Tennessee Abbreviation: TN and Tenn.

Tennessee abbreviation options, side by side

Each form has a job. TN is built for machines and mail sorting, which is why it never has a period. Tenn. is a writer's abbreviation from before the two-letter codes, and it reads like a word that has been clipped. The full name is for people reading sentences. See the state abbreviations list for every state's code and traditional form side by side.

How to put TN on an address

On mail, TN follows the city name, with the five digit ZIP right behind it. Postal guidelines prefer capital letters and no punctuation beyond the comma after the city, and many people skip that comma too.

Tennessee ZIP codes begin with 37 or 38. If you see a Tennessee address with a ZIP code starting with something else, double check it before you mail anything.

What AP style says about Tenn.

News writers following AP style write Tennessee in full inside the article itself. The traditional abbreviation Tenn. is kept for datelines, the city and state line that opens an article, and for some short lists and captions. That means a reporter might write "NASHVILLE, Tenn." at the top and "the Tennessee legislature" in the second paragraph.

Outside newsrooms, few writers need Tenn. at all. It still shows up on old maps, in library catalogs and in some sports listings.

Neighbors and look-alike codes

Tennessee borders eight states, tied with Missouri for the most of any state, and several of those neighbors have codes people often swap.

For Tennessee itself, the common slip is writing TX, which is Texas, or inventing TE or TS, which are not state codes at all. Remember T and N, the first letter and the strong n sound that starts the second syllable.

Examples in sentences

• "Ship to: 410 Oak Ridge Tpke., Oak Ridge, TN 37830."
• "KINGSPORT, Tenn. (AP style dateline)"
• "Her family moved from Ohio to Tennessee when she was ten."
• "State: TN" on a driver's form.
• "The tour stops in Nashville, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky."

In running text, as the last example shows, the full state name usually follows the city and is set off by commas.

Quick tips for the TN state abbreviation

• Use TN on any address, label or form field.
• Use Tennessee in essays, emails and articles.
• Use Tenn. only if a style guide or editor asks for it.
• Never add a period to TN or write it in lowercase.
• Do not write "Tenn" without the period in formal writing.

For the difference between a code like TN and a shortened word like Tenn., read acronym vs abbreviation. Nearby states have their own guides, such as the Kentucky abbreviation and the Georgia abbreviation.