# American addresses - use of the £ sign? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295 "2008-01-20T21:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/1 "2008-01-20T21:47:00Z")
I have to post something to the US. The address contains a £ sign, which seems a bit odd to me. Would this be correct, or is it just a typo? The address is of the form: Mr John Smith 9999 Smith Street £H-999 Smithville California 99999 If it is correct, what does the £ sign mean? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/2 "2008-01-20T21:49:40Z")
If someone is using the UK keyboard layout on a Mac, the number sign (aka ‘pound sign’) is £ instead of #. It should probably be #H-999. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/3 "2008-01-20T21:54:25Z")
Also, the city, state and ZIP code is properly written on one line: Smithville, CA 99999 (Note that there should be no comma between the state abbreviation and the ZIP code.) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/4 "2008-01-20T22:12:59Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] If someone is using the UK keyboard layout on a Mac, the number sign (aka ‘pound sign’) is £ instead of #. It should probably be #H-999. [/QUOTE] This address was read to me over the phone by the American concerned, so it can’t be a keyboard issue. Is the # sign ever referred to as the “pound” sign by Americans? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/5 "2008-01-20T22:15:49Z")
Yes, the # symbol is sometimes called “pound” (normally only in reference to telephones though). ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/6 "2008-01-20T22:16:00Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] This address was read to me over the phone by the American concerned, so it can’t be a keyboard issue. Is the # sign ever referred to as the “pound” sign by Americans? [/QUOTE] Yes, that’s a very common usage. I’m amused to hear it referred to as such in an address though, as usually it’s for telephone keypad entry directions (“Enter your credit card number and then press the ‘pound sign’.”) and the like. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/7 "2008-01-20T22:16:12Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] This address was read to me over the phone by the American concerned, so it can’t be a keyboard issue. Is the # sign ever referred to as the “pound” sign by Americans? [/QUOTE] You bet it is! It means “weight”, though, not “currency”. As in, 20# of sugar. I can’t recall ever hearing an American call that symbol “the number sign”. But do people REALLY use it in every day life? One of those bizzaro things that makes you shake your head. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/8 "2008-01-20T22:17:11Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] Is the # sign ever referred to as the “pound” sign by Americans? [/QUOTE] Yes. Many people call the # the pound sign, as in 3# of stuff. (I grew up using ‘lb.’ or ‘lbs.’, and the # was always the ‘number sign’.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/9 "2008-01-20T22:20:49Z")
Heh. Qudadruple post. [QUOTE=vison] I can’t recall ever hearing an American call that symbol “the number sign”. [/QUOTE] I don’t remember hearing it called a ‘pound sign’ until touch-tone phones overtook rotary-dial. Late-'70s or early-'80s. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/10 "2008-01-20T22:28:05Z")
Thanks all. I’ll use # in place of £. > [@friedo](#): > > Also, the city, state and ZIP code is properly written on one line: > > Smithville, CA 99999 I’ll do that too. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/11 "2008-01-20T22:31:41Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Yes. Many people call the # the pound sign, as in 3# of stuff. (I grew up using ‘lb.’ or ‘lbs.’, and the # was always the ‘number sign’.) [/QUOTE] You know, sometimes I call it “hash” but I have no clue why or if anybody else does it. The symbol, that is, not pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/12 "2008-01-20T22:37:24Z")
I’ve heard it referred to as a hashmark. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/13 "2008-01-20T22:44:25Z")
[QUOTE=groman] You know, sometimes I call it “hash” but I have no clue why or if anybody else does it. The symbol, that is, not pounds. [/QUOTE] Now that you mention it, I’ve heard them called ‘hash marks’ too. Not for a while though. Probably from ‘hatch’/‘cross hatch’. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/14 "2008-01-20T22:48:53Z")
Technical term for the typographical character /#/ is the _octothorpe_. And yes, I’ve heard it referred to as the “pound sign” (meaning avoirdupois, not Sterling) – before twelve-key phone keypads, in fact. Database entries tend to reference Room 935, Apt, H-3, or Suite 200 indifferently as #935, #H-3, or #200 – the point being that whatever term is used for the intra-building address is some number **within** the structure at 200 Main Street. Our last residence before moving south was a large old house that had been converted into two roomy apartments (upstairs plus finished attic area, and downstairs plus a cellar we never saw); we were in #2, with our mailbox on the porch outside the common entry and directly adjacent to the mailbox for #1. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/15 "2008-01-20T22:49:05Z")
The proper name for it, of course, is the [octothorpe](http://www.answers.com/octothorpe&r=67). 😉 ETA: curse you, Multifish! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/16 "2008-01-20T22:51:36Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Also, the city, state and ZIP code is properly written on one line: Smithville, CA 99999 (Note that there should be no comma between the state abbreviation and the ZIP code.) [/QUOTE] Nitpick: USPS actually prefers no [del]punctuation[/del] commas (or periods) at all. [http://www.usps.com/send/preparemailandpackages/labelsandaddressing/usingthecorrectaddress.htm#table](http://www.usps.com/send/preparemailandpackages/labelsandaddressing/usingthecorrectaddress.htm#table) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/17 "2008-01-20T23:44:50Z")
[It has many names.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign) My favorite is ‘octothorpe’, but ‘hash’ certainly is common. From the Jargon File: > [@](#): > > The character is usually pronounced `hash' outside the U.S. There are more culture wars over the correct pronunciation of this character than any other, which has led to the ha ha only serious suggestion that it be pronounced `shibboleth’ (see Judges 12:6 in an Old Testament or Tanakh). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/18 "2008-01-21T00:45:17Z")
It’s an octothorp. [On preview, I see that’s not news.] Can’t imagine why more people don’t simply call it that. 😃 While it is also called the pound sign and the number sign, depending on context, I find it odd that someone reading an address where it obviously refers to a suite/apartment/box/whatever number would call it a pound sign. Surely he reads “#3” as “number three,” not “pound three.” ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/19 "2008-01-21T00:46:57Z")
Willard Espy has written a poem giving the various names that the # character is given when it is used in a wide variety of applications: ```auto Many offices encumber My diurnal rounds; 1. Before a digit, I'm a #; **number** 2. After digits, #; **pound** 3. In a printer's proof, a #; **space** While, if at the harp You should pluck me from my place, 4. I would be a #. **sharp** 5. In one game, I'm #; **tic-tac-toe** 6. An # on phones; **octothorpe** 7. In business, I'm #, although **non-add** 8. A # when in bones. **fracture** ``` “Octothorpe” is not the “proper” name, it is simply a name that either Texas Instruments or Bell Labs attempted to assign to the character years and years after it had been long employed to indicate number (count) or weight (averdupois) in groceries across the country. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295/20 "2008-01-21T00:55:25Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] Willard Espy has written a poem giving the various names that the # character is given when it is used in a wide variety of applications: [/QUOTE] Damn you, **tomndebb**! I always think of this poem whenever a discussion of # comes up, but this time around I was too lazy to go dig out the book. Scarlett, Espy fan [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-addresses-use-of-the-sign/434295.md?page=2)