Difference Between Miss and MS
We all find it very confusing while using a title for women especially if she is not married or when we do not know if she is married or not. Miss is used for unmarried women while Ms is the safest title because it can be used for single, married and divorced women.
When you are not sure if a woman is married or not then you can use Ms. It is pronounced as ‘Mizz’. Both miss and Ms are contracted form of the word Mistress.
At times the situation is very complicated because some women use their maiden name even when they are married and this is why Mrs. cannot be used with their last name. Till 1970’s use of Mrs was quite popular but now most of the working women prefer being addressed by the title Ms even after they are married. For example Wife of Mr. John Smith was called Mrs. John Smith but now they the ladies prefer to be addressed by their name so if the name of the lady is Rose then she will be either called Ms. Rose Smith or simply Ms Rose.
Some linguists believe that Miss should only be used for unmarried women while Ms is the only title that can be used for married women because the use of Mrs is dying out.