AP Stylebook

Capitalize with the name of a nation; lowercase without it: the U.S. Embassy, the embassy.

An embassy is the official office of an ambassador in a foreign country and the office that handles the political relations of one nation with another.
A consulate, the office of a consul in a foreign city, handles the commercial affairs and personal needs of citizens of the appointing country.

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Dow drops 400 after trimming an early plunge of 1,200 as oil prices climb even higher A sell-off for stocks wrapped around the world and hit Wall Street, while oil prices climbed even higher on worries about the widening war with Iran.

Always use the full name Dow Jones Industrial Average on first reference in stories. On subsequent references, use the Dow.
The market indicator includes 30 leading U.S. stocks.
apnews.com/article/stoc...

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…

If you need timely insights around the language of complex events, subscribe to AP Stylebook Online. We emailed customers this week with our new entry on the Iran war, and users can check new entries and updates any time on the Stylebook dashboard.
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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…

Stylebook editor Anna Jo Bratton was hard at work this weekend, reviewing our guidance on when we use the word "war" and what our assassination entry says.

Iran war Stay up to date on the latest Iran war news coverage from AP News.

Lowercase the word war. AP capitalizes that word only as part of a formal name.
The terms "conflict" and "attacks" may also be used to describe the situation. Include specific details of the military action.
apnews.com/hub/iran

Iran war Stay up to date on the latest Iran war news coverage from AP News.

We have added a new AP Stylebook Online entry for the Iran war.
Our guidance explains that it is acceptable to use the term "war" to refer to the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting Feb. 28, 2026, and Iran’s retaliation.

Live updates: Voter confusion snarls Texas primary as midterms begin Voters will head to the polls in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas for the first midterm primary of 2026. Republicans and Democrats look for clues on the nation's temperament.

So midterm does not take a hyphen, like midsemester or midair, but mid-Atlantic does.

apnews.com/live/electio...

Live updates: Voter confusion snarls Texas primary as midterms begin Voters will head to the polls in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas for the first midterm primary of 2026. Republicans and Democrats look for clues on the nation's temperament.

*Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized: un-American, for example.
* Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes: sub-subparagraph.
It notes that the prefix mid- follows our general guidance, with the additional note to use a hyphen when a figure follows, such as mid-30s.

Live updates: Voter confusion snarls Texas primary as midterms begin Voters will head to the polls in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas for the first midterm primary of 2026. Republicans and Democrats look for clues on the nation's temperament.

Our prefix entry offers three broad rules for prefixes:
* Use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel. Exceptions: cooperate, coordinate, and double-e combinations such as preestablish, preeminent, reenact, reelect.

Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president's name The Trump family company wants to trademark the use of the president’s name on any airports but says it doesn’t plan on charging a fee — at least for a proposed renaming of one near his Florida home.

We do not use tm, r or c to indicate registered trademarks or copyrighted material.
apnews.com/article/trum...

Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president's name The Trump family company wants to trademark the use of the president’s name on any airports but says it doesn’t plan on charging a fee — at least for a proposed renaming of one near his Florida home.

A trademark is a brand, symbol, word, etc., used by a manufacturer or dealer and protected by law to prevent a competitor from using it: AstroTurf, for a type of artificial grass, for example.
In general, AP style advises using a generic term unless the trademark name is essential to the story.

Photos highlight New York Fashion Week's Fall-Winter 2026 runway show NEW YORK (AP) — Photos of the Fall-Winter 2026 runway show at New York Fashion Week. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Capitalize "fashion week" in an official name, such as New York Fashion Week or London Fashion Week.
apnews.com/photo-galler...

Capitalize all words in the name of a designated or branded day, week, month or other time period, such as Black History Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, World Religion Day, International Women’s Day.
Lowercase the time period in informal descriptions: Memorial Day weekend, Christmas week.

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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…

If you ask your search engine or AI tool for AP style guidance, maybe you'll get the right answer. You might also get outdated guidance or a hallucination.
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How the Rev. Jesse Jackson helped popularize the term 'African American' The Rev. Jesse Jackson had popularized the term “African American" as a way to reclaim cultural identity. The protege of the Rev. Dr.

Jesse Jackson helped popularize the term African American.
The AP does not hyphenate dual-heritage terms, including African American and Asian American.
apnews.com/article/jess...

US-Canada bridge brouhaha deepens as White House says Trump could amend a permit for the project The White House says President Donald Trump has the right to amend a permit for a new bridge between Canada and Michigan.

Our dictionary, Merriam-Webster, defines brouhaha as a hubbub or uproar.
apnews.com/article/dona...

What a new Gallup poll shows about the depth of Americans' gloom A new Gallup poll reveals that Americans' optimism about their future is at a low. Only 59% of U.S. adults rate their future life satisfaction highly, which is the lowest measure since Gallup began…

When evaluating a poll or survey, the key question to answer is: Are its results likely to accurately reflect the opinion of the group being surveyed?
Note how this story explains the Gallup poll methodology. apnews.com/article/poll...

What a new Gallup poll shows about the depth of Americans' gloom A new Gallup poll reveals that Americans' optimism about their future is at a low. Only 59% of U.S. adults rate their future life satisfaction highly, which is the lowest measure since Gallup began…

The Stylebook's polls and surveys entry advises: Reporting on public opinion research requires rigorous inspection of a poll’s methodology, provenance and results.

Workers turn to 'polyworking' to combat frozen salaries and inflation Working professionals in the U.S. are taking on side jobs to supplement their incomes amid frozen salaries, inflation and fear of layoffs.

The Stylebook doesn't have an entry for "polyworking."
Are you familiar with this term for what some have called a side hustle?

New words and phrases enter the language all the time, and our editors keep an eye out for which ones should get added to AP style.
apnews.com/article/work...

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

Check out our AP Stylebook Online Topical Guide before the Winter Games conclude this weekend.
www.apstylebook.com/topical_most...

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

In the United States, Olympic medal standings are based on the total number of medals won by each country – gold, silver, and bronze combined. In most other countries, rankings are based on gold medals won, followed by silver and bronze medals.

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However, if things are different in six months or a year, I'd suggest revisiting," Anna Jo said.

Would AP style use ICE on first reference?
Stylebook editor Anna Jo Bratton answered in AP Stylebook Online's Ask the Editor. She said in part, "I would be OK with ICE in a headline, or even the lead of a story. I'd want to see it spelled out in the next reference up high in the story...

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