news story, while spelling out Mississippi in the story itself. Some government documents, older maps and legal citations use it too.
Newspaper dateline: "BILOXI, Miss. Shrimp boats headed out early as the season opened." A few lines later, the writer refers to "the Mississippi coast," not "the Miss. coast."
Because Miss. also works as a title for a woman, writers sometimes avoid it in running text to prevent confusion.
MS can mean more than Mississippi
These two letters are busy. Context usually settles the meaning:
- Ms. with a lowercase s and a period is a courtesy title for a woman, as in Ms. Rivera. See Mrs. and Ms. for the difference.
- MS after a name can mean a Master of Science degree; compare MA.
- In medicine, MS often stands for multiple sclerosis.
- In a book or archive, MS can mean manuscript.
In an address, after a city and before a ZIP Code, MS means the state.
Do not swap MS with other M states
Eight state names begin with M, and their codes cause a large share of address mistakes. Here is the quick sort:
- MS: Mississippi
- MO: Missouri
- MN: Minnesota
- MI: Michigan
- MT: Montana
- MA, ME, MD: Massachusetts, Maine and Maryland
One trick: Mississippi has a lot of s letters, and its code is MS. Missouri, which shares the first four letters, takes MO instead.
Spelling and style tips
Many people learn to spell the state with a chant: M, i, double s, i, double s, i, double p, i. The name comes from the river, and the state and the river share it. When writing:
- Use MS on anything mailed or entered in a form.
- Use Miss. only when a style guide calls for traditional forms.
- Spell out Mississippi in sentences.
- Never use M.S. with periods for the state.
Every state's codes sit side by side on the state abbreviations page, a handy check before you mail anything.
Questions people ask
What is the abbreviation for Mississippi?
The postal abbreviation is MS. Older writing and AP datelines use the traditional Miss. instead.
What is the Mississippi state abbreviation on a driver's license?
State IDs, vehicle records and other forms use the postal code MS. It is the same code used for mail.
Is MI Mississippi or Michigan?
MI is Michigan. Mississippi is MS, and Missouri is MO.
Should I write MS or Miss. in a letter?
Put MS in the address lines and on the envelope. When you mention the state in your paragraphs, spell out Mississippi.
Does MS have a period?
No. MS stays bare, like every USPS state code. The dot belongs only to the older Miss.