A relatively modern dictionary (I don’t know which one, because we’ve cut out the pages and used them as wallpaper in our bathroom, but I know it’s less than 20 years old) indicates that R’s is one correct pluralization of R, as is Rs, but whichever dictionary this is, it’s kind of a no-name brand, so I’m not sure I trust it.
I’ve always wondered what the best way was to pluralize single letters or numerals, like 2’s or 2s. What’s correct?
Answer
From this Wikipedia page:
- It is generally acceptable to use apostrophes to show plurals of single
lower-case letters, such as be sure to
dot your i's and cross your t's. Some
style guides would prefer to use a
change of font: dot your is and cross
your ts. Upper case
letters need no apostrophe (I got
three As in my exams) except when
there is a risk of misreading, such as
at the start of a sentence: A's are
the highest marks achievable in these
exams.
- For groups of years, the apostrophe at the end cannot be regarded as
necessary, since there is no
possibility of misreading. For this
reason, most authorities prefer 1960s
to 1960's (although the latter is
noted by at least one source as
acceptable in American usage), and
90s or '90s to 90's or '90's.
- The apostrophe is sometimes used in forming the plural of numbers (for
example, 1000's of years); however, as
with groups of years, it is
unnecessary: there is no possibility
of misreading. Most sources are
against this usage.
- The apostrophe is often used in plurals of symbols. Again, since there
can be no misreading, this is often
regarded as incorrect. That page
has too many &s and #s on it.
- Finally, a few sources accept its use in an alternative spelling of the
plurals of a very few short words,
such as do, ex, yes, no, which become
do's, ex's, etc. In each case,
dos, exes, yeses (or yesses) and noes
would be preferred by most
authorities. Nevertheless, many
writers are still inclined to use such
an apostrophe when the word is thought
to look awkward or unusual without
one.
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