| Word | Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| apportioned | prp (pro rate plate) | Apportioned plates are issued to trucks (typically) registered under the IRP (International Registration Plan), enabling them to drive through most US states or Canadian provinces without needing a separate registration for each state. These trucks typically have a GPS in them that determines how far they've driven and where, and their registration fees are then apportioned to the jurisdictions they've driven through accordingly. This is typically done because heavy trucks/cargo cause heavier wear to roads over passenger vehicles, and so participating states & provinces want their share of the fees to maintain their roads. |
| base (plate) | The standard plates issued by an issuing body including across different vehicle classes (ex. passenger, commercial). I typically use this more to refer to the design used on standard issue passenger plates, including when that design is used for vanity plates, but maybe it can be used more generally... I am unsure of if there is a strict definition. | |
| booster (plate) | novelty plate | A decorative plate usually placed on the front of the car, more common in states that only issue/require a single plate to be displayed. |
| debossed | When the characters and any other features are pressed backward into the plate to create recessed features, then that plate is debossed―or at least has debossed features. Opposite of embossed, which most non-flat plates are. | |
| embossed | When the characters and any other features are pressed upward into the plate to create raised features, then that plate is embossed―or at least has embossed features. Opposite of debossed. | |
| flat (plate) | Flat plates are completely flat except maybe for the edges. | |
| number | The string of characters on a license plate, even if it also includes non-numeric characters, though it does seem somewhat silly to use when there are non-numeric characters present and especially silly when there are no numeric characters present at all. | |
| number plate | license plate, registration plate | A worse way to refer to a license plate. |
| pair | Two license plates with the same serial/number, issued by some states to be displayed at the front and back of a car. | |
| passenger | Refers to a vehicle registrations class/plates that is/are for personal use (as opposed to commercial use). | |
| picture plate | License plates whose backgrounds are "pictures", typically anything other than a solid color. | |
| prefix | The first character or characters on a plate, especially characters that have some meaning or significance. | |
| serial | The string of characters (typically numbers and letters) displayed on a non-personalized plate, typically serialized (ie. issued in sequence), hence serial. Plates with randomly generated strings are typically still referred to in this manner. | |
| specialty (plate) | A plate with a design that is non-standard and usually must be specially requested. Usually these plates are organizational and a portion of the registration fee will go to support a cause. Specialty categories are generally: organizational (charity & other; typically includes wildlife plates), collegiate, military | |
| x-digit soup | Referring to Arizona's "randomized" "serial" format, according to Wikipedia comes from the "Alphabet Soup" format adopted in 2020. The 4th character is always a number, and the remaining ones (of ??? #?? and ???#??? formats - 6-digit and 7-digit soup respectively) can be either letters or numbers. | |
| suffix | The last character or characters on a plate, especially characters that have some meaning or significance. | |
| sunburst | A nickname for the 1982-1987 California sunrise/sunset base plate design that I picked up from a Reddit comment, and it's stubbornly stayed in my vocabulary ever since. | |
| tags | stickers | Here, we use tags to refer to the registration sticker placed on the (usually) rear plate. Apparently The South uses "tags" to refer to the entire plate sometimes! |
| vanity (plate) | personalized | A plate with a personalized message/number. |