Direction Abbreviations
23 abbreviations · part of Geography & Place Abbreviations
Compass directions are abbreviated with capital letters: N, S, E and W for the cardinal points, NE, NW, SE and SW for the intercardinal points, and three-letter forms such as NNE for the 16-point compass used in weather and sailing. The same letters appear in street addresses as directional prefixes and quadrant suffixes, and traffic reports use NB, SB, EB and WB for direction of travel. Wind directions always describe where the wind comes from.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| E | East | Cardinal direction where the sun rises, at 90 degrees. |
| EB | Eastbound | Shorthand for eastbound traffic on roads, trains and buses, as in I-80 EB or the EB platform. |
| ENE | East-northeast | Sitting at 67.5 degrees, between east and northeast, ENE is one of the 16 compass points. |
| ESE | East-southeast | At 112.5 degrees, between east and southeast, this point is found on wind roses, marine forecasts and orienteering compasses. |
| GN | Grid north | Direction of the vertical grid lines on a map projection such as UTM or the British National Grid, which differs slightly from true north except along the projection's… |
| MN | Magnetic north | Direction a compass needle points, toward the north magnetic pole, which lies in the high Arctic and has been drifting from Canada toward Siberia. |
| N | North | Cardinal direction toward the North Pole, at 0 or 360 degrees on a compass, and the direction at the top of most modern maps. |
| NB | Northbound | Traffic and transit shorthand for vehicles traveling north, as in I-95 NB or the NB platform. |
| NE | Northeast | Intercardinal direction halfway between north and east, at 45 degrees. |
| NNE | North-northeast | Compass point halfway between north and northeast, at 22.5 degrees, one of the 16 points used in weather reports and on wind roses. |
| NNW | North-northwest | Compass point at 337.5 degrees, between north and northwest, familiar to film fans through Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959), whose title plays on compass… |
| NW | Northwest | Intercardinal direction between north and west, at 315 degrees. |
| S | South | Cardinal direction toward the South Pole, at 180 degrees. |
| SB | Southbound | Shorthand for southbound traffic, used on road signs, traffic apps and transit maps, as in US-101 SB. |
| SE | Southeast | Intercardinal direction between south and east, at 135 degrees, and a quadrant suffix in cities such as Washington, D.C., Albuquerque and Calgary. |
| SSE | South-southeast | Halfway between south and southeast, at 157.5 degrees, SSE appears in weather observations, marine forecasts and sailing directions, written in capitals without periods. |
| SSW | South-southwest | Compass point at 202.5 degrees, between south and southwest, common in forecasts for warm, humid air flowing ahead of a cold front. |
| SW | Southwest | Intercardinal direction between south and west, at 225 degrees, and a quadrant in Washington, D.C., Calgary and other cities. |
| TN | True north | Direction toward the geographic North Pole along a meridian, labeled TN in the declination diagram of topographic maps. |
| W | West | Cardinal direction where the sun sets, at 270 degrees. |
| WB | Westbound | Shorthand for westbound traffic, used on highway signs, traffic reports and transit timetables, as in WB Route 9. |
| WNW | West-northwest | Lying at 292.5 degrees, between west and northwest, WNW appears in weather reports, sailing directions and hiking guides, often describing the cool, dry winds that… |
| WSW | West-southwest | Bearing 247.5 degrees, between west and southwest; across much of Western Europe the prevailing winds come from roughly this direction off the Atlantic. |
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