Mr Mrs Ms | Differences

Explanation of the word Mr – Mister

This word generally refers to men. That means with this word you can address every man, whether married or not.

Explanation of the word Mrs – Misses

Here, the word refers only to women who are married.

Explanation of the word Ms – Miss

This word refers to women who are unmarried. However, you should notice that in theory you can address anyone with miss if you are unsure if she is married. Thus, in many English schools, all female teachers are addressed with Miss.

Frequently ask questions

• Mr Mrs Ms married couples
• Mr Mr Ms Dr Prof, which salutation should I use?
• When is behind Mr Mrs Ms a dot?
• Mr. and Mrs. or Mr. and Ms.?

Mr Mrs Ms married couples

For married people, Mr and Mrs XY are used as salutations.

Mr Mr Ms Dr Prof, which salutation should I use?

Often, when addressing title holders (ex. Dr. or Prof.), Mr Mrs Ms falls away. Because it sounds overkill. If you should do it, it could come over as if you were making fun of the person you addressed.

When is behind Mr Mrs Ms a dot?

As it is so often the case, it varies in British English and American English. In the British English, there is only one dot if the last letter in the abbreviation does not correspond to that of the word. So no dot for Mr. On the other hand, there is always a dot in American English.

Mr. and Mrs. or Mr. and Ms.?

When addressing a couple, you have to pay attention to whether they are married or not. If you are married then you write Mr. and Mrs. and if you are not married you write Mr. and Ms.

Bei einer Anrede eines Paares musst Du wiederum darauf achten, ob sie verheiratet sind oder nicht. Wenn sie verheiratet sind, dann schreibst Du Mr. and Mrs. und wenn sie nicht verheiratet sind schreibst Du Mr. and Ms..