Miss & Ms. What's the difference?

Philippines
April 15, 2012 12:58pm CST
As the title states, can someone tell me the difference between the two? I used to think Miss is, well, for those who don't fall on the Mrs. category while Ms. is the abbreviation. But while booking for a flight, I was asked to choose between professions (captain, doctor, etc.,), Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, etc., and that's kind of confusing. When does one use the title of Miss and when does one use the title of Ms.? Is there even a difference or it is just interchangeable for convenience?
1 person likes this
7 responses
@urbandekay (18278)
15 Apr 12
Ms is for those afraid or ashamed of what they are! all the best urban
@urbandekay (18278)
17 Apr 12
Ms was a title devised to prevent revealing marital status all the best urban
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
16 Apr 12
Huh? Not true at all. How can a divorced woman revert back to being a 'miss' again? As they are neither Miss nor Mrs. they become Ms. with no fear or shame at all!
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
15 Apr 12
Miss = those females who have never been married. Ms. = those females who are divorced or in a stable relationship but not married.
15 Apr 12
I didn't know Ms.could also mean that you in a stable relationship but not married that's nice to know. Im learning stuff on this site already. :)
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
15 Apr 12
Welcome aboard char! We can learn a lot here and have a lot of fun too, all while we are earning. Can't be bad eh?
@ferritic (82)
• Philippines
18 Apr 12
semicolonp, Greetings! Both Miss and Ms. comes from the word Mistress. Miss is used if you are definitely sure that the lady's marital status is single. Ms. is a contraction of Miss used for women independent of marital status. Ferritic
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
15 Apr 12
I've always heard it a bit different from what mysd said above. Miss for me was those who are single, not married. Ms. and Mrs. are for those who are married, but with Mrs. being the most former way of saying it. Let me just say that I have gotten letters in the mail, whilst being married, addressed as Ms. instead of as Mrs. SO who knows?
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
15 Apr 12
Ms. is often used when firms/businesses are unsure who they are addressing and that is why they send them to you like that. Ms. can be used by all women regardless of their marital state. It is a question of choice.
• Philippines
15 Apr 12
I think Miss and Ms. is the same. Ms. is just the abbreviation of Miss. Mr. is applied to both single and married male person. While Mrs. is for married female person.
@ShyBear88 (59304)
• Sterling, Virginia
15 Apr 12
Miss and Ms are the same thing. It means and unmarried women. Ms is short for Miss. It all depends on what what you want to use it. Normally Miss means a young girl and Ms means a women that is old enough to be married but she isn't married yet. Mrs. means the women is married or has been married.
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
15 Apr 12
Many women use Ms. once they are divorced and many businesses use it too when they are unsure of the marital state of the person that they are addressing.
@doroffee (4222)
• Hungary
15 Apr 12
I've always learnt that you use Ms. if you don't know whether the woman is married or not or when the woman doesn't feel comfortable letting know their marital status. For men, it's quite easy, because Mr. doesn't change when they get married :D.