(A similar topic is discussed in French in the article points cardinaux.)
In writing compass points (or compass directions), follow the guidelines below.
On this page
Capitalize
Capitalize when the compass points refer to
-
part of an address:
- 150 East Dundas Street
- 111 King St. West
-
abbreviated directions:
- winds NNW
- 28 miles SW of the city
-
informal district names:
- the Eastern Townships
- the South Shore
-
specific geographic divisions:
- the Northwest Territories
- North Vancouver
-
political or administrative rather than simply geographic divisions:
- the West
- Western values
- Western Europe
- the East Coast
- the Far North
- Northern Ireland
Do not capitalize
Do not capitalize when the compass points are used
-
as purely descriptive terms:
- southern exposure
- the north side of the house
-
as compass directions:
- Go south four blocks.
- Drive north to get to the highway.
-
as orientations:
- a garden to the west of the house
- We live east of Ottawa.
-
for unofficial geographic divisions:
- northern New Brunswick
- the west of Saskatchewan
- the east coast of Canada
Hyphenate
Compass points containing two directions are written as one word:
- northeast
- southwest
Compass points containing three directions are hyphenated:
- north-northeast
- west-southwest
Abbreviations
The list below shows the abbreviations for the 16 compass points.
Compass Point | Abbreviation |
---|---|
north | N |
northeast | NE |
northwest | NW |
north-northeast | NNE |
north-northwest | NNW |
east | E |
east-northeast | ENE |
east-southeast | ESE |
south | S |
southeast | SE |
southwest | SW |
south-southeast | SSE |
south-southwest | SSW |
west | W |
west-northwest | WNW |
west-southwest | WSW |
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