Using Apostrophes in Contractions and with Letters, Numbers and Symbols

Using Apostrophes in Contractions and with Letters, Numbers, and Symbols

1. Beyond Possession: Other Uses of Apostrophes

Most students learn that apostrophes mark possession: the researcher’s data, the department’s policy, the year’s results. However, apostrophes have a second important job in English: they indicate where letters have been omitted. This role appears in contractions such as don’t (do not) and it’s (it is / it has) and in certain specialised expressions using letters and numbers.

In academic and scientific writing, misunderstanding these uses often leads to two opposite problems:

• overuse of contractions in formal prose, which makes the tone too informal, and
• unnecessary apostrophes in simple plurals, especially with dates, abbreviations, and numbers.

This article explores how to handle apostrophes correctly in contractions and in expressions involving letters, numbers, and symbols, with a focus on clear, professional scholarly style.

2. Contractions: Where Letters Go Missing

A contraction is a shortened form of one or more words where one or more letters have been omitted. Each omitted letter is represented by an apostrophe placed in the position the letters would normally occupy. Common examples include:

• it’s = it is / it has
• she’s = she is / she has
• I’ll = I will
• don’t = do not
• wouldn’t = would not

These forms are widespread in spoken English and in informal writing, such as emails or blog posts. However, their place in formal academic writing is much more limited.

2.1 Contractions in academic prose: generally avoid

Most style guides advise that contractions should not be used in the main body of formal scholarly prose. Constructions such as:

• It’s clear that…
• We don’t know whether…
• The results wouldn’t generalise to…

are perfectly acceptable in conversation, but in a thesis, dissertation, or journal article they are usually replaced with the full forms:

• It is clear that…
• We do not know whether…
• The results would not generalise to…

Expanding contractions creates a more formal tone and reduces the risk of ambiguity, especially with forms such as it’s, which can mean either it is or it has depending on context.

2.2 When contractions are acceptable

There are, however, contexts in academic writing where contractions are not only acceptable but necessary:

• Direct quotations: When you quote speech or informal text, you must preserve the original wording, including contractions: The participant said, “I don’t think this applies to me.”
• Historical or literary sources: When quoting older texts or poetry that use forms such as ’tis, o’er, ev’ry, you should reproduce the original apostrophes for accuracy and stylistic effect.
• Fixed expressions and names: Some contractions are deeply embedded in names or set phrases, for example rock ’n’ roll, dos and don’ts, ma’am, or nautical terms such as bo’sun. These may appear in academic writing when the subject requires them.

In all of these cases, the contraction belongs to the language you are describing or quoting, not to your own voice as an academic writer. Your own narration and analysis should normally use full forms.

3. Position and Spacing of Apostrophes in Contractions

Where a contraction is appropriate, the apostrophe always takes the place of the missing letters, and the spacing around it matches what the spacing would have been if the full form were written. This leads to a few straightforward patterns.

3.1 Mid-word omissions: no spaces

If letters are omitted within a single word, there are no spaces around the apostrophe:

• don’t (do not)
• she’s (she is / she has)
• we’ll (we will)

Here, the apostrophe sits in the exact spot of the missing letters without changing the spacing of the rest of the sentence.

3.2 Initial letters omitted

When a contraction omits the initial letter(s) of a word, the apostrophe replaces those letters, and the necessary space appears before the apostrophe:

• ’tis (it is)
• ’cause (because, in informal writing)

Notice that in ’tis the space appears before the apostrophe, just as it would before it if the phrase were written in full.

3.3 Final letters omitted

When final letters are omitted, the apostrophe replaces them at the end of the word. A space follows if the full word would also be followed by a space:

• th’ ancient one (for the ancient one, in older poetic usage)

This pattern is rare in modern academic prose, but it is useful to understand if you work with historical texts or need to transcribe such forms accurately.

3.4 Software issues: apostrophe vs opening quote

Most word processors automatically convert straight quotation marks into curly quotes. When a word begins with an apostrophe (as in ’tis or ’90s), software can mistakenly insert an opening single quotation mark instead of a true apostrophe. The two marks curl in opposite directions, and in careful typesetting they should be distinguished.

One workaround is to type two apostrophes in a row and delete the first; the second will often be shaped correctly. In long projects such as theses, it is worth scanning for any initial apostrophes that have been turned into opening quotes and correcting them before submission.

4. When No Apostrophe Is Needed

Some words that look like shortened forms no longer require apostrophes because they have become accepted as independent words in their own right. Common examples in academic English include:

• phone (from telephone)
• flu (from influenza)
• nineties (from nineteen nineties)

Writing ’phone or ’flu is now generally considered old-fashioned. In modern academic prose, you can use the shorter forms without an apostrophe.

5. Apostrophes with Letters, Numbers, and Symbols

Apostrophes are not normally used to form the plurals of English nouns, but there is a small group of cases where an apostrophe can improve clarity – particularly when you are talking about letters, digits, or symbols as objects rather than as part of normal words.

5.1 Letters used as objects

When letters (especially lowercase letters) are used as items in a sentence, an apostrophe can prevent confusion between the letter itself and the plural ending:

• Mind your p’s and q’s.
• Cross the t’s and dot the i’s.

Without apostrophes, ts and is can be misread as ordinary words or letter pairs. In these cases, the apostrophe simply makes the sentence easier to read; it does not indicate possession.

Another option is to typographically mark the letters—for example, by using italics or quotation marks:

• Cross the ts and dot the is.
• Cross the “t”s and dot the “i”s.

However, in running text, t’s and i’s are still common and acceptable.

5.2 Numbers used as objects

Similarly, when you discuss numerals as items, some writers use apostrophes to avoid confusion:

• She rolled three 7’s in a row.
• The code contained four 0’s.

In contemporary academic practice, forms such as three 7s or four 0s are also acceptable, and many style guides now prefer them because they avoid apostrophes where no possession is involved. If you do use apostrophes here, be consistent and make sure the numerals are clearly separated from surrounding text.

5.3 Symbols and other characters

Apostrophes can also occasionally help when you are listing or counting symbols that might otherwise blend into the sentence. For example:

• The dataset contained three *’s used as wildcards.

Again, typographical marking (such as placing the symbols in quotation marks) can serve the same purpose. The overarching principle is clarity: choose the form that makes it easiest for the reader to understand that you are referring to characters, not words.

6. Plurals vs Apostrophes: Avoiding Common Errors

Because apostrophes are used in both possessives and contractions, many writers start inserting them wherever an s appears at the end of a word. This leads to some of the most common errors in academic writing:

• 1990’s instead of 1990s
• NGO’s instead of NGOs
• PhD’s instead of PhDs

Remember: apostrophes do not form simple plurals. They mark possession or omitted letters. Once you decide that a word is simply plural (more than one of something) rather than possessive or contracted, the apostrophe should disappear. For example:

• the 1990s (the decade)
• two NGOs (two organisations)
• several PhDs (several doctorate holders)

Only add an apostrophe if something belongs to those nouns or if you are shortening words as a contraction.

7. A Quick Editing Checklist for Apostrophes

When proofreading your thesis or article, it is worth doing a pass focused solely on apostrophes. Ask yourself:

• Have I avoided contractions in my own voice in formal sections?
• Are all remaining contractions part of direct quotations, fixed expressions, or historically accurate forms?
• Do apostrophes in contractions appear exactly where letters are omitted, with appropriate spacing?
• Have I not used apostrophes to form simple plurals of years, acronyms, or numbers?
• Where I use apostrophes with letters or digits, do they clearly improve readability and avoid confusion?

By systematically checking these points, you can eliminate most apostrophe errors quickly and raise the overall polish of your academic writing.

8. Conclusion

Apostrophes are small marks with a large impact. In formal academic and scientific prose, they are appropriate in possessives, in accurately reproduced quotations, and in a few specialised cases where you refer to letters, numbers, or symbols as objects. They are generally not appropriate for contractions in your own narrative voice, nor for forming simple plurals. Mastering these distinctions allows you to use apostrophes confidently and correctly, ensuring that your writing looks professional and that your meaning is always clear.