Various embodiments are directed to improved message addressing techniques. In one embodiment, a computing device may comprise a messaging client arranged to receive an input sequence of alphabetic or alphanumeric characters as a destination of an outbound message. The messaging client may recognize that the input sequence represents a mnemonic short code and may automatically generate a common short code comprising a sequence of numeric digits associated with the mnemonic short code. The messaging client may display both the input sequence comprising the mnemonic short code and the common short code and enable the outbound message to be sent using the common short code as the destination. Other embodiments are described and claimed.