AP Style 6 & 7 Abbreviations

How should you abbreviate "versus" in court cases?

v.

When is it acceptable to abbreviate "incorporated" at the end of a business name?

Abbreviate and capitalize as Inc. when used as a part of a corporate name.

When should "junior" and "senior" be abbreviated?

Abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. only with full names of persons

When is it acceptable to abbreviate "saint"?

Abbreviate as St. in the names of saints, cities, and other places

When should you use abbreviations with numbered addresses?

Abbreviate avenue, boulevard, and street in numbered addresses.

Can compass point direction be abbreviated in addresses? If so, when?

Abbreviate compass points used to indicate directional ends of a street of quadrants of a city in a numbered address. Do not abbreviate if the number is omitted.

When should you use abbreviations after an individual's name or after the name of a corporate entity?

Abbreviate junior or senior after an individual's name and abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated or limited when used after the name of a corporate entity. Additionally, an academic degree may be abbreviated after an individual's name.

What titles can be abbreviated before a name?

Abbreviate titles when used before a full name and certain military designations.

When is it acceptable to abbreviate "television" as "tv"?

Acceptable as an abbreviated form of television, as a noun or adjective

What eight state names are never abbreviated in datelines or text?

Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah

What is an acronym?

An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words.

When is it acceptable to abbreviate "fort"?

Do not abbreviate for cities or for military installations.

Can days of the week be abbreviated?

Do not abbreviate them, except when in a tabular format: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat (three letters, without periods, to facilitate tabular composition).

When should "incorporated" be preceded by a comma?

Do not set off "incorporated" with commas

When should "incorporated" or "limited" be preceded by a comma?

Do not use a comma before Inc. Or Ltd. even if it is included in the formal name

What are the general guidelines for "alphabet soup"?

Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize. Abbreviations and most acronyms should also be avoided in headlines.

.When is it acceptable to use symbols in company names?

Do not use symbols such as exclamation points, plus signs, or asterisks that form contrived spellings that might distract or confuse a reader. Use an ampersand only if it is part of the company's formal name, but not otherwise in the place of and.

How can you use short-form punctuation to designate a person's political affiliation?

First letter of party-State abbreviation set off by commas. For example, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said...

When should you use periods with acronyms?

Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated words.

When is U.S. abbreviated in highway names?

It is always abbreviated U.S.

Should "junior" or "senior" ever be preceded by a comma?

Never

Can "Christmas" be abbreviated?

Never abbreviate Christmas to Xmas or any other form.

When should periods be used in compass point or quadrant directions in abbreviations?

No periods in quadrant abbreviations, unless customary locally.

What are the abbreviations for Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas?

Oklahoma: Okla. (OK) Arkansas: Ark. (AR) Colorado: Colo. (CO) Kansas: Kan. (KS) New Mexico: N.M. (NM) Texas: Never abbreviated

When is Interstate abbreviated in highway names?

On second reference only for interstate it is abbreviated as I-495.

When is it acceptable to abbreviate "versus"?

Spell it out in ordinary speech and writing, but in short expressions the abbreviation vs. is permitted

When is it acceptable to abbreviation "mount"?

Spell out in all uses, including the names of communities and of mountains.

When should you use abbreviations with state names?

The names of certain states and the United States are abbreviated with periods in some circumstances.

When can you abbreviate "United States"?

U.S. is an acceptable abbreviated for United States as a noun or adjective. In headlines, it's US (no periods).

When is it acceptable to abbreviate "company" at the end of a business name?

Use Co. or Cos. when a business uses either word at the end of its proper name

When should you use periods with abbreviations?

Use periods in most two-letter abbreviations. In headlines, do not use periods in abbreviations, unless required for charity. Use all caps, but no periods, in longer abbreviations when the individual letters are pronounced.

When should you use abbreviations with dates and numerals?

Use the abbreviations A.D., B.C., a.m., p.m., No., and abbreviate certain months when used with the day of the month.

What thoroughfare names can be abbreviated?

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number. All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) always are spelled out.

When should you use the ampersand symbol (&)?

Use the ampersand when it is part of a company's form name or composition title. The ampersand should not otherwise be used in place of and, except for some accepted abbreviations: B&B, R&B.

When should you use the word percent and when should you use the % symbol?

Use the word percent

When can a month name be abbreviated?

When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone.

When is it acceptable to abbreviated "United States" and "United Nations"?

Yes, use periods in between letters when in text, but no periods when used in headlines

When is it acceptable to abbreviate "incorporated" or "limited" at the end of a company name?

You just must include the full company name somewhere in the story.

When is it acceptable to use the cent symbol? (Square)

You should spell out the word cents and lowercase, using numerals for amounts less than a dollar. Use the $ sign and decimal system for larger amounts.