---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-no-apostrophe-plurals.md
title: "Do not use an apostrophe to make a plural"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), GPO Style Manual (2016), Chapter 8: Punctuation, US government work, public domain; Digital.gov (GSA), Digital.gov style guide, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "write-edit"
tags: [plain-language, style, apostrophes, plurals]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "GPO Style Manual (2016), Chapter 8: Punctuation"
    publisher: U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)
    url: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016-10.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "Digital.gov style guide"
    publisher: Digital.gov (GSA)
    url: https://digital.gov/style-guide/
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Do not use an apostrophe to make a plural

**Answer:** An apostrophe indicates possession and contractions. It is not generally necessary to use one to show a plural: OKs, 49ers, twos.

## GPO

- Most acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations take a plain s in the plural; add an apostrophe only where clarity and sense demand it.
- The plural of spelled-out numbers and of words referred to as words is formed by adding s or es: "twos, threes, sevens."
- Add 's to a word used as a word only if omitting the apostrophe would cause difficulty in reading.

## Digital.gov

- Do not use an apostrophe to make words plural. Ever.
- No s is needed on an initialism or acronym if a word in the original name is already plural: CoE serves for both Center of Excellence and Centers of Excellence.

## See also

- [plain-contractions-with-discretion](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-contractions-with-discretion/)
- [plain-language-abbreviations-and-consistency](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-abbreviations-and-consistency/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: GPO generally omits apostrophes in plurals of acronyms and abbreviations.
  source: S1
  evidence: "it is not generally necessary to use an apostrophe simply to show the plural form"

- id: C2
  claim: GPO forms plurals of spelled-out numbers with s or es.
  source: S1
  evidence: "formed by adding s or es"

- id: C3
  claim: Digital.gov bans apostrophe plurals.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Do not use an apostrophe to make words plural."

- id: C4
  claim: Digital.gov skips the s when the original name is already plural.
  source: S2
  evidence: "There is no need to add an s to the end of an initialism"

## Sources

- [S1] GPO Style Manual (2016), Chapter 8: Punctuation. U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016-10.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

- [S2] Digital.gov style guide. Digital.gov (GSA). https://digital.gov/style-guide/ . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).