Language and culture change. You don't want to look suss if you're using cheugy terminology. Don't know what that means? Don't worry, it's not AP style. Yet. Subscribe to AP Stylebook Online to keep pace with language, but maybe not with your kids. store.stylebooks.com/apstylebooko...

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AP Stylebook Online is a searchable, customizable guide for writers and editors that is updated throughout the year. Your subscription includes the popular Ask the Editor feature, where you can ask…

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When reporting election returns, AP style says to use figures, with commas every three digits starting at the right and counting left. Also, use the word to (not a hyphen) in separating different totals listed together. apnews.com/hub/elections

Your team doesn't need everyone to memorize AP style. Your team does need everyone to use the same version of AP style and to understand how to apply it to your work.

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Use the singular "athletic" in athletic director unless it appears otherwise in a formal title, such as a school district with an athletics director. AD is acceptable on second reference.

When a child leaves a birthday party, do they get a goodie bag or a goody bag? Merriam-Webster says: a goody bag is a bag containing a small gift.

Back-to-school time is coming. Even if you haven't seen the inside of a classroom in a very long time, get yourself the textbook you know you need. You don't need to put a brown paper grocery bag cover on it, but if you do, we'd love to see a photo.

Lowercase primary in all uses, such as the New Hampshire primary, the Democratic primary, the primary or primary day. apnews.com/hub/elections

Use uppercase All-Star only when referring to players who have been officially named All-Stars in a sport that refers to its best players each season as All-Stars. Use lowercase all-star sparingly to refer informally to performances or players in casual constructions.

Caitlin Clark’s whirlwind All-Star weekend: Meeting Obama, then lighting up the game

Caitlin Clark had a memorable weekend that started with meeting former President Barack Obama and ended with a stellar effort in her first traditional All-Star Game.

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The AP Stylebook 2 print edition, web-based access and style-checking software.

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Berlin stands alone in datelines. That means there is no need to add "Germany" after Berlin for clarification.

The suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride attack is killed in a confrontation with police

German authorities say the suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride attack that killed one person and left 29 injured was shot and killed by police during a confrontation in a suburb of the city.

apnews.com

No hyphen in most cases when writing "grade" or "grader." For example, a fourth grade student, first grader, she is in the fifth grade.

Ceasefire is one word, without a hyphen as a noun or adjective. The verb form is cease fire. Do not refer to ceasefires as peace deals or peace agreements, as that would imply a lasting resolution to the conflicts.

While everyone's up in arms about the em dash, let's not forget about the power of a well-placed semicolon.

We added guidance this year to distinguish between human smuggling and trafficking. Human smuggling or people smuggling typically involves transporting people across an international border illegally, and with their consent, in exchange for a fee.

Sure, you could ask AI your style questions. But will you get up-to-date answers from a source you trust? You could Google. But will everyone else in your organization choose the same search result?

AP Stylebook Online

AP Stylebook Online is a searchable, customizable guide for writers and editors that is updated throughout the year. Your subscription includes the popular Ask the Editor feature, where you can ask…

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Early-bird discount expires soon for Refine Your PR Pitch with the AP. Boost your AP style knowledge. Refine your understanding of reporters' wants and needs. Get journalists' feedback on pitches from participants. Sign up now to get the best rate. store.stylebooks.com/pitching-and...

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Just as first lady and first gentleman are lowercase for an informal reference to the spouse of the president, AP style says it's lowercase second lady or second gentleman for the spouse of the vice president. These are not official titles, which is why they're not capitalized.

JD and Usha Vance welcome a baby boy, the first child born to a sitting VP in more than 150 years

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance have welcomed their fourth child. Their son Alec Neel Vance is the first child born to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years.

apnews.com

Rebut means to argue to the contrary: He rebutted his opponent's statement. Refute connotes success in argument and almost always implies an editorial judgment. Instead, use deny, dispute, rebut or respond to.

When a player restarts play by throwing the ball back onto the pitch from its perimeter, that's called a throw-in. The player must keep both feet on the ground and have both hands behind his head as he throws the ball.

AP Stylebook Online Topical Guides

The AP Stylebook provides these guides on writing style and guidance for major events in the news.

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If a person suffocates in water or other fluid, the proper statement is that the individual drowned. To say that someone was drowned implies that another person caused the death by holding the victim's head under the water.

Majority means more than half of an amount. Plurality means more than the next highest number. When majority and plurality are used alone, they take singular verbs and pronouns: The majority has made its decision.

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AP style calls for capitalizing Senate in all specific references to governmental legislative bodies, regardless of whether the name of the state or nation is used. For example, we would write the U.S. Senate or the Senate.

Merriam-Webster, our primary dictionary, defines cyclospora: any of a genus (Cyclospora of the order Coccidia) of sporozoans including one (C. cayetanensis) causing diarrhea in humans. apnews.com/video/what-t...

What to know about cyclospora, the parasite linked to severe diarrhea

Michigan is experiencing its largest outbreak of a parasitic infection that causes severe diarrhea. Cyclospora spreads through contaminated food and water, often linked to fresh produce.

apnews.com

You've probably heard the theory that em dashes mean someone has used AI. AP Stylebook Editor Anna Jo Bratton disagrees in a blog post that acknowledges it would be helpful to have a clear and obvious tell when AI is the author.

The 32 surviving teams after the group stage of the World Cup enter a single-elimination tournament. (The only exception are the teams that lose in the semifinals and advance to a third-place match the day before the World Cup final). Knockout and elimination are both acceptable.

AP Stylebook Online Topical Guides

The AP Stylebook provides these guides on writing style and guidance for major events in the news.

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The AP Stylebook reminds you that it's the Smithsonian Institution, not Smithsonian Institute.

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AP Stylebook Online is updated throughout the year, and we have hundreds of new and updated entries. But one of the most common AP Stylebook searches is for our rules on times, so here's some AP style guidance that's stood the test of time.