Mrs or Mrs. is an English title used for women, usually just for those who are married and who do not have another title that would take precedence over it, such as "Dr.", "Lady", or "Dame". The pronunciation varies regionally but is usually (IPA: /'mɪsɪz/ or /'mɪsɪs/). In the United Kingdom, most Commonwealth countries, and Ireland, a full stop (period) does not usually follow the abbreviated form: "Mrs Price". In the U.S. a period is almost always used: "Mrs. Jones", though some consider this grammatically incorrect, as "Mrs" is a contraction, not an abbreviation, so a period should not be used.
Mrs originated as a contraction of the title "Mistress", the feminine of "Mister" or "Master", which was originally applied to both married and unmarried women. The split into "Mrs" for married women and "Miss" for unmarried women began during the 17th Century. Since then the title is rarely written out and lacks a standardized spelling. When it is spelt out it is usually found as "missus" or "missis", though one variant, in the works of Thomas Hardy and others, is "Mis'ess", reflecting its etymology.