Ever Wondered Why There’s An “R” In “Mrs”?

Spelling in the English language can be difficult, amusing, or simply perplexing. For example, Why does the abbreviation “Mrs.” have an “R” when the full word “missus” is R-less?

In previous centuries, the word “mistress” was the polite way to address all women. By the 18th century, it had been abbreviated to “Mrs.” Since English speakers have a tendency to shorten spoken words, we soon dropped that “tr” and the word came to be pronounced “missus.” Similarly, men used to be called “master,” which was abbreviated to “Mr.” and soon became “mister.”

Interestingly, the term “Mrs.” was used to address women regardless of their marital status, much like the original meaning of “mistress.” It wasn’t until the late 18th century exclusively for married women That was when the title “Miss” came to mean unmarried women, instead of just young girls. And the word “mistress,” of course, has come to mean a different thing entirely.

The English language, on the other hand, is always evolving. Words alter their meaning and pronunciation over time, and we occasionally adopt words from other languages.

What we really want to know is, what’s next? “Mrz.”? “Mrss.”? But only time will reveal what the next generation’s crazy language shape-shifting will be.

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