Ms. vs. Mrs. vs. Miss | Difference & Pronunciation
The words Ms., Mrs., and Miss are all titles used to address women formally (e.g., at the start of an email). Which one you should use depends on the age and marital status of the woman, as well as on her own preference about how she should be addressed.
- Ms. (pronounced [miz]) is a neutral option that doesn’t indicate any particular marital status. You can use it for any adult woman.
- Mrs. (pronounced [miss-iz]) is used to address a married woman of any age.
- Miss (pronounced [miss]) is used to address a young unmarried woman or girl.
Examples: Ms. in a sentence | Examples: Mrs. in a sentence | Examples: Miss in a sentence |
---|---|---|
Ms. Nielsen is a talented pianist. I hope she’ll play for us at the party. | I’ve known Mr. and Mrs. Jayna for a few years. | Excuse me, miss. Is this your backpack? |
Have you met Ms. Sofi before? | Mrs. Thompson is an entrepreneur; she started her own business last year. | I always get too much homework from Miss Jonas. |
Scribbr’s grammar checker can help ensure you’re using words like “Ms.,” “Mrs.,” and “Miss” correctly in your writing.
Miss vs. Ms.
People sometimes mistake Ms. for an abbreviation of Miss, since other titles are conventionally abbreviated in writing (e.g., Mrs., Mr., Dr.). In fact, they’re two different terms with different pronunciations, and Miss has no abbreviation but is always written in full.
Since both titles can refer to unmarried women, it can be difficult to decide which is the right choice. Always follow the preference of the woman being addressed, but if you’re not sure of her preference, the following general guidelines may help:
- Miss is the form always used for girls—Ms. is only used for adult women (18 or older).
- Ms. is generally used for unmarried women. It’s also a safe option for women of any age whom you are unsure how to address.
- Ms. can also be used (instead of Mrs.) for a married woman. Miss cannot be used in this way.
How to use Ms.
Ms. is a title invented in the 20th century to refer to a woman whose marital status is unknown to the speaker. It was embraced by the feminist movement as a way of referring to a woman without defining her by her marital status (equivalent to the masculine “Mr.”). As such, it’s often used even when the woman is known to be married.
Ms. is written with a period because it’s based on Mrs., but unlike that word, it’s not actually an abbreviation of anything. When you say it out loud, pronounce it [miz] (not [miss]); but you should never write it as “Miz.” Ms. is always capitalized. The plural is Mss. (pronounced [miz-iz]), but this is not very commonly used. Instead, Ms. is typically repeated before each name.
I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Andrej and Ms. Elenora.
Dear Ms. Adeline, …
How to use Mrs.
Mrs. is a title used for a married woman. The more neutral title Ms. can be used instead for a woman whose marital status is unknown or irrelevant or who expresses a preference for this mode of address.
Mrs. is written with a period because it originated as an abbreviation of “mistress.” However, it’s now pronounced [miss-iz] and only written in this abbreviated form. It’s always capitalized. The plural is Mmes., short for the French “Mesdames,” but this is not frequently used nowadays.
I’d like to thank Mrs. Pavel for all her support during the renovations.
Dear Mmes. Smith and Amit, …
How to use Miss
Miss is a title used for an unmarried woman. It’s used mainly for young women and girls; it can also be used for older unmarried women, but Ms. is more common in that context. Many young women also prefer Ms., so it can be safest to simply refer to any adult woman with Ms. instead.
Unlike other titles, Miss is written in full and cannot be abbreviated. It’s pronounced as it’s spelled: [miss]. It’s capitalized when it’s followed by a name, but it’s also used without a specific name, in which case it’s lowercase. The plural is Misses.
May I ask you a question, miss?
Misses Claudia and Jayendra arrived together.
Dear Miss Marijke, …
What does Mx. mean?
Mx. is a gender-neutral title invented more recently as a way of referring to someone without specifying their gender. Like the singular “they,” it’s used to refer to someone who doesn’t identify as either male or female, or to someone who simply doesn’t want to be identified by their gender.
Mx. is primarily used in writing; when said aloud, it can be pronounced [mux] or [mix]. It’s always capitalized. Like Ms., it’s not an abbreviation of anything in particular; it’s just formed to look like other titles of the same kind.
Dear Mx. Johnson, …
Punctuation with Ms., Mrs., Miss, and Mx.
Most common titles used before people’s names are written in abbreviated form. The way to write these abbreviations varies between US and UK English.
- In US English, abbreviation is indicated with a period at the end: Mrs., Ms., Mx.
- In UK English, no period is used with such abbreviations (e.g., “Dr Philips,” “Ms Jamison”). If you’re writing in UK English, write Mrs, Ms, and Mx with no period after them.
Miss is not an abbreviation; it’s always written out in full. Because of this, it has no period in either version of English.
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Caulfield, J. (2024, September 05). Ms. vs. Mrs. vs. Miss | Difference & Pronunciation. Scribbr. Retrieved May 12, 2025, from https://www.scribbr.com/effective-communication/ms-mrs-miss/