Address Abbreviations
118 abbreviations · part of Geography & Place Abbreviations
Street suffixes and unit designators in US addresses follow USPS Publication 28, which sets one standard abbreviation for each street type (AVE, BLVD, ST) and each secondary unit (APT, STE). The Postal Service prints them in capitals without periods, but mixed case such as Ave or Blvd is common and delivers fine. This list also covers post office boxes, rural and highway contract routes, ZIP codes, state and county road designations, and a few forms used in Canadian, British and Latin American addresses.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aly | Alley | Narrow lane running between or behind buildings, used for garbage pickup, garages and deliveries. |
| Anx | Annex | An extension of a building or a district added to a larger area; as an address element USPS abbreviates it ANX. |
| Apdo. | Apartado de correos (post office box) | Spanish abbreviation for a post office box, used in Spain and parts of Latin America, as in Apdo. 123. |
| Apt | Apartment | Secondary unit designator for an apartment, written after the street address, as in 350 Main St Apt 12B. |
| Arc | Arcade | Covered passage lined with shops, and a street name for some downtown walkways; USPS abbreviates it ARC. |
| Attn | Attention | Directs a letter or package to a specific person or department within an organization, written on the envelope or in the inside address, as in "Attn: Accounts Payable." |
| Ave | Avenue | Wide urban street, originally a tree-lined approach to a grand building; in many American grids avenues run perpendicular to numbered streets. |
| BFPO | British Forces Post Office | Handles mail for British armed forces personnel and their families serving overseas, using BFPO numbers in place of foreign addresses so mail travels at UK prices. |
| Bldg | Building | Identifies a building within a complex, campus or business park, as in 4000 Research Blvd Bldg 2, often followed by a suite, floor or room. |
| Blf | Bluff | Steep bank or cliff, especially one overlooking a river or lake shore, and a common street name in river towns. |
| Blvd | Boulevard | Broad city thoroughfare, often with a landscaped median and several lanes, such as Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles or Las Vegas Boulevard. |
| Bnd | Bend | Names a road following a curve, often a bend in a river, as in River Bend or Eagle Bend. |
| Br | Branch | Southern and Appalachian word for a small stream that branches from a larger one, used for roads that follow it. |
| Brg | Bridge | Suffix for roads named after a bridge or crossing a river, standardized by USPS as BRG to keep it distinct from BR for Branch. |
| Brk | Brook | New England and New Jersey word for a small stream, popular in subdivision names; USPS abbreviates Brook as BRK and Brooks as BRKS. |
| bsmt | Basement | Indicates a basement in house listings, with details such as "fin. bsmt" (finished) or "walkout bsmt." |
| Byp | Bypass | Road built to carry through traffic around a town center; a highway may have both a Business route through town and a Bypass route around it. |
| Byu | Bayou | Slow-moving stream or marshy outlet of a lake or river in the Gulf South, from Louisiana French; as a street suffix USPS abbreviates it BYU. |
| c/o | Care of | Directs mail to a person at an address where they do not normally receive post by naming the person or organization who will pass it on, as in "Jane Smith c/o Acme Corp." |
| CEDEX | Courrier d'entreprise à distribution exceptionnelle (special business mail) | French postal designation for businesses and organizations that receive large volumes of mail, written after the city on the last line, as in 75008 PARIS CEDEX 08. |
| Cir | Circle | Street forming a loop that returns to the same road, or a road around a circular plaza or traffic circle such as Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., or Columbus Circle… |
| Clf | Cliff | Used for roads along or above a cliff, as in Ocean Cliff or Cliff Drive; USPS abbreviates Cliff as CLF and Cliffs as CLFS. |
| Cmn | Common | Comes from the English tradition of common land shared for grazing; Boston Common, set aside in 1634, is the oldest city park in the United States, and many towns name… |
| Cor | Corner | Marks a corner or junction, often in rural place names such as Smiths Corner or roads leading to an old crossroads settlement. |
| CR | County Road | Designation for roads maintained by county governments in many US states, written on signs and maps as CR followed by a number, such as CR 42. |
| Cres | Crescent | Curved street, often a half-moon around a green or following a hillside, widespread in British, Canadian and Australian addresses and in planned US suburbs. |
| Crk | Creek | USPS abbreviation for Creek as a street suffix, as in Willow Crk Dr, common in subdivisions named after nearby streams. |
| Crst | Crest | The top of a hill or ridge, chosen by developers for hillside streets to suggest views. |
| Cswy | Causeway | Raised road across water or wetland, such as the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, nearly 24 miles long, or the causeways linking Florida's barrier islands to… |
| Ct | Court | Short residential street, typically a dead end or cul-de-sac in a suburban subdivision where houses cluster around a turnaround. |
| Ctr | Center | Appears in streets and complexes built around a commercial or civic center, as in Town Ctr Dr or Lincoln Ctr Plaza; USPS also uses CTR for the British spelling Centre. |
| Cv | Cove | A small sheltered bay or, inland, a recess in a hillside; in Tennessee, Mississippi and other Southern states Cove often names a short dead-end street. |
| dept. | Department | Shortens "department" in addresses, organizational charts, letterheads and signs, as in "Dept. of Education" or "Sales Dept." It refers to a division of a government… |
| Dl | Dale | Valley, from Old English dæl, found in suburban street names and in British place names such as the Yorkshire Dales. |
| Dr | Drive | Default name for residential streets in many postwar American subdivisions, originally meaning a scenic road for pleasure driving in a carriage. |
| Est | Estate | Development name suggesting large homes on generous lots; USPS abbreviates Estate as EST and Estates as ESTS. |
| Expy | Expressway | Divided highway built for fast traffic with partial or full access control; the term is especially common in New York, Chicago and Pennsylvania, as in the Long Island… |
| ext. | Extension | Identifies an internal telephone extension that routes a call to a particular person or desk within an organization's phone system. |
| Fl | Floor | Shows the floor or story within a building, as in 100 Broad St Fl 12, especially when a company occupies a whole floor without a suite number. |
| Fld | Field | Evokes farmland or a meadow and is common in suburban developments; USPS abbreviates Field as FLD and Fields as FLDS. |
| Fls | Falls | Refers to a waterfall or rapids, common in towns built around water-powered mills, such as Great Falls or Sioux Falls. |
| Flt | Flat | Level ground, especially beside a river, and a street name common in the West and in old mining towns. |
| FM | Farm to Market Road | Texas state highway designation for rural secondary roads built to connect farms and ranches to towns and markets, written as FM followed by a number, such as FM 1960… |
| Frd | Ford | Shallow river crossing, and the source of street names for roads leading to one; place names such as Oxford, Stratford and Bradford preserve the word. |
| Frk | Fork | Point where a road or stream divides; USPS abbreviates Fork as FRK and Forks as FRKS. |
| Frnt | Front | Marks the front unit of a divided house or building, used without a number, as in 42 Oak St Frnt. |
| Frst | Forest | Woodland name popular with suburban developers, who often keep a few mature trees from the original forest; USPS abbreviates both Forest and Forests as FRST. |
| Fry | Ferry | Recalls a river ferry landing, common along the Ohio, Mississippi and Delaware rivers, where roads still lead to long-gone crossings. |
| Fwy | Freeway | Divided highway with full access control, interchanges instead of intersections and no traffic lights. |
| GD | General delivery | Postal service that holds mail at a post office for people without a permanent address, such as travelers or people experiencing homelessness; Canada Post writes it GD… |
| Gdns | Gardens | Common in British, Irish and Australian addresses and in US apartment complexes, often naming streets around communal gardens. |
| Gln | Glen | Narrow wooded valley, from Scottish Gaelic gleann, used as a street name in suburban developments. |
| Grn | Green | Recalls the village green, the shared grassy space at the center of many English and New England towns. |
| Grv | Grove | A small group of trees, and a popular street name in American suburbs and British addresses; USPS abbreviates Grove as GRV. |
| Gtwy | Gateway | Popular for business parks and roads at the edge of a city; USPS abbreviates it GTWY. |
| HC | Highway contract route | Appears in some rural US addresses, such as "HC 1 Box 25," for mail carried by private contractors along a highway route rather than by Postal Service carriers. |
| Hl | Hill | Abbreviated HL by USPS, with Hills as HLS; Hill is among the most common elements in American street and subdivision names. |
| Hngr | Hangar | Designator for an aircraft hangar at an airport, as in 1 Airport Rd Hngr 5, used by aviation businesses and private pilots. |
| Holw | Hollow | Small valley or basin, especially in Appalachia, where it is often pronounced holler. |
| Hvn | Haven | Harbor or place of refuge, used for streets in coastal and lakeside developments; USPS abbreviates it HVN. |
| Hwy | Highway | Major public road connecting towns and cities, from two-lane rural routes to divided multilane roads. |
| Inlt | Inlet | Narrow body of water reaching inland from a coast or lake, and a street name in waterfront communities. |
| Knl | Knoll | Small rounded hill and a favorite subdivision street name; USPS abbreviates Knoll as KNL and Knolls as KNLS. |
| Ky | Key | Low island or reef, from Spanish cayo, used as a street suffix in Florida and other coastal areas. |
| Lbby | Lobby | Designator for mail left at a building lobby or front desk, used without a number. |
| Lk | Lake | Suffix for roads beside or named after a lake, abbreviated LK by USPS, with Lakes as LKS. |
| Ln | Lane | Narrow road, historically a country path between hedges or fields; in modern subdivisions Lane is simply a pleasant-sounding name for a residential street. |
| Lndg | Landing | Place where boats load and unload, and a street name for riverfront roads and developments; USPS abbreviates it LNDG. |
| Lowr | Lower | Designator for the downstairs unit of a two-story divided house, as in 18 Chestnut St Lowr, common in New England triple-deckers and Midwestern duplexes. |
| Mdw | Meadow | Grassland or hayfield, and a common subdivision street name; USPS abbreviates Meadow as MDW and Meadows as MDWS. |
| Mls | Mills | Recalls the water-powered mills that shaped early towns in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. |
| Mnr | Manor | Evokes a large country house and its lands, a name popular with suburban builders; USPS abbreviates Manor as MNR and Manors as MNRS. |
| Nr | Near | Used in British addresses and directions to place a small village near a better-known town, as in Upper Slaughter, nr Cheltenham. |
| Ofc | Office | Designator for an office within a building, as in 100 Main St Ofc 4, used by some business centers and medical buildings. |
| Orch | Orchard | Plantation of fruit trees, and a street name in developments built on former orchard land; USPS abbreviates it ORCH. |
| PH | Penthouse | Unit designator for a penthouse apartment on the top floor of a building, as in 200 Park Ave PH 2. |
| Pkwy | Parkway | Landscaped road designed for scenic driving through parkland, often closed to trucks; the Bronx River Parkway, completed in 1925, and the Blue Ridge Parkway are classic… |
| Pl | Place | Short street, often a single block or a side street off a larger road; some cities use Place for small squares or pedestrian lanes. |
| Plz | Plaza | Public square or open space, from Spanish plaza; in US addresses it frequently names a shopping center or office complex, such as One Liberty Plaza in New York. |
| PMB | Private mailbox | Designates a mailbox rented from a commercial mail-receiving agency, such as a shipping store, rather than from the Postal Service. |
| PO Box | Post office box | Locked mailbox rented at a post office and used instead of a street address. |
| Pr | Prairie | Flat grassland of the Midwest and Great Plains, used in street names across the region; USPS abbreviates Prairie as PR, the same letters as Puerto Rico's postal code. |
| Rd | Road | General suffix for a way built for vehicles, typical of rural routes, suburban arterials and older roads that predate city grids. |
| Rdg | Ridge | Long narrow hilltop, and a common street name in hilly suburbs; USPS abbreviates Ridge as RDG and Ridges as RDGS. |
| Riv | River | Suffix for roads along or named after a river; USPS abbreviates it RIV, while maps usually use R. next to a river's name. |
| Rm | Room | Room number in an office, hotel, school or government address, as in 100 Main St Rm 210. |
| Rnch | Ranch | Large livestock farm, and a street or development name in the West and Southwest; USPS abbreviates it RNCH. |
| RR | Rural route | Identifies a rural delivery route in US and Canadian addresses, as in "RR 2 Box 152," used where homes lacked street numbers. |
| Rte | Route | Numbered road, as in Route 66 or State Route 9, used in addresses for homes and businesses along highways; USPS abbreviates it RTE. |
| SH | State Highway | State highway designation used in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and other states, as in SH 130 near Austin, a toll road with an 85 mph limit, the highest posted speed in… |
| Shr | Shore | Land along the edge of a sea or lake, and a street name in coastal and lakeside areas; USPS abbreviates Shore as SHR and Shores as SHRS. |
| Skwy | Skyway | Elevated roadway or high bridge, as in the Chicago Skyway toll road or Tampa Bay's Sunshine Skyway Bridge; USPS abbreviates it SKWY. |
| Smt | Summit | Highest point of a hill or mountain, used as a street name and in place names such as Summit, New Jersey; USPS abbreviates it SMT. |
| Spc | Space | Space number in a mobile home park or RV park, where each lot is called a space, as in 1500 Desert Rd Spc 34. |
| Spg | Spring | Natural source of water, and the root of many street and town names founded near springs; USPS abbreviates Spring as SPG and Springs as SPGS. |
| Sq | Square | Open public space in a city, and by extension the streets bordering it, such as Times Square, Washington Square or Trafalgar Square. |
| SR | State Route | Designation for a state highway in many US states, such as SR 1 along the California coast or SR 520 in Seattle. |
| St | Street | The most common US street suffix, used for public roads lined with buildings in towns and city grids. |
| Sta | Station | Refers to a railroad or other station; USPS abbreviates Station as STA, and some post office branches are themselves called stations. |
| Ste | Suite | Unit designator for an office or commercial suite, as in 200 Park Ave Ste 1700. |
| STN | Station | Canada Post abbreviation for a postal station, used in addresses for PO boxes and general delivery, as in PO BOX 4001 STN A, followed by the city and postal code. |
| Stra | Stravenue | Unique street type in Tucson, Arizona, for diagonal roads that cut across the city's grid of streets and avenues; the word blends street and avenue, and USPS… |
| Ter | Terrace | Suggests a raised level area or a row of houses along a slope; in Britain a terrace is also a row of joined houses. |
| Tpke | Turnpike | Toll highway, named for the pikes or barriers that blocked a road until a toll was paid. |
| Trce | Trace | Southern term for a path worn by travel, as in the Natchez Trace from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville; USPS abbreviates it TRCE. |
| Trfy | Trafficway | Rare street type used for a few major arterial roads, such as Southwest Trafficway in Kansas City, Missouri; USPS abbreviates it TRFY. |
| Trl | Trail | Evokes a path through open country and is common in Western and Sun Belt subdivisions and on roads that follow historic routes, such as the Tamiami Trail between Tampa… |
| Trlr | Trailer | Designator for a trailer or mobile home location where a park numbers trailers rather than spaces or lots, as in 45 County Rd 12 Trlr 3. |
| Uppr | Upper | Designator for the upstairs unit of a two-story divided house, as in 18 Chestnut St Uppr, paired with LOWR for the downstairs unit. |
| URB | Urbanización (urbanization) | Address line used in Puerto Rico for the name of an urbanization, a residential development, because streets in neighboring developments often share names. |
| US | United States Numbered Highway | Designation for routes in the US Numbered Highway System, created in 1926, written as US followed by a number, such as US 1 along the East Coast or US 101 on the West… |
| Vis | Vista | View or prospect, from Spanish and Italian, used widely in street names in California and the Southwest; USPS abbreviates Vista as VIS. |
| Vlg | Village | Used for small communities, shopping clusters and developments; USPS abbreviates Village as VLG and Villages as VLGS. |
| Vw | View | Promises a scenic outlook and is common in hillside subdivisions; USPS abbreviates View as VW and Views as VWS. |
| Crossing | Appears on road signs and pavement markings to warn of a crossing, as in "PED XING" (pedestrian crossing), "DEER XING" or "RR XING" (railroad crossing). | |
| Xrd | Crossroad | Junction of two routes, standardized by USPS as XRD, with Crossroads as XRDS. |
| ZIP | Zone Improvement Plan | US postal code system introduced by the Post Office Department on July 1, 1963. |
| ZIP+4 | ZIP plus four-digit add-on | Nine-digit ZIP code introduced in 1983, adding a hyphen and four digits that identify a city block, a building, a floor or a group of PO boxes, as in 20500-0003. |
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