AP Stylebook

06/17/2026

Use a comma after states or countries used with city names:
His journey will take him from Dublin, Ireland, to Fargo, North Dakota, and back.
The Selma, Alabama, group saw the governor.

Use parentheses, however, if a state name is inserted within a proper name: The Huntsville (Alabama) Times.

06/16/2026

Use a comma instead of a period at the end of a quotation that is followed by attribution: "Write clearly and concisely," she said.
Do not use a comma, however, if the quoted statement ends with a question mark or exclamation point: "Why should I?" he asked.

06/12/2026

AP style shows group stage is two words, no hyphen.
Teams in the 2026 World Cup have been assigned to 12 different four-team groups. The top two teams from each group are guaranteed to advance, as will the eight best third-place teams. Teams finishing fourth in groups are eliminated.
Check out our AP Stylebook Online Topical Guide on the World Cup. We don't want you to get eliminated from your office's style debate.
https://buff.ly/aq8LEZ5

06/11/2026

FIFA has added 3-minute breaks midway through each half to allow players to have beverages to avoid dehydration. These hydration breaks were introduced in response to concerns about player welfare and heat after last year's Club World Cup in the United States, where temperatures came close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) at some games.
Visit our AP Stylebook Online Topical Guide on the World Cup during breaks in the action.

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

06/10/2026

AP style uses defender, not defenseman, and goalkeeper or goalie, not goaltender.
Check out our AP Stylebook Online Topical Guide on the World Cup to stay in style for all the action.

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

06/09/2026

FIFA has changed the names of the host stadiums during the World Cup. Our AP Stylebook Online Topical Guide on the 2026 World Cup contains the FIFA name, followed by the existing name and the proper dateline. https://buff.ly/aq8LEZ5
And check out AP's map of World Cup venues: https://buff.ly/a6af6VD

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

06/09/2026

A record 48 teams are set to play a record 104 matches spread out across the United States, Canada and Mexico when the World Cup starts this week.
Check out our AP Stylebook Online Topical Guide for the terms you'll need to write about the action: https://www.apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent
AP Stylebook Online subscribers get access to all our Topical Guides. We give everyone access to the most recent one.

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

06/08/2026

AP style calls for spelling out the names of the 50 U.S. states in the body of a story, whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village or military base.
This helps with clarity, as not every reader will readily know state abbreviations. Many writers and editors had to memorize AP's state abbreviations in school, but did your readers do the same?

06/05/2026

If you are planning time away this summer, a reminder that AP style refers to sites such as Airbnb and Vrbo as vacation rental websites. Do not call them home-sharing sites or room-sharing sites.

06/05/2026

Our workshop this fall, Refine Your PR Pitch with the AP, will cover the essentials of AP style for your media outreach.
You'll also get help creating a better pitch, so your writing and editing support an idea that lands.
Check out this roster for Week 2!
https://buff.ly/6lLiUtu