Actually I take it back! Ms. isn't short for "Miss". Miss (no period) used to be the default title for a woman, but now it's Ms. (pronounced as you say), and li

Actually I take it back! Ms. isn't short for "Miss". Miss (no period) used to be the default title for a woman, but now it's Ms. (pronounced as you say), and like Mrs. & Miss, derives from Mistress. Good reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss#Use_as_a_title_.28honorific.29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss#Use_as_a_title_.28honorifi... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms.