There are 50 state abbreviations, one two-letter code per state. The Post Office introduced them in 1963, and they are written in capitals with no period: CA is California, TX is Texas, NY is New York. Washington, D.C., which is not a state, uses DC. Easy ones to confuse are AK (Alaska) and AL (Alabama), and four of the eight M codes: MI (Michigan), MN (Minnesota), MS (Mississippi) and MO (Missouri).
The complete list (alphabetical)
| State | Code | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | Montgomery |
| Alaska | AK | Juneau |
| Arizona | AZ | Phoenix |
| Arkansas | AR | Little Rock |
| California | CA | Sacramento |
| Colorado | CO | Denver |
| Connecticut | CT | Hartford |
| Delaware | DE | Dover |
| Florida | FL | Tallahassee |
| Georgia | GA | Atlanta |
| Hawaii | HI | Honolulu |
| Idaho | ID | Boise |
| Illinois | IL | Springfield |
| Indiana | IN | Indianapolis |
| Iowa | IA | Des Moines |
| Kansas | KS | Topeka |
| Kentucky | KY | Frankfort |
| Louisiana | LA | Baton Rouge |
| Maine | ME | Augusta |
| Maryland | MD | Annapolis |
| Massachusetts | MA | Boston |
| Michigan | MI | Lansing |
| Minnesota | MN | Saint Paul |
| Mississippi | MS | Jackson |
| Missouri | MO | Jefferson City |
| Montana | MT | Helena |
| Nebraska | NE | Lincoln |
| Nevada | NV | Carson City |
| New Hampshire | NH | Concord |
| New Jersey | NJ | Trenton |
| New Mexico | NM | Santa Fe |
| New York | NY | Albany |
| North Carolina | NC | Raleigh |
| North Dakota | ND | Bismarck |
| Ohio | OH | Columbus |
| Oklahoma | OK | Oklahoma City |
| Oregon | OR | Salem |
| Pennsylvania | PA | Harrisburg |
| Rhode Island | RI | Providence |
| South Carolina | SC | Columbia |
| South Dakota | SD | Pierre |
| Tennessee | TN | Nashville |
| Texas | TX | Austin |
| Utah | UT | Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | VT | Montpelier |
| Virginia | VA | Richmond |
| Washington | WA | Olympia |
| West Virginia | WV | Charleston |
| Wisconsin | WI | Madison |
| Wyoming | WY | Cheyenne |
How the codes are organized
The Post Office Department (today's USPS) adopted two-letter state abbreviations in October 1963, so that city, state and ZIP Code would fit in the 23 characters most addressing machines allowed on an address's last line. The codes are designed to be unambiguous: each is unique, no two states share a code, and you can tell a state apart even with smudged ink.
Most codes follow obvious patterns:
- First two letters of the state name when possible: AL (Alabama), AR (Arkansas), CA (California), CO (Colorado), DE (Delaware), FL (Florida), ID (Idaho), IL (Illinois), IN (Indiana), MA (Massachusetts), MI (Michigan), NE (Nebraska), OH (Ohio), OK (Oklahoma), OR (Oregon), UT (Utah), WA (Washington), WI (Wisconsin), WY (Wyoming).
- First and last letters of the state name: CT (Connecticut), GA (Georgia), HI (Hawaii), IA (Iowa), LA (Louisiana), PA (Pennsylvania), VA (Virginia), VT (Vermont), plus KS, KY, MD and ME from the groups below.
- First and a later distinguishing letter when two states share initials: KS / KY (Kansas/Kentucky), MD / MT (Maryland/Montana), NC / ND / NH / NJ / NM / NV / NY (the seven Ns), SC / SD, TN / TX, WV (vs Washington and Wisconsin).
- The M-states all start with M and pair it with a second letter from the name: MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT. Eight in a row, a classic memory trap.
The 6 abbreviations everyone confuses
- AL vs AK, Alabama is in the deep south. Alaska has a K, like cold KK ice. AK ends in K, the state with the K.
- MI / MN / MS / MO, four M states starting with the same letter. Michigan (the lakes one). Minnesota (10,000 lakes, ends in N for North). Mississippi (the river state, double-S like the river). Missouri (St. Louis, ends in O like "Show-Me state O").
- NC / SC vs ND / SD, Carolinas are coastal east. Dakotas are landlocked plains. Easy: C for Coast (Carolinas), D for Dakota.
- NH / NJ / NM / NY / NV / NE / NC / ND, eight N-states. Group them: 4 New___ (NH, NJ, NM, NY), 1 Nevada, 1 Nebraska, 2 Dakotas-and-Carolinas-North.
- MA / MD / ME, three East Coast states. Massachusetts (the BIG one, MA). Maryland (next door to DC, MD). Maine (the corner one, ME).
- WA / WV / WI / WY, four W-states. Washington (NW corner, WA). West Virginia (Civil War split, WV). Wisconsin (cheese state, WI). Wyoming (least populous, WY).
Know the states behind the codes
Statedoku's daily grid is answered with full state names, against clues like Great Lakes or On the Mississippi. Five minutes a day and you'll never mix up Michigan and Missouri again.
Play today's puzzle