US

[irmamar]

I'd like to know if I might use US instead of United States in a formal text.

Thanks.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

I'd like to know if I might use US instead of United States in a formal text.

Not in formal BrE, no. In fact it should be U.S.A. but USA is becoming more acceptable, because the physical and mental effort in typing "." three time !!! is just too much for most people.

[Rusty]

Spell out United States when used as a noun (e.g., in the United States). When used as an adjective, it may be abbreviated (e.g., the US Ambassador).

[irmamar]

OK, thank you both.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by irmamar

I'd like to know if I might use US instead of United States in a formal text.

Thanks.

That can be forma form.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

That can be forma form.

Do you mean a formal way? I meant "un texto formal" (I'm preparing my exams... ).

[wrholt]

Originally Posted by irmamar

I'd like to know if I might use US instead of United States in a formal text.

Thanks.

It may depend on the expectations of your target audience and on whether there is the potential of confusing two entities that have similar or identical abbreviations.

You have 3 choices:

1. United States
2. U.S. (with periods)
3. US (without periods)

I recommend using US (without periods) only in longer acronyms that you have previously defined. I recommend using U.S. only to abbreviate United States at the beginning of a name that you are otherwise writing out in full. For example:

1. United States Department of Agriculture
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture
3. USDA

Depending on the subject of the document, you may find that you cannot use acronyms or partial abbreviations without risking confusion. For example, depending on context, USA or U.S.A. may refer to either the United States of America or to the United States Army, or it may be ambiguous. Depending on how careful you need to be to avoid misinterpretation on the part of your reader, you may prefer to write United States every time.

[irmamar]

Thank you wrholt, I will. Writing 'United States' is not that hard.

[Luna Azul]

I came late

I would use "the United States" (article and all).

[Caballero]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Not in formal BrE, no. In fact it should be U.S.A. but USA is becoming more acceptable, because the physical and mental effort in typing "." three time !!! is just too much for most people.

Interesting. In formal American English, we just write it out as "The United States". In the abbreviated form, we usually just say the US, rather than the USA, and the periods are rapidly going out of fashion. So even in books, one would see the US, rather than the U.S.A, not just in chatspeak.