The Washington abbreviation for mail is WA, the two capital letters assigned by the US Postal Service, with no period. In older writing and in news datelines, the state is shortened to Wash. instead.
One thing trips people up more than the letters themselves: Washington the state and Washington, DC, the capital city, are different places on opposite sides of the country. The state sits in the Pacific Northwest and uses WA. The city is the District of Columbia and uses DC.
Quick facts
Postal code
WATraditional
Wash.AP style
Wash. in datelines, spelled out in textCapital
OlympiaNot the same as
Washington, DC (code DC)Look-alikes
WV, WI, WY
Washington abbreviation at a glance
Pick the form based on what you are writing.
| Where it goes | Form | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Envelope or shipping label | WA | Spokane, WA 99201 |
| Drop-down on a website | WA | State: WA |
| News dateline | Wash. | TACOMA, Wash. |
| Older citation or reference list | Wash. | Seattle, Wash.: Harbor Books |
| Normal sentence | Washington | She moved to Washington for college. |
For the code, no periods are needed and both letters stay capitalized. The traditional form takes a capital W and a period.
WA: the abbreviation for Washington on mail
The two-letter codes were set by the Postal Service so machines could read addresses quickly. On anything that gets mailed, use WA and put it right before the ZIP code, with one space between them.
Address line: "4410 Pine Ridge Rd, Bellingham, WA 98225." The city comes first, then a comma, then WA and the ZIP code. Washington ZIP codes begin with 98 or 99.
Forms for jobs, schools, banks and driver records use the same two letters. Where a box says "State," WA is the answer.
Wash., the traditional form, and AP style
Before the postal codes, writers shortened Washington to Wash. That form still lives on in a few places. News writers who follow AP style put it in datelines, such as "YAKIMA, Wash.," and spell out the full name inside the story itself. Some older books, maps and legal citations also use Wash.
In an essay, an email or a report, write the full word. If a reader might picture the capital city, add "state": "Washington state has a long coastline."
Washington state vs Washington, DC
These are two separate places, more than 2,000 miles apart, and they have separate codes.
- Washington (state): WA, or Wash. in traditional style. Cities include Seattle, Olympia and Spokane.
- Washington, DC (city): DC, or D.C. with periods in running text. DC stands for District of Columbia, and it is the seat of the federal government. Read more on the DC stands for page.
On a letter to the capital, write "Washington, DC 20500," never WA. A package marked WA with a DC ZIP code can be delayed or sent to the wrong side of the country.
Codes people confuse with WA
Three other states also start with W, and their codes are easy to mix up when you type fast.
| Code | State |
|---|---|
| WA | Washington |
| WV | West Virginia |
| WI | Wisconsin |
| WY | Wyoming |
WI is not Washington, even though both names begin with "W" and have an "i" sound. If you need the others, see Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. Washington's southern neighbor uses OR, covered on the Oregon abbreviation page.
Example lines with WA and Wash.
- "Ship to: 88 Ferry Ln, Port Angeles, WA 98362."
- "VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) City leaders voted Monday..."
- "Born in Walla Walla, Washington, she later lived in Oregon."
- "Office locations: Boise, ID; Everett, WA; Eugene, OR."
Every other state's code sits on our state abbreviations page.
Questions people ask
Is WA for Washington or Wisconsin?
WA is Washington. Wisconsin uses WI, and the two are a common typing mix-up.
What is the abbreviation for Washington state?
The postal abbreviation for Washington state is WA. In AP datelines and older writing you will see Wash. instead.
What is the abbreviation for Washington, DC?
The capital uses DC, short for District of Columbia. In running text, many writers add periods, as in Washington, D.C.
Does WA have a period?
No. WA goes without any dots at all. Wash. is the only Washington form that ends in a period.