Are the any differences in formality or context between "the USA", "the US" and "the States"?
I've tried NGram and it seems that "the US" is by far the most common expression and "the States" is the least common (would you sound like you are from the 19th century if you used it?). Of course, the search doesn't include spoken language.
Finally, in a conversation, would you say "the US" or "the United States?
Best Answer
I personally use the US when speaking about the country generally, the States when talking to someone overseas (about coming over, comparatively), and rarely, or never the USA.
However, I think generally, most people use the US in conversation. I think the only time I hear people use the USA is when they say it emphatically and patriotically.