Personal Titles

What is a personal title?

A personal title is a word placed before someone’s name to show respect or to show their role. Titles help us speak and write politely, especially to people we don’t know well, such as teachers, doctors and officials.

Good morning, Ms. Chen. Please call Dr. Patel. Thank you, Coach Rivera.

Courtesy titles

Courtesy titles are used in everyday life.

Ms. is a safe, respectful choice when you don’t know a woman’s preference. Many people today simply prefer to be called by their name. If you are not sure, it is polite to ask: "How would you like me to address you?"

Note that Miss has no period because it isn’t an abbreviation.

Professional titles

Professional titles show someone’s job or qualifications.

• Dr. – a medical doctor, dentist, veterinarian or someone with a doctoral degree
• Prof. – a university professor
• Rev. – a minister or member of the clergy
• Capt., Sgt., Lt. – military and police ranks
• Coach, Chef, Officer, Nurse – often used as titles in conversation

Honorifics for officials

Some officials use formal titles called honorifics:

• The Right Honourable – Canada’s Prime Minister and some other senior officials
• The Honourable – federal ministers, senators and judges
• Your Honour – speaking to a judge in court
• Your Majesty – speaking to a king or queen
• Mayor, Premier, Chief – often used before a name

You will see these on official letters, invitations and news reports.

Punctuation and capitals

• Titles that come before a name are capitalized: Doctor Lee, Captain Ahmed.
• When the word is used on its own, not as a title, it is lowercase: I saw the doctor today.
• Abbreviated titles like Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Dr. take a period in North American style. British and some Canadian writers leave it out: Mr Smith. Choose one style and stay consistent.
• Don’t double up titles: Dr. Sara Jones, MD ✗ → Dr. Sara Jones or Sara Jones, MD ✓.

Titles in letters and emails

Formal address in letters and emails uses a title and last name:

Dear Mr. Okafor,
Dear Dr. Nguyen,
Dear Principal Thompson,

If you don’t know the person’s name or title, use Dear Hiring Committee or To whom it may concern.

Titles in conversation

At school, students usually use a title and last name for teachers: Mr. Brown, Madame Tremblay (in French classes). Some schools or teachers prefer first names. Listen to what others use, or ask.

Using someone’s preferred title is a simple way to show respect. Getting it wrong is easy to fix: apologize briefly and use the correct one.

Worked examples

Example 1: Address an envelope to a married woman named Lisa Park who prefers Mrs. → Mrs. Lisa Park.

Example 2: Capital or not? We met the (Doctor / doctor) yesterday. → doctor (not before a name).

Example 3: Start a letter to a principal named Ruth Ali. → Dear Principal Ali, or Dear Ms. Ali,

Common mistakes

• Mrs. for any woman: use Ms. unless you know she prefers Mrs.
• Using a first name with a title in formal writing: Dear Mr. John → Dear Mr. Smith.
• Forgetting capitals: dr. adams → Dr. Adams.

Try it yourself

1. What does Ms. sound like, and who is it for?
2. Write the abbreviation for Doctor and Captain.
3. Fix: dear mr brown, thank you for the visit.
4. Which title is gender-neutral?

Answers: 1. "Miz"; any woman, married or not. 2. Dr., Capt. 3. Dear Mr. Brown, thank you for the visit. 4. Mx.

Tip for families

Practise writing thank-you notes together after a birthday or holiday. Talk about how to address each person (Dear Aunt Rosa, Dear Mr. Kim) and why titles show respect.

Quick recap

• Personal titles show respect or a role.
• Courtesy titles include Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss and Mx.
• Professional titles include Dr., Prof. and military ranks.
• Capitalize titles before names; use a period with abbreviations in North American style.
• When unsure, ask how someone would like to be addressed.