Wisconsin Abbreviation: WI and Wis.

Wisconsin abbreviation forms compared

Put simply, sorting equipment wants WI, while readers of a paragraph want the whole word, Wisconsin. Wis. is a middle option for cramped spots such as a caption.

How to write WI on an envelope or form

On the last address line, WI follows the city name and comes just before the five digit ZIP Code. No period, no comma between the code and the ZIP.

On web forms, the state menu will usually show "Wisconsin" or "WI." If you have to type it, two capital letters are all you need. ZIP Codes in Wisconsin start with 53 or 54.

When the traditional abbreviation Wis. is the right call

Long before mail carriers used WI (the current codes date from 1963), writers shortened state names with longer forms, and Wis. was Wisconsin's. It still appears in a few places:

• News datelines and lists: a lot of papers write out Wisconsin inside an article yet switch to Wis. in datelines, photo captions and tables.
• Legal and academic citations: some citation systems use Wis. in case names and court references.
• Older books and records: you will see it in historical documents and genealogy files.

Always put a period after Wis., and do not write it in all capitals.

WI state abbreviation look-alikes

Wisconsin shares its first letter with Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming, and a fast typist can swap their codes.

• WI is Wisconsin.
• WA is Washington. See the Washington abbreviation page.
• WV is West Virginia, covered on the West Virginia abbreviation page.
• WY is Wyoming, on the Wyoming abbreviation page.

One slipped letter can route a box toward the wrong coast, so double check the code before you print a label. Wisconsin's neighbors use MN, IA, IL and MI; the Minnesota and Michigan pages help keep those straight.

Using the abbreviation for Wisconsin in sentences

• "Ship the order to Green Bay, WI 54301."
• "Our cousins live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, near the river."
• A news story that opens "MILWAUKEE, Wis." before its first sentence, as datelines do.
• "Fill in WI in the state box on line 3."
• "She grew up in Wisconsin and moved to Iowa for college."

Notice that the full name wins in normal sentences. The code shows up in addresses and form boxes, and Wis. appears in the newspaper style dateline.

A few Wisconsin facts behind the letters

Wisconsin joined the Union in 1848 as the 30th state. Its capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee. The nickname is the Badger State. The state took its name from the Wisconsin River, whose name traces to a Native American word later recorded by French explorers; its original meaning is uncertain. For all fifty codes on one page, open the state abbreviations guide, which runs from Alabama to Wyoming.