AP Stylebook

It’s World Series on first reference; the Series is acceptable after that, with the capital S. This year’s matchup pairs two of baseball’s smallest spenders for the first time since 1991. apnews.com/article/6e6e...

When the service is Disney+, keep the plus sign. The + symbol is acceptable when it is pronounced as part of a company, brand or event name: Disney+, Apple TV+, ESPN+. Here’s what’s new to stream this week: apnews.com/article/4d6f...

Hyphenate a movie rating when it modifies the noun or follows a linking verb. An R-rated movie has an R rating. The movie is R-rated. “Clayface” brings horror to an R-rated superhero release. apnews.com/article/18a4...

Ukraine, not “the Ukraine.” Use the country’s name without the article: Russian strikes hit Ukraine’s power grid again Monday. apnews.com/article/b041...

Be specific when possible. Shiyazh Pete is a member of the Navajo Nation, not only a “Native athlete.” apnews.com/article/indi...

Building a watch list? Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. with a specific date: Oct. 16. Spell out October when it stands alone or appears with only a year. apnews.com/article/00be...

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is distinct from the five Nobel Prizes established under Alfred Nobel’s will. apnews.com/article/96f3...

Market math, AP style: Pair a numeral with the % sign, with no space: 0.1%, 1%. Use words in casual expressions, such as a zero percent chance. This reflects a change we made in 2019, from spelling out “percent” to using the percent sign. apnews.com/article/a9a2...

The search for the next United Nations secretary-general is underway. In body copy, use periods in U.N. Headlines generally omit periods in abbreviations: UN. AP style says underway is one word with no hyphen in all uses. apnews.com/article/49fa...

Capitalize West Coast when referring to the U.S. region. Lowercase “coast” for the physical shoreline or a smaller area: erosion along the California coast. apnews.com/article/5224...

The forecast called for triple-digit heat at the Braves-Dodgers opener. And if you need the past tense of forecast, it’s forecast, not forecasted. apnews.com/article/55fc...

The first live session of AP Stylebook Workshop 201: Refine Your Content is today. Join us to dig in on the big-picture questions of how to improve your writing and editing to make your copy clear and compelling. Hurry and sign up. We kick off at 2 p.m. EST. store.stylebooks.com/ap-stylebook...

Paramount has closed its $81B takeover of Warner Bros. The AP Stylebook’s entry on mergers can help you determine the difference between a merger and a takeover. apnews.com/article/warn...

If you haven't finished the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle from Sept. 6, we might be able to give you a hint on the 4 down clue: Newsroom writing standard, in brief. Seven letters, it starts with AP.

If you are writing about Hurricanes Nolo or Polo, or Tropical Storm Hanna, call the storm it, not he or she. AP style uses “it” for nations, ships, storms and voice assistants, except in direct quotations. apnews.com/climate-and-...

Our free e-newsletter went out this week to over 100,000 recipients. If you aren't getting it yet, it's fast and easy to sign up. Don't miss out on AP style tips, product news, event announcements and more. And yes, "over." We said what we said. apstylebook.com/newsletter

Capitalize Coach when the word substitutes for a name: Thanks, Coach. Lowercase it in a job description: the Giants coach. apnews.com/article/viki...

Use the % sign with a numeral in most cases: 61% of voters, a 5.5% tariff. Spell out percentage when no number is given: The percentage of voters citing gas prices has increased. apnews.com/article/d2f5...

Put quotation marks around the titles of television programs. The interview appeared on “60 Minutes.” Note, too, the possessive: CBS’ “60 Minutes,” with only an apostrophe after CBS. In headlines, that’s single quote marks, so ’60 Minutes’ rather than “60 Minutes.” apnews.com/article/15c4...

The AP Stylebook team discusses and debates AP style changes all year. One of the many ways possible additions or changes make their way to the list for consideration is your suggestions. We value ideas from our users, so add your input here apstylebook.com/suggestions

Fall is here and Halloween decorations are already popping up everywhere. If you're eager to get spooky season started, watch out for the punctuation as you carve your jack-o'-lantern.