Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

Apostrophes

In contractions and informal writing, the apostrophe belongs where the letter is missing. Remember that simple principle and you will never go wrong. I repeat myself on this because it is so important; the misuse of the apostrophe is rampant and really annoying.

In case you missed it: One of the two most common mistakes in typography is with the word and between words such as Mom ’n’ Pop or peaches ’n’ cream. Set the apostrophe where the letters are missing! If a letter or number is missing at the beginning of a word, don’t turn the apostrophe around so it looks like an opening single quote. It should be an apostrophe.

To know where the apostrophe belongs in possessive words, turn the phrase around. The apostrophe belongs after