Letters, Numbers, and Apostrophes

We all know that we don’t use apostrophes in plurals. We use apostrophes mostly for possession. Girl’s is not a plural; it is a possessive.

But what about the plural of numerals? And while we are at it, the plural of individual letters?

The main issue is clarity. Do whatever you can to avoid confusion. 

• I got all A’s on my report card.  Without the apostrophe, we have As. Looks like its own word (as), so an apostrophe is a wise choice.
• Same with I’s and U’s because without the apostrophe, they are their own words (is, us).
• But what about with other letters: E‘s? T‘s? ws? Well, technically a letter used as itself is written in italics, and the s  to make it plural is not, so that might take away some of the confusion: ws. That still looks weird. And confusing. Even the uppercase plurals look weird to me: Ws. There is no rule per se, so make your best choice. I would choose to use an apostrophe to make a single letter plural.

On to numbers: 7s? 25s? Once again, it is up to you. I am not a lover of putting in extra apostrophes unless necessary, so I would probably not put the apostrophe in. If there is a “rule,” it is to not use the apostrophe because there is really no cause for confusion.

People have a lot or issues writing the plural of decades. Of course, you can always just write out the words: the sixties. Everyone (probably) will know you mean the 1960s. So, yes, it is 1960s as a plural – no apostrophe as a plural. But as a possessive? I love 1960’s fashion. What about just the “60s” ? No apostrophe is needed — before the s. However, we need an apostrophe at the beginning to indicate that the  19 has been left out (or 18 if you are talking about the 1860s). So, it is  the ’60s.

• the sixties
• the ’60s
• the 1960s