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Apostrophes with Acronyms and Abbreviations
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Apostrophes in Plural Acronyms and Abbreviations
It is common to see an apostrophe used in the plural of an abbreviation or an acronym. For example:- She had two CJJ's.
- Buy three CD's for the price of two.
- Our garage can do twenty MOT's in day.

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Apostrophes in Unwieldy Plurals
If the writer thinks an apostrophe helps readers, then one can be used in the plural of an abbreviation or an acronym. For example:- She sent two SOS's.
- I have five SUS's in my care.
- She sent two SOSs.
- I have five SUSs in my care.
Apostrophes in Uppercase Plural Abbreviations and Acronyms
When only capital letters can be used, it is permissible to use an apostrophe to show the plural of an abbreviation or an acronym. (This happens mostly in document titles or advertisements.)- CDS REQUIRES THREE CD'S
- VISITING SUS'S AFTER 1 APRIL
Apostrophes in Awkward Plurals
Apostrophes can also be used in other awkward plurals. For example:- Your 2's look like Z's.
- You use too many and's in your writing.
- There are two a's, two c's, and two o's in accommodation.
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See Also
Using apostrophes Apostrophes for possession Apostrophe placement rules Apostrophe after s Apostrophe after z Apostrophe before s Apostrophes for awkward plurals Apostrophes in contractions Apostrophes in expressions like 2 years' pay and a day's notice Apostrophes used incorrectly for plurals Apostrophe exercises Apostrophes in names Apostrophe misuse Apostrophes in contractions Using brackets and parentheses Using colons Using commas Using dashes Using hyphens Using quotation marks Using semicolons "Apostrophes for possession" game (Tetris-style game) "Apostrophes in time expressions" game (Tetris-style game)Page URL