AP Style (A)

academic departments

Use lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives: the department of history, the history department, the department of English, the English department, or when department is part of the official and formal name: University of Connecticut Department of Economics.

abbreviations and acronyms

A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. Some others are acceptable, depending on the context. But in general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize. (FBI, EU, US, CIA, IRS, NASA, NATO, COVID, for example)

abortion

Use the modifiers anti-abortion or abortion-rights when a general term is needed. Whenever possible, be specific about the position of a person or group. For example: Jones favors a ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Don’t use the terms pro-life, pro-choice or pro-abortion unless they are in direct quotations or proper names. Avoid abortionist, which connotes a person who performs clandestine abortions.

academic degrees

If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone’s credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and use instead a phrase such as: Fatima Kader, who has a doctorate in psychology.

Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, a master’s, etc., but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.

accept/except

Accept means to receive.

Except means to exclude.

accident/crash

Generally acceptable for automobile and other collisions and wrecks. However, when negligence is claimed or proven, avoid accident, which can be read by some as a term exonerating the person responsible. In such cases, use crash, collision or other terms..

allege

• Avoid any suggestion that the writer is making an allegation.

• Specify the source of an allegation. In a criminal case, it should be an arrest record, an indictment or the statement of a public official connected with the case.

Achilles tendon

No apostrophe for the tendon connecting the back of the heel to the calf muscles. But it's Achilles' heel, with an apostrophe, for a vulnerable spot.

act

The word act is sometimes included in a formal name for pending or implemented legislation. Capitalize when part of the name: the Taft-Hartley Act.

addiction

Addiction is the preferred term. The term substance use disorder is preferred by some health professionals and is acceptable in some uses, such as in quotations or scientific contexts. Alcoholism is acceptable for addiction to alcohol.

addresses

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Pennsylvania Avenue. Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues.

administration

Lowercase: the administration, the president's administration, the governor's administration, the Biden administration.

admit, admitted

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These words may in some contexts give the erroneous connotation of wrongdoing.

People who say they are recovering from alcoholism, for example, are not admitting it. Said is usually sufficient.

adverse, averse

Adverse means unfavorable: He predicted adverse weather.

Averse means reluctant, opposed: She is averse to change.

adviser

not advisor

affect, effect

Affect, as a verb, means to influence: The game will affect the standings.

Affect, as a noun, is best avoided. It occasionally is used in psychology to describe an emotion, but there is no need for it in everyday language.

Effect, as a verb, means to cause: He will effect many changes in the company.

Effect, as a noun, means result: The effect was overwhelming. He miscalculated the effect of his actions. It was a law of little effect.

agent

Lowercase unless it is a formal title used before a name.

In the FBI, the formal title is special agent. In most cases, make it agent William Smith or FBI agent William Smith.

ages

Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun.

Examples: A 5-year-old boy, but the boy is 5 years old. The boy, 7, has a sister, 10. The woman, 26, has a daughter 2 months old. The race is for 3-year-olds. The woman is in her 30s (no apostrophe).

aid, aide

Aid is assistance. An aide is a person who serves as an assistant.

AIDS

Acceptable in all references for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, sometimes called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

aircraft names

Use a hyphen when changing from letters to figures; no hyphen when adding a letter after figures. B-17 Hawk. - term “hawk” is italicized. 747s but 747B’s

aired, broadcasted, televised

Televised is the preferred term for shows and other programs shown on television. Broadcast and aired are acceptable for over-the-air channels.

air force

Capitalize when referring to U.S. forces: the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force, Air Force regulations. Do not use the abbreviation USAF.

Use lowercase for the forces of other nations: the Israeli air force.

airline, airlines

AP Style holds that “airlines,” “air lines,” and “airways” should be capitalized when used as a part of a proper airline name. Companies that use “airlines” include American Airlines, Continental Airlines.

airports

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Capitalize as part of a proper name: LaGuardia Airport, O'Hare International Airport.

air traffic controller

no hyphen

alcoholic

As an adjective, use it to describe beverages. For people, generally say people or person with alcoholism, or person recovering from alcoholism. Avoid an alcoholic unless individuals prefer that term for themselves or if they occur in quotations or names of organizations, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

A-list

A-list

all right

Never alright. Hyphenate only if used colloquially as a compound modifier: He is an all-right guy.

all-terrain vehicle

ATV is acceptable on second reference.

all time, all-time

An all-time high, but the greatest runner of all time. Avoid the redundant phrase all-time record.

allude, refer

To allude to something is to speak of it without specifically mentioning it.

To refer is to mention it directly.

allusion, illusion

Allusion means an indirect reference: The allusion was to his opponent’s war record.

Illusion means an unreal or false impression: The scenic director created the illusion of choppy seas.

al-Qauida

Muslim militant group founded by Osama bin Laden that carried out the attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

alter, altar

An altar is a tablelike platform used in a religious service.

To alter is to change.

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease

Amber Alert

A procedure for rapidly publicizing the disappearance of a child.

amid

Not amidst.

amoung, between

The maxim that between introduces two items and among introduces more than two covers most questions about how to use these words: The choice is between fish and tofu. The funds were divided among Ford, Carter and McCarthy.

However, between is the correct word when expressing the relationships of three or more items considered one pair at a time: The games between the Yankees, Phillies and Mets have been rollicking ones.

amount, number

Use amount for things that cannot be counted individually: the amount of milk in the refrigerator, the amount of courage it takes to climb Mount Everest. For things that can be counted individually, use number:

a.m., p.m.

Lowercase, with periods. Avoid the redundant 10 p.m. tonight.

animals

Do not apply a personal pronoun to an animal unless its sex has been established or the animal has a name: The dog was scared; it barked. Rover was scared; he barked

annual

Avoid the term first annual.

anonymous sources

Whenever possible, we pursue information on the record. When a source insists on background or off-the-record ground rules, we must adhere to a strict set of guidelines.

anti-vaxxer

Do not use this imprecise label for someone who opposes or is hesitant about vaccinations. Instead, be specific about a person's or group’s position. For example, people who oppose all vaccines or people who are hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccines, or other variations, depending on the specifics of the circumstances.

April Fool’s Day

all uppercase first letters

arabic names

In general, use an English spelling that approximates the way a name sounds in Arabic.

If an individual has a preferred spelling in English, use that. If usage has established a particular spelling, use that.

arabic numerals

The numerical figures 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

In general, use Arabic forms unless denoting the sequence of wars or establishing a personal sequence for people or animals.

arbitrate, mediate

Both terms are used in reports about labor negotiations, but they should not be interchanged.

One who arbitrates hears evidence from all people concerned, then hands down a decision.

One who mediates listens to arguments of both parties and tries by the exercise of reason or persuasion to bring them to an agreement.

army

Capitalize when referring to U.S. forces: the U.S. Army, the Army, Army regulations. Do not use the abbreviation USA.

Use lowercase for the forces of other nations: the French army.

This approach has been adopted for consistency, because many foreign nations do not use army as the proper name.

arrest

To avoid any suggestion that someone is being judged before a trial, do not use a phrase such as arrested for killing. Instead, use arrested on a charge of killing. If a charge hasn’t been filed, arrested on suspicion of, or a similar phrase, should be used.

assassin, killer, muderer

An assassin is one who kills a prominent person for political reasons, material gain or devotion to a cause.

A killer is anyone who kills with a motive of any kind.

A murderer is one who is convicted of murder in a court of law.

assault, battery

Assault almost always implies physical contact and sudden, intense violence.

Legally, however, assault means simply to threaten violence, as in pointing a pistol at an individual without firing it. Assault and battery is the legal term when the vi

assassination

Use the term only if it involves the murder of a politically important or prominent individual by surprise attack.

assembly

capitalize when part of the proper name for the lower house of a legislature: the California Assembly. Retain capitalization if the state name is dropped but the reference is specific:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The state Assembly ...

ATM

Acceptable in all references for automated teller machine. Do not use the redundant ATM machine.

association

Do not abbreviate. Capitalize as part of a proper name: American Medical Association. Governers Republican Association

attorney general, attorney generals

Never abbreviate. Capitalize only when used as a title before a name: Attorney General William Barr.

attorney, lawyer

In common usage the words are interchangeable.

Technically, however, an attorney is someone (usually, but not necessarily, a lawyer) empowered to act for another. Such an individual occasionally is called an attorney in fact.

A lawyer is a person admitted to practice in a court system. Such an individual occasionally is called an attorney at law.

attribution

AP news reports must attribute facts not gathered or confirmed on our own, whether the pickup is from a newspaper, website, broadcaster or blog, U.S. or international, AP member or subscriber. AP reports must also credit other organizations when they break a story and AP matches or further develops it. News from a government, agency, organization, company or other recognized group may be attributed to that entity on first reference in the story: the White House announced. In a follow-up attribution, specify whether the information came from a spokesperson or other identified official or in a news release.

a while

(adv.) a while He plans to stay awhile (adv.). He plans to stay for a while (n.).

academic titles

Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as chancellor, chair, etc., when they precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere.

Lowercase modifiers such as department in department Chair Jerome Wiesner

A.D.

Either A.D. or C.E. is acceptable in all references for anno Domini: in the year of the Lord. Some prefer C.E., which stands for the Common Era.

Because the full phrase would read in the year of the Lord 96, the abbreviation A.D. goes before the figure for the year: A.D. 96. But: 96 C.E.

Do not write: The fourth century A.D. The fourth century is sufficient. If A.D. is not specified with a year, the year is presumed to be A.D.