What’s the Abbreviation for “Pages”? (p. or pp. or pg.)

It’s possible to abbreviate many words used when making references or citing information in formal writing. This article will explore the abbreviations for “pages.” You have three potential options with “p.,” “pp.,” and “pg.”

What’s the Abbreviation for “Pages”?

The correct abbreviation for “pages” is “pp.” in formal writing. The double “p” letter refers to the plural “pages.” If you want a singular “page,” “p.” is the correct abbreviation. In informal writing, “pg.” is correct, but it’s rarely used in any situation.

You can refer to the APA Stylebook to learn more about citing information or referencing page numbers. APA style teaches us that “p.” refers to a single page and “pp.” refers to multiple pages within a range.

So, according to APA style, the following examples are correct:

• Book Title, p. 12
• Book Title, pp. 12-15

Whenever you use “pp.,” you must always include a range. “pp.” does not work for a single page. Similarly, “p.” cannot be used for a range.

p.

Let’s start with the simple form “p.” You can use “p.” when referring to a single page in a book or publication. One “p” is used here to show that only one “page” is required.

The period must come after “p.” to show that it’s an abbreviation. The only time that an abbreviation does not end in a period is when you include the last letter of the word (in this case, “e” would have to be present).

Here are some examples to show you how to cite one page:

• You can refer to Book Name, p. 13, for more information about this.
• We learned about it from the studied book during class (A Wife’s Tale, p. 233).
• It would help if you referred to your textbook to answer this question (Science in Nature, p. 101).
• You should learn more about it from The Natural Grasp, p. 124. It’s a great read.
• I thought I put it in my textbook (A Tutor’s Apprentice, p. 99). I’ll have to double-check.

pp.

The next step up is to use two “p’s” in the abbreviation. According to APA style, “pp.” means “pages,” and the plural form refers to a range of pages within the same publication.

You should use this form when referring to multiple pages in a range. It will help the reader to understand the exact group of pages they need to go through.

Here are a few examples that should help you with this one:

• I read about it in A Book’s Title, pp. 12-19. It was a very eye-opening experience for me.
• You can learn more about it in the textbook (Fish and Food, pp. 16-23). Hopefully, that clears it up.
• Please refer to The Highway Code, pp. 45-53, if you want to learn more about what we’re saying.
• I thought I read it in the textbook (Biology in Focus, pp. 232-235). Maybe I’m wrong about that.
• Can we revise this book (A Tame Life, pp. 55-59)? I think it has some errors in it.

pg.

“pg.” is not used in formal writing. You can refer to any style guide to show you that “p.” or “pp.” are the only appropriate choices. APA Style and The Chicago Manual of Style both agree that “p.” and “pp.” are suitable.

“pg.” is never mentioned in formal style guides. However, you can use “pg.” if you are informally referring to a single page or range of pages.

Unlike “p.” and “pp.,” “pg.” is not limited to how many pages you can refer to.

You can refer to a single page like this:

• You should refer to pg. 28 if you want to learn more about what’s happening here.
• We needed to read it in Westlife, pg. 99. I’m not sure why that was relevant, though.

Or multiple pages, like this:

• I thought I saw it in Russian Minister, pg. 19-28. I’ll have to double-check.
• We could have read pg. 101-106 by now, but everyone has wasted time.

Final Thoughts

“p.” and “pp.” are the only appropriate abbreviations for “page” and “pages,” respectively. In formal writing, you should stick to these forms to show that you understand the style rules. “pg.” can be used informally, but you should never include it in academic or formal writing.