How To Label An Envelope (With Examples)

While you may not send much snail mail in your daily life, you will still find yourself needing to do so every once in a while, especially in business. Whether you need to send an event invitation, a legal document, or a thank you note, it’s important that you address your envelope correctly so that it gets to the correct destination as quickly as possible.

In this article, we’ll explain how to address an envelope as well as tips for doing so as professionally as possible. We’ll also teach you how to address an envelope you’re sending to a military base or to an international address and how to choose the correct number of stamps.

Key Takeaways

• To properly address an envelope, write the recipient’s name and street address along with their city, state, and zip code on the front of the envelope.

• You can try to speed up your envelope’s arrival time by using capital letters, proper abbreviations, and a ZIP+4, among other things.

• International and military addresses will have slightly different information and formats than domestic addresses.

How To Address an Envelope

Addressing an envelope isn’t a complicated task, but it is essential that you do it correctly for both the recipient’s address and the sender’s (your) address. Otherwise, your letter may be delayed or lost in the mail entirely.

These standards are the same whether you’re writing the addresses by hand, printing them onto labels, or printing them directly onto the envelope.

1. Writing the recipient’s address. The recipient’s address is written in the middle of the envelope. The first line should be at center, which means the rest of the address will be below center. Keep the address to three to four lines long, write it legibly, ideally with a pen with dark ink, and make sure it won’t bleed.

   Here is the basic structure of the address:

   RECIPIENT’S NAME
   STREET ADDRESS
   CITY, STATE ZIP CODE

   In real life, it’ll look something like this:

   MR. JOHN ADAMS
   1111 MAIN STREET
   BOSTON, MA 02134

2. Writing the sender’s address. The sender’s address, also called the return address, is where the letter should be sent if it can’t be delivered to the recipient. Usually, this is your address or the address of the company you work for. It isn’t required, but it is the only way to get your letter back if something goes wrong with the delivery.

   The preferred place to write the sender’s address is in the top left corner of the front of the envelope, but you can also write it on the back flap. Often you’ll find that envelopes from personalized stationery sets print it there.

   The sender’s address is going to be structured just like the recipient’s:

   SENDER’S NAME
   STREET ADDRESS
   CITY, STATE ZIP CODE

   Or:

   MS. SARAH WILLIAMS
   4444 WALL STREET
   PHILADELPHIA, PA 19019

3. Adding the stamp. Last but not least, be sure you place a stamp in the top right corner on the front of the envelope. Make sure you’re using the right type: A Forever stamp will work on most basic letters, but you might need a different kind or more than one for oddly shaped or heavier mailings.

   Check the USPS website or with your local post office for more information.

Tips for Addressing Envelopes

While your letter will more often than not make it to its destination with just the basic steps listed above, here are some tips that will help it travel faster and make sure it gets into the right hands.

1. Use capital letters. While it isn’t required, the machines that scan your envelope will be able to read it more accurately if you use all caps to address your letter. Doing this will cut down on errors and help your letter travel faster.

2. Use a sans serif font. If you’re typing out your letter’s addresses, make sure you choose a font without any serifs or fancy scrolls. Helvetica, for example, is easy for machines (and humans) to read.

   If you’re addressing the envelope by hand, make sure you’re printing the address clearly instead of writing it in cursive.

3. Use the correct abbreviations. If you try to fully write out every word in an address, you may end up with an awkward-looking envelope that is difficult to read. The good news is that you can abbreviate many parts of the address. You just need to make sure you’re doing it correctly so that the post office machines can read it.

   Here are the proper abbreviations for some of the most common street suffixes:

   • Street: ST

   • Avenue: AVE

   • Circle: CIR

   • Boulevard: BLVD

   • Place: PL

   • Drive: DR

   • Court: CT

   • Lane: LN

   • Loop: LOOP

   • Junction: JCT

   • Way: WAY

   In addition, here are the abbreviations for compass points, also called directionals, found in many addresses:

   • North: N

   • South: S

   • East: E

   • West: W

   • Northwest: NW

   • Southeast: SE

   If you use these abbreviations, your address will go from this:

   2262 EAST OCEANSIDE BOULEVARD

   To this:

   2262 E OCEANSIDE BLVD

4. Include apartment and suite numbers. If your recipient lives in an apartment or works in a specific suite of a business building, you’re going to need to include this information in your address as well. In fact, your letter may not arrive at all if you don’t include it.

   To do this, simply add the information to the end of the main address line or as another line underneath it. For example, you could write the same address either of these two ways:

   3333 N MAIN ST
   APT 202
   CINCINNATI, OH 41073

   3333 N MAIN ST APT 202
   CINCINNATI, OH 41073

   There are some official abbreviations for these secondary unit designations that you can use as well:

   • Apartment: APT

   • Suite: STE

   • Building: BLDG

   • Floor: FL

   • Room: RM

   • Unit: UNIT

   • Department: DPT

5. Add a ZIP+4. While all that’s required to deliver your letter is the standard five-digit ZIP code, you can add a more specific ZIP+4 code so that your letter will arrive faster.

   ZIP+4 codes are the regular ZIP-code followed by a dash and four more digits, like this: 90210-0803.

   To find out what the correct ZIP+4 is for your letter, you can look it up on the USPS website.

6. Remove extra punctuation. Streamline the mailing process for your letter by removing periods, quotation marks, ampersands, and other forms of punctuation. Generally, the only punctuation you need is a comma after the city you’re sending your letter to and the periods after your recipients’ prefixes.

Etiquette for Addressing Professional Envelopes

If you’re addressing an envelope for a professional letter, there is some etiquette that you will need to follow to make a good impression.

1. Use proper prefixes. Make sure you include the appropriate prefixes for your recipient’s name when addressing a professional or formal letter. Unless told otherwise, use “Ms.” before a woman’s name and “Mr.” before a man’s.

   If you’re addressing someone with an M.D. or Ph.D., use “Dr.” instead of Ms. or Mr. The same goes for any other special designation such as a military rank.

   Make sure you do this for your own name on the return address as well.

2. Address it to the company and then the individual. If you’re mailing a letter to someone’s work address, put the company’s name on the top line and the individual’s name on the line below it, preceded by the abbreviation for “attention.”

   It should look like this:

   CENTRAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY
   ATTN: BROOKE FRASIER
   3333 W 70 AVE
   DALLAS, TX 75001

Addressing Envelopes for Military Addresses

When you send a letter to a military base, the address’s general structure will be the same as it usually is, except for the city and state.

Instead of a city, you’ll address your envelope to one of these locations:

• Air/Army Post Office: APO

• Fleet Post Office: FPO

• Diplomatic Post Office: DPO

You’ll then replace the state with one of these designations:

• Armed Forces America: AA

• Armed Forces Europe (also includes the Middle East, Africa, and Canada): AE

• Armed Forces Pacific: AP

You’ll include the military unit’s ZIP code as you usually would, adding a ZIP+4 to ensure prompt delivery. Be sure to include any proper name prefixes and ranks as well.

Here are some examples of what the address will look like on your envelope:

Addressing Envelopes for International Addresses

If you’re sending mail to an international address, you’ll need to look up the address requirements for your letter’s specific destination.

Generally, though, the format will stay the same, except for the addition of the name of the country at the end of the address, like this:

The country’s name needs to be written in capital letters on its own line at the end of the address because this is the most important information USPS needs to sort your letter.

Here are some additional tips for sending a letter internationally:

1. Consider adding a return address. Because of the security concerns that can come with international mail, the USPS recommends that you include a return address on your out-of-country letters, and requires it if you’re mailing something with a customs form or as a part of a bulk mailing.

   If you do add your return address, make sure you add “USA” on its own line at the bottom of your address.

2. Check postage requirements. While you can send most standard-sized letters with just a Global Forever stamp, some countries may require more postage, especially if your letter is heavier than one ounce or oddly shaped.

   Make sure you check the requirements before you mail your letter to ensure it gets to its destination.

3. Double-check your mailing address. While the USPS will often check local addresses to make sure they’re correct, they can’t check international ones as easily.

   To make sure your letter gets where it needs to go, have the recipient confirm that you’ve addressed the envelope correctly.

How to Know How Many Stamps to Use on an Envelope

The best way to find out exactly how much postage you need to use is to go to the post office and ask, but here are some general tips to give you an idea of what you need to do:

1. Domestic Standard Envelopes

   When you’re sending a standard-size envelope to an address within the U.S., one Forever stamp will do the trick. (Forever stamps allow you to use them no matter how much stamp prices change in the future.)

   If you need to mail an envelope that weighs more than one ounce, you’ll have to add additional stamps. You can do this by adding additional Forever stamps, but you might end up overpaying. To avoid this, you can go to the post office and ask for Additional Ounce stamps or two-ounce stamps.

2. Domestic Irregularly Shaped Envelopes

   Often envelopes that are square-shaped can’t be processed the same way standard envelopes are, so it’s a good idea to take them to the post office to see if you need to purchase special stamps called non-machinable stamps.

3. International Mail

   If you’re sending an envelope internationally, you’ll need a Global Forever stamp (or potentially more than one if your envelope is large or unusually shaped).

   If you’re sending your envelope to a U.S. military address, you just need a standard Forever stamp, even if the location you’re mailing it to is overseas.

Author

Abby McCain

Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.