Apostrophe
An apostrophe is a punctuation mark (') used to show possession, mark contractions or form the plural of single letters and symbols.
What is apostrophe?
The apostrophe is a raised punctuation mark that does three jobs in English. It shows possession ("the writer's voice"), marks missing letters in a contraction ("do not" becomes "don't") and forms the plural of single letters or symbols ("mind your p's and q's"). The mark sits directly against the letter it modifies, with no space on either side.
Possession: the writer's voice
Contraction: do not → don't
Plural of letters: mind your p's and q's
Why does apostrophe matter?
Apostrophes carry a lot of meaning for something so small, and misplaced ones draw attention faster than almost any other typo. "Its" versus "it's" trips up even careful writers, and a stray apostrophe in a plural like "banana's for sale" reads as careless. In brand copy, inconsistent apostrophe use signals a lack of care that quietly undermines trust in the rest of the writing.
How do you use apostrophe?
Use an apostrophe plus "s" to show singular possession ("the team's goal") and a trailing apostrophe alone for plural possessives that already end in "s" ("the teams' goals").
Reserve the apostrophe for contractions only when the voice allows them, since many brand voices cut contractions for a more formal tone.
Do not insert an apostrophe into plain plurals, decades or acronyms: "CEOs" and "the 1990s" take no apostrophe at all.
