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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. It is rare for Mrs to be written in a non-abbreviated form, and the unabbreviated word lacks a standard spelling. In literature it may appear as missus or missis in dialogue. A variant in the works of Thomas Hardy and others is “Mis’ess”, reflecting its etymology. Misses has been used but is ambiguous, as this is a commonly used plural for Miss. A widow would also be addressed with the same title as when she was married.

Mrs was rarely used before a woman’s first name, her birth name, or a hyphenated surname her husband was not using. For this reason, usage had shifted toward using the married title as the default for all women in professional usage. In the United Kingdom, the traditional form for a divorcée was Mrs Jane Smith. Before social mores relaxed to the point where single women with children were socially acceptable, the unwed mother was often advised by etiquette mavens like Emily Post to use Mrs with her maiden name to avoid scrutiny. The separation of Miss and Mrs became problematic as more women entered the white-collar workforce.

Women who became famous or well known in their professional circles before marriage often kept their birth names, stage names, or noms de plume. Other married women choose not to adopt their spouse’s last name at all. It is generally considered polite to address a woman by Ms rather than Mrs, unless the preference of the woman in question is clearly known. This is especially true in written communication, as dictated by professional etiquette. Modern etiquette provides various options in addressing married couples in which the wife uses her own last name, or uses a title such as Dr, Mayor, or Ms.