For mail and forms, the North Dakota abbreviation is ND, written in capitals with nothing in between. That is the state's USPS code. In print you may also run into N.D., the traditional form used in AP style datelines, and the longer N. Dak., found in some government and older reference lists.
North Dakota, home of the capital Bismarck, joined the Union on the same day as South Dakota, so the two names and codes often travel together. Here is how to keep the forms straight and which one each kind of writing calls for.
Quick facts
Postal code
NDTraditional abbreviations
N.D. and N. Dak.AP style
N.D. in datelines; North Dakota in story textCapital
BismarckNickname
The Peace Garden StateZIP Codes begin with
58Easy to confuse with
SD (South Dakota), NE (Nebraska) and n.d. (no date)
Which North Dakota abbreviation fits your task?
| Form | Typical place | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ND | Envelopes, labels, web forms, spreadsheets | Fargo, ND 58102 |
| N.D. | News datelines, traditional lists | MINOT, N.D. |
| N. Dak. | Some government style lists and older texts | Grand Forks, N. Dak. |
| North Dakota | Ordinary sentences | The wheat harvest in North Dakota starts in late summer. |
The rule of thumb is short and simple. Use ND whenever a code is asked for, and spell out the name when you are writing prose.
Putting ND on envelopes and web forms
The Postal Service adopted two-letter state codes in 1963 alongside the new ZIP Code system. North Dakota received ND, from the first letters of North and Dakota. Every ZIP Code there starts with 58, a handy way to confirm the address.
College application: Mailing address: 77 Prairie Wind Ct, Williston, ND 58801. The state box takes exactly two letters, so ND fits and N.D. would not.
Hunting licenses, farm records, state tax forms and car registrations all use ND too. No periods, no space, both letters capitalized.
The traditional forms: N.D. and N. Dak.
Before postal codes, writers had two dotted ways to shorten the name. N.D. is the brief one, and it is what AP style uses after a city at the top of a news story. N. Dak. keeps a few more letters and appears in some federal style lists, older atlases and library catalogs.
Dateline: "VALLEY CITY, N.D. A sudden spring blizzard closed schools across the region." Inside the article the writer switches to "North Dakota."
Neither dotted form belongs on an envelope. In school reports and most business writing, editors would rather see the state's full name in your sentences.
ND, SD and other look-alike codes
The Dakotas split from one territory and became states on the same day in 1889, North Dakota as the 39th state and South Dakota as the 40th. Their codes differ by one letter:
- ND: North Dakota, capital Bismarck, ZIP Codes starting with 58
- SD: South Dakota, capital Pierre, ZIP Codes starting with 57
A second trap is Nebraska, whose code is NE, not NB or ND. And in a bibliography, lowercase n.d. means no date, a note that a source shows no publishing date. That note is unrelated to North Dakota. Neighbors MN (Minnesota) and MT (Montana) round out the border.
Examples in real writing
- "Please forward my mail to Jamestown, ND 58401."
- "BISMARCK, N.D. Lawmakers opened the new session with a vote on road funding."
- "She grew up on a sunflower farm in North Dakota."
- "State of residence: ND"
Each line uses the form that fits its setting: ND where a code is wanted, N.D. at the head of the news item, North Dakota spelled out in plain prose.
Saying and classifying ND
People read ND as two letters, "N D," or simply say "North Dakota." ND counts as a postal abbreviation. It cannot be an acronym, since the letters never get blended into a spoken word. If you want the full picture of those labels, see acronym vs abbreviation. All fifty codes are in the state abbreviations list.
Questions people ask
How do you abbreviate North Dakota?
The postal abbreviation is ND. In news writing the traditional form N.D. is common, and N. Dak. appears in some older lists.
Is it ND or N.D. on an envelope?
Use ND with no periods. The Postal Service asks for the two-letter code in capitals.
What is the difference between ND and SD?
ND stands for North Dakota and SD for South Dakota. Their ZIP Codes differ too: 58 for North Dakota and 57 for South Dakota.
What does n.d. mean in a citation?
Lowercase n.d. in a reference list means no date, used when a source shows no publication date. It is not the state abbreviation.
Is North Dakota abbreviated in AP style?
Yes, as N.D. after a city name in datelines. Within the article itself, AP writes the full name.