student asking question

Is it necessary to put "period(.)" after an abbreviation?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

In most cases, yes. In American English, we typically use a period after an abbreviation. I'm unsure why we use a period after an abbreviated word. Still, there are only a few instances where we don't use the period: Miss or Ms. However, in British English, if the abbreviation ends in the last letter of the word, they do not need a period after the abbreviation. If the word ends in a different letter than the abbreviation, then a period is used. American English Ex: Dr. - Doctor Ex: Mrs. - Missus Ex: Mt. - Mount (mountain) Ex: Col. - Colonel Ex: Dept. - department British English Ex: Dr - Doctor Ex: Mrs - Missus Ex: Mt - Mount Ex: Col - Colonel Ex: Dept - department

Popular Q&As

03/28

Complete the expression with a quiz!