AP Stylebook's most popular style tips

We share AP style guidance regularly on social media. Below are some of our tweets that generated the most conversation.

To keep up with our style tips, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

February

Avoid the vague jargon "officer-involved" for shootings and other cases involving police. Give specifics. If police use the term, ask for detail. How was the officer or officers involved? Who did the shooting? If the information is not available or not provided, say so.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) February 27, 2023

We capitalize words such as professor, doctor, coach, etc., when they sub for a person’s name: What’s my grade, Professor? Put me in, Coach! Capitalize words denoting family relationships in such uses: I asked Mom. But: She asked her doctor for a diagnosis. He called his mother.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) February 7, 2023

Our new section explains that inclusive storytelling seeks to truly represent all people around the globe. It gives voice and visibility to those who have been missing or misrepresented in traditional narratives of both history and daily journalism. pic.twitter.com/sQqym0ilGn

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) February 22, 2023

January

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when one or more arteries supplying blood to the heart become blocked.
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It can be due to a heart attack, a heart rhythm problem or as a result of trauma.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) January 3, 2023

Regardless of sexual orientation, the term husband for a man or wife for a woman is acceptable in all references to people in any legally recognized marriage. Spouse or partner may be used if requested or as a gender-neutral option.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) January 10, 2023

Some understand the words notorious and notoriety to refer simply to fame; others see them as implying being well known because of evil actions. Be sure the context is clear, or use terms like famous, prominent, infamous, disreputable, etc., depending on which applies.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) January 9, 2023

December

Spell out the number in New Year’s Six when referring to the group of college football bowl games that rotate the College Football Playoff semifinal games.
The games include the Orange Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Peach Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. pic.twitter.com/0LxtW12DWb

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) December 28, 2022

Do not use the term “late-term abortion.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines late term as 41 weeks through 41 weeks and 6 days of gestation, and abortion does not happen in this period. pic.twitter.com/KjT1k9rDSS

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) December 6, 2022

Our style is doughnut, not donut. We are aware that this causes consternation for some of you. But it is in keeping with dictionary recommendations. Looking ahead to Hanukkah: https://t.co/yh7FtlKg4r

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) December 12, 2022

November

Headlines are key to any story. They must stand on their own in conveying the story fairly. They must include key context. They should invite readers to read more, without misleading or overpromising. Their tone should match the story's tone.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) November 28, 2022

Who do you think of when you remember first learning AP style?
Did you have a copy editing professor who quizzed you weekly? Or an editor who marked up your drafts pointing out your style errors?

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) November 22, 2022

October

We recommend avoiding the vague jargon officer-involved or police-involved. Be specific about what happened. If police use the term, ask for detail. How was the officer or officers involved? Who did the shooting? If the information is not available or not provided, say so.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) October 18, 2022

If you go to the farmers market this fall, you don't need an apostrophe.
This follows our possessives guidance not to add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive sense: a Cincinnati Reds infielder, a teachers college, a writers guide. pic.twitter.com/EV7ijmjBER

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) October 12, 2022

The terms marijuana and cannabis may be used interchangeably. The term pot is acceptable in headlines and generally in stories, though it may not be appropriate in some stories. Some prefer the term cannabis because of arguments the term marijuana has anti-Mexican roots.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) October 10, 2022

We changed our style in 2021 to antisemitism, not anti-Semitism. The past style was based on common usage. But some say that could give credence to the idea that Jews are a separate race. A growing number of Jewish organizations and others have moved to the style antisemitism.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) October 20, 2022

September

No hyphen for Asian American, African American and other dual-heritage terms. When possible, refer to a person’s country of origin or follow the person’s preference. Such as: Filipino American or Indian American. RIP and thank you, Henry Fuhrmann @latimes. https://t.co/AgRGT5oH1W

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) September 15, 2022

No hyphen is needed between adverbs ending in -ly and adjectives they modify: an easily remembered rule, a badly damaged island, a fully informed voter.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) September 6, 2022

We prefer terms such as older adults or older people over the terms senior citizens, seniors or elderly as general descriptions when appropriate and relevant. Be specific when possible: discounts for people 62 and older; the risk of stroke among women in their 70s.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) September 13, 2022

August

Our style: Don't use the pronoun "she" in reference to nations, ships, storms or voice assistants except in direct quotations. Use "it" instead.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) August 22, 2022

We now have guidance saying that "pregnant women" or "women seeking abortions" is acceptable phrasing.
Phrases like "pregnant people" or "people seeking abortions" are acceptable when you want to be inclusive of people who have those experiences but do not identify as women. pic.twitter.com/ljaabPxWak

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) August 17, 2022

A smorgasbord of AP style and preferred spellings for your menu: naan, kimchi, BLT, PB&J, doughnut, Fluffernutter, horchata, ketchup, meatloaf, omelet, po'boy, chiles, chili, whoopie pie, shawarma, shepherd's pie, s'mores, coffeecake, cornbread, french fries, microgreens.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) August 23, 2022

July

The Stylebook's weapons entry offers guidance on terms including semi-automatic rifle, assault rifle, assault weapon, military-style rifle and modern sporting rifle. pic.twitter.com/RvNrZp1lu2

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) July 13, 2022

Our style: OK, OK'd, OK'ing, OKs. We don't use okay. As for the postal code OK, we use postal codes only in complete addresses that include the ZIP code. Otherwise, Okla. for the abbreviation in datelines. Spell out Oklahoma and other state names in stories. OK?

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) July 22, 2022

Some spellings: cancel, canceled, canceling, cancellation; travel, traveled, traveling, traveler. Also: Capitalize "airport" as part of a proper name: LaGuardia Airport, O'Hare International Airport. And: TSA PreCheck. Finally: Amtrak, not AMTRAK.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) July 15, 2022

We have a new Stylebook Online entry: Czechia, the Czech Republic.
Both are acceptable.The shorter name Czechia is preferred by the Czech government. If using Czechia, clarify in the story that the country is more widely known in English as the Czech Republic.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) July 1, 2022

June

We don't use the terms illegal immigrant, unauthorized immigrant, irregular migrant, alien, an illegal, illegals or undocumented (except when quoting people or documents that use these terms). Many immigrants and migrants have some sort of documents, but not the necessary ones.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) June 28, 2022

Our inclusive storytelling chapter says: People of any race are capable of racist behavior and assumptions (both explicit and implicit). Both women and men are capable of sexist assumptions. Older adults may view younger people through a lens of ageism, as well as vice versa.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) June 16, 2022

Do have a pica pole on your desk? Our product manager, Colleen Newvine, worked in prepress at her hometown newspaper and still has hers.

A pica is a unit of measure in printing, equal to a fraction less than one-sixth of an inch. A pica contains 12 points. https://t.co/d1O4AAfnT1

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) June 15, 2022

New guidance: The terms marijuana and cannabis may be used interchangeably. The term pot is acceptable in headlines and generally in stories, though it may not be appropriate in some stories. Some prefer cannabis because of arguments the term marijuana has anti-Mexican roots.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) June 6, 2022

May

We don't use the term manifesto in reference to a racist diatribe. It glorifies racist hatred. Other terms such as diatribe, screed or writings can work instead.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) May 16, 2022

We recommend limiting use of the term community in reference to groups of people. It implies homogeneity and the idea that all members of a particular “community” think and act alike. This is similar to the concept of avoiding any type of generalization or stereotype.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) May 23, 2022

Use lowercase spam in all references to unsolicited commercial or bulk email, often advertisements. This also applies to spam tweets.
Use uppercase Spam, a trademark, to refer to the canned meat product.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) May 17, 2022

April

More from our disabilities guidance: Don’t limit coverage of disabled people to coverage of disabilities. People with disabilities are experts in as many fields as nondisabled people are. Include their voices and their images in your regular coverage of any topic.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) April 7, 2022

We have added an entry on AP Stylebook Online defining the terms neurodiversity, neurodivergent, neurodiverse and neurotypical.
While use of these terms has become more common, to many they remain unfamiliar; they should be used only in direct quotes. pic.twitter.com/dvtViYHYcs

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) April 27, 2022

AP lowercases spring break and winter break, following our rule to lowercase the seasons.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) April 21, 2022

Growing numbers of people, including some transgender, nonbinary, agender or gender-fluid people, use "they" as a singular pronoun.
As much as possible, AP also uses "they" as a way of accurately describing and representing a person who uses those pronouns for themself.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) April 8, 2022

March

New on AP Stylebook Online today: Many deaf people who use sign language have a deeply ingrained sense of culture and community built around the experience of deafness and sign language, and use the uppercase form Deaf to signify that culture. (1/4)

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) March 21, 2022

We have added an entry on Web3 as a catchall term for the prospect of a new stage of the internet, driven by the cryptocurrency-related technology blockchain.
Do not use the term Web3 without explanation.
AP Stylebook Online has much more detailed guidance. pic.twitter.com/9lvISCiCPh

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) March 23, 2022

AP style: Don't follow the full name of an organization or company with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, don't use it.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) March 15, 2022

Use spongy moth for the invasive pest formerly known as gypsy moth, a change approved by the Entomological Society of America. Gypsy moth is acceptable in a first reference explaining the new name until it becomes better known: spongy moths, formerly known as gypsy moths.

— APStylebook (@APStylebook) March 9, 2022