How to Write Do’s and Don’ts: Correct Spelling and Usage

Both “do’s and don’ts” and “dos and don’ts” are correct, and major style guides split between them. The one form that is always wrong is a second apostrophe in the negative half: write “don’ts,” never “don’t’s” or “dont’s.” Below I explain why each spelling exists, which guide wants which, and how I decide which one to use.

The Short Answer

If you only need a quick fix, here it is.

• Do’s and don’ts is correct. AP style uses it, and it is the most common form on the web and in print.
• Dos and don’ts is also correct. The Chicago Manual of Style and the major British dictionaries prefer it.
• Don’ts has exactly one apostrophe. That apostrophe belongs to the contraction, not to the plural.
• Don’t’s, dont’s, donts, and don ts are all wrong in edited writing.

The phrase means a set of rules about what you should and should not do in a particular situation. “The do’s and don’ts of job interviews” is a typical use.

Pick one form and keep it the same throughout a document. Switching between “do’s” and “dos” on the same page looks careless, even though each spelling is fine by itself.

Why “Do’s” Can Take an Apostrophe When Plurals Normally Don’t

This is the part that confuses most people, and the confusion is fair. English teachers spend years warning us not to use apostrophes to make plurals. Then a common phrase seems to break that rule.

The Normal Rule

In standard English, an apostrophe does two jobs. It shows possession (“the girl’s notebook”) or it marks missing letters in a contraction (“can’t,” “it’s”). It does not make ordinary words plural.

So we write “apples,” not “apple’s.” We write “books,” not “book’s.” The so-called greengrocer’s apostrophe, as in “banana’s 2 for £1,” is a classic error, and the name comes from market-stall signs in Britain.

By that logic, the plural of the noun “do” should simply be “dos.” Many careful writers and editors follow that logic exactly.

The Readability Exception

The trouble is that “dos” is hard to read. It is a short word, and at a glance it looks like several other things:

• DOS, the old computer operating system (as in MS-DOS)
• dos, the Spanish word for “two”
• dos, a rare plural of the musical note “do” (do, re, mi)
• a misspelling of “does”

A reader who meets “dos” cold might pause, sound it out as “doss,” and then backtrack. That small stumble is the whole argument for “do’s.” The apostrophe signals that you are pluralising the word “do,” so the reader hears DOOZ straight away.

English already makes this exception elsewhere. Most style guides accept an apostrophe in the plural of lowercase letters, because “as” (the plural of “a”) is unreadable without it. “Mind your p’s and q’s” and “dot your i’s and cross your t’s” are the familiar examples. “Do’s” works on the same principle: a tiny word that becomes a different word, or nonsense, without the mark.

Why “Don’ts” Has Only One Apostrophe

“Don’t” is a contraction of “do not.” The apostrophe stands in for the missing letter “o.” That apostrophe stays put no matter what you do to the word.

To make it plural, you add a plain “s” to the end: don’t + s = don’ts. There is no need for a second apostrophe, because “don’ts” is perfectly readable. Nobody mistakes it for another word.

Here are the forms I see most often, and what is wrong with each.

Form	Correct?	What’s going on
don’ts	Yes	Contraction apostrophe kept, plural “s” added
don’t’s	No	Adds a second, unnecessary apostrophe before the “s”
dont’s	No	Moves the apostrophe to the wrong spot and drops it from the contraction
donts	No	Drops the contraction apostrophe entirely
don ts	No	A space where the apostrophe should be, often from autocorrect or search typing
don t s	No	Same problem, with extra spaces

The last two forms turn up a lot in search boxes. That is normal, because search engines ignore punctuation. In anything you publish, though, they read as errors.

Doesn’t It Look Inconsistent?

Yes, a little. This is the strongest argument for “do’s.”

In “dos and don’ts,” one half of the pair has an apostrophe and the other does not. The apostrophes are doing different jobs, so the mismatch is logical. Visually, though, it looks lopsided, and readers sometimes assume a typo.

In “do’s and don’ts,” both halves carry an apostrophe. They are still doing different jobs (one aids readability, one marks a contraction), but the pair looks balanced. Writers who prefer this form often say it simply looks right.

I find the balance argument persuasive for headings and titles. Parallel phrases read best when the two halves look alike, which is a general habit of good writing and part of what makes pairs like this one work, much like the care needed when using both in a sentence.

What the Style Guides Say

This is a genuine split among the authorities, not a case of one camp being uneducated. Here is how the main references line up.

Source	Preferred form	Notes
AP Stylebook	do’s and don’ts	Used by most American newspapers and many news sites
Chicago Manual of Style	dos and don’ts	Common in American book publishing and academic work
Merriam-Webster	dos or do’s	Lists both plurals for the noun “do”
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries	dos and don’ts	Typical of British dictionary practice
Cambridge Dictionary	dos and don’ts	Also follows the no-apostrophe form

A few patterns stand out.

American journalism leans toward “do’s.” AP’s priority is fast, unambiguous reading in short copy, and the apostrophe serves that goal.

American book publishing leans toward “dos.” Chicago prefers to keep apostrophes out of plurals wherever the meaning stays clear, and it treats “dos” as clear enough in context.

British usage leans toward “dos.” British dictionaries and many UK publishers prefer the plainer form. US and UK spelling differ in plenty of small ways, the same way the British spelling of liter is “litre,” so this split should not surprise anyone who writes for both markets.

Merriam-Webster sits in the middle and accepts both. That tells you something useful: neither form will get you marked wrong by a dictionary.

Which Should I Use? My Recommendation

Here is the decision process I use.

1. If your publication has a house style, follow it. A newsroom on AP uses “do’s.” A press on Chicago uses “dos.” Consistency within a publication matters more than personal preference.
2. If you write for a general online audience, use “do’s and don’ts.” It is the most common form people search for and recognise. It reads instantly, and the paired apostrophes look tidy in headings.
3. If you write academic, legal or formal British English, use “dos and don’ts.” Editors in those settings expect it, and “do’s” may get corrected.
4. Never mix the two in one document. If the title says “Do’s,” every later instance should say “do’s.”

For this site, I use “do’s and don’ts.” Most of our readers arrive from search, many read on phones, and I want the phrase to register in a single glance.

How to Pronounce It

The pronunciation is the same whichever spelling you choose.

• do’s / dos: DOOZ, IPA /duːz/. It rhymes with “shoes.”
• don’ts: DOHNTS, IPA /doʊnts/ in American English and /dəʊnts/ in British English.

Spoken aloud, the phrase sounds like “dooz and dohnts.” The “t” in “don’ts” is often soft in fast speech, so it can sound closer to “dohnss.”

One small trap: people who read “dos” without the apostrophe sometimes say “doss” or “dohss.” That misreading is exactly what the apostrophe in “do’s” is meant to prevent.

Where the Phrase Comes From

Both halves of the phrase are old, ordinary words that English turned into nouns.

“Do” as a Noun

“Do” is mainly a verb, but English has long let it act as a noun. You can see this in “a big do” (a party, mostly British and informal) and in “a hairdo.” In “do’s and don’ts,” the noun “do” means “a thing you should do,” a recommended action.

“Don’t” as a Noun

“Don’t” is a contraction of “do not,” recorded in English from the 17th century. Turning it into a noun (“a don’t,” “the don’ts”) is a natural move. English does the same with “the ifs and buts” and “the haves and have-nots,” where small function words become countable things.

Victorian-era etiquette writing helped make “don’ts” familiar as a noun. An American etiquette manual from the 1880s, written under the pen name “Censor” by the editor Oliver Bell Bunce, was titled simply Don’t, and it listed social mistakes as a string of prohibitions. Books and magazine columns built on lists of “don’ts” followed, covering manners, health, dress and more.

I could not confirm a reliable earliest recorded date for the full pairing “dos and don’ts,” so I won’t give one. What is clear is that by the early 20th century the paired phrase was well established in English. If you are curious how researchers date phrases like this, it comes down to the same detective work that goes into tracing the etymology of the word itself: finding the oldest printed examples and checking them against each other.

How to Use “Do’s and Don’ts” in a Sentence

Grammatically, the phrase is a plural noun. It takes a plural verb and usually appears with “the.”

Common Patterns

• The do’s and don’ts of + topic: “Here are the do’s and don’ts of tipping in Japan.”
• Some do’s and don’ts for + audience: “I’ve put together some do’s and don’ts for first-time renters.”
• Learn / know / follow the do’s and don’ts: “New staff spend their first week learning the do’s and don’ts of the kitchen.”

Example Sentences

Here are a few I’ve written to show the range.

1. “The do’s and don’ts of email etiquette haven’t changed much in twenty years.”
2. “Before the wedding, my aunt handed me a list of dos and don’ts that ran to two pages.”
3. “There are no strict do’s and don’ts here; use your judgement.”
4. “Our onboarding guide covers the key do’s and don’ts for posting on the company blog.”
5. “She planned a girls’ trip to Lisbon and read up on the local do’s and don’ts first.”

Notice sentence 1 uses a plural verb: “The do’s and don’ts haven’t changed.” Treating the phrase as singular (“the do’s and don’ts hasn’t changed”) is a common slip.

Sentence 5 also shows the difference between a plural possessive (“girls’ trip”) and a plural that takes no apostrophe (“girls”). That distinction is the same one at play in “do’s,” and it is worth getting comfortable with.

Using Just One Half

You can use either word alone.

• “One big don’t: never microwave metal.”
• “The biggest do is to back up your files.”
• “My list had ten don’ts and only two do’s.”

The singular forms are “do” and “don’t.” They read a bit oddly on their own, so I usually put them in a list or quote them for clarity.

Capitalisation in Titles and Headings

In title case, both words get a capital letter, and the “and” stays lowercase.

• AP-style headline: Do’s and Don’ts of Remote Work
• Chicago-style title: Dos and Don’ts of Remote Work
• Sentence case: Do’s and don’ts of remote work

Do not capitalise the “s” or the “t” after the apostrophe. “DO’s” or “Don’Ts” are mistakes. In all caps, write “DO’S AND DON’TS” and keep the apostrophes, since they still help the reader.

Ampersands

“Do’s & Don’ts” is fine in a logo, poster, slide or social card where space is tight. In running prose, spell out “and.” Most style guides reserve the ampersand for names and design use.

Formatting a Do’s and Don’ts List

This phrase almost always introduces a list, so the list itself deserves some care. Here is how I build one that reads well.

Start Every Item With a Verb

Each “do” item should start with an imperative verb. Each “don’t” item should also start with a verb, because “don’t” is already implied by the heading.

Good:

• Do: Arrive ten minutes early.
• Do: Bring a printed copy of your CV.
• Don’t: Check your phone during the interview.
• Don’t: Criticise your last employer.

Weaker:

• Do: Punctuality is important.
• Don’t: Phones.

The weaker version makes the reader work out the instruction. The good version hands it over.

Keep the Two Lists Parallel

Readers scan “do” and “don’t” lists side by side. If the do’s are full sentences and the don’ts are fragments, the page feels uneven. Match length, tone and grammar across both columns.

Choose a Layout That Fits the Content

A two-column table works well when each “do” has a direct opposite. Two separate lists work better when the advice does not pair neatly.

Do	Don’t
Use “do’s and don’ts” consistently	Switch between “do’s” and “dos” mid-article
Put one apostrophe in “don’ts”	Write “don’t’s”
Use a plural verb after the phrase	Write “the do’s and don’ts is”

Don’t Overuse the Format

Some blogs turn every topic into a do’s and don’ts list. The format is useful for practical, rule-based advice. It is clumsy for subjects that need explanation or nuance, where a reader needs the “why” more than a checklist.

Related Plurals That Cause the Same Trouble

“Do’s” belongs to a small family of awkward plurals. Once you see the pattern, the others get easier.

To-Dos

The plural of “to-do” is to-dos, as in “my list of to-dos.” It is not “to-does.” The word “does” is a verb form, while “to-dos” is just the noun “to-do” with an “s.” Merriam-Webster lists “to-dos” as the plural. You will occasionally see “to-do’s” for the same readability reasons as “do’s,” though it is less common.

Yeses and Noes

The plural of “yes” is yeses. The plural of “no” is usually noes, though nos is also accepted. In parliamentary voting, Britain uses “the ayes and the noes.” Some writers use “yes’s” and “no’s,” but most style guides advise against it.

P’s and Q’s

Lowercase letters are the classic case where an apostrophe in a plural is widely accepted. “Mind your p’s and q’s” and “dot your i’s” are the standard forms in most guides. Without the apostrophe, “is” and “as” become different words entirely.

Maybes, Ifs, Ands and Buts

These words also become nouns in fixed phrases: “no ifs, ands, or buts,” “a few maybes.” They take a plain “s” with no apostrophe, because none of them become confusing.

Haves and Have-Nots

“The haves and the have-nots” follows the same logic: verbs turned into plural nouns, with just an “s.”

Decades and Acronyms

The modern standard in US and UK style is “the 1990s” and “FAQs,” with no apostrophe. “The 1990’s” and “FAQ’s” are older forms that most editors now correct. These are good reminders that the apostrophe exception for “do’s” is narrow. It does not license apostrophes in plurals generally.

Quick Reference

Singular	Preferred plural	Avoid
do	do’s or dos	does (different word)
don’t	don’ts	don’t’s, dont’s
to-do	to-dos	to-does
yes	yeses	yes’s
no	noes or nos	no’s (in most guides)
p	p’s	ps
FAQ	FAQs	FAQ’s
1990 (decade)	1990s	1990’s

Why This Particular Phrase Trips People Up

I think there are three reasons “do’s and don’ts” generates so many questions.

It breaks a rule people were drilled on. Most of us learned “no apostrophes in plurals” as an absolute. Seeing a respected publication write “do’s” feels like catching a teacher in a mistake.

The two authorities people trust most disagree. AP and Chicago are the big two in American publishing, and they land on opposite sides. Writers who check one guide and then see the other form elsewhere naturally get confused.

The second word already has an apostrophe. “Don’ts” invites people to add a matching mark before the “s,” which produces the wrong “don’t’s.” It is a similar trap to the silent letters that catch people out when they spell answer or “Wednesday.”

Synonyms and Alternatives

Sometimes the cleanest way around a spelling debate is a different phrase. These all work, with slightly different shades.

• Guidelines: neutral and professional. “Social media guidelines for staff.”
• Rules of thumb: informal, suggests practical experience rather than strict rules.
• Best practices: common in business and tech writing, a bit corporate.
• Etiquette: best for social behaviour. “Gym etiquette.”
• Ground rules: suggests rules agreed at the start of something.
• Pointers or tips: friendly and light, good for blog content.
• Protocol: formal, often medical, legal or diplomatic.
• Rights and wrongs: focuses on ethics more than practical steps.

“Do’s and don’ts” remains the most vivid of the group because it promises both sides: what to do and what to avoid. Synonyms like “tips” only promise the first half.

How Other Languages Say It

If you are translating a do’s and don’ts list, the phrase usually becomes a longer construction. Some languages borrow the English phrase directly.

English	Translation	Note
do’s and don’ts (Spanish)	lo que se debe y no se debe hacer	Neutral; also “qué hacer y qué no hacer” in headings
do’s and don’ts (French)	ce qu’il faut faire et ne pas faire	Standard; headings often shorten to “à faire et à ne pas faire”
do’s and don’ts (German)	Dos and Don’ts	English phrase widely borrowed in German media and business writing
do’s and don’ts (German, native)	was man tun und lassen sollte	More formal or explanatory
do’s and don’ts (Italian)	cosa fare e cosa non fare	Common in headings and travel guides

The German borrowing is interesting for spelling. German writers commonly use “Dos and Don’ts” with capital letters, since German capitalises nouns, and without an apostrophe in “Dos.” If you write English for a German-speaking company, you may see this form in their existing materials.

Note that the Spanish word “dos” means “two,” which is one more reason English writers aiming at bilingual audiences sometimes prefer “do’s.”

A Short Checklist Before You Publish

Before a page with this phrase goes live, I run through these points.

• Is every instance of “do’s” (or “dos”) spelled the same way?
• Does “don’ts” have exactly one apostrophe, between the “n” and the “t”?
• Does the phrase take a plural verb (“are,” “have,” “were”)?
• In headings, are both words capitalised, with “and” in lowercase?
• Does each list item start with a verb?
• Is the “do” list roughly parallel to the “don’t” list in length and style?

Six quick checks, and the page is clean.

FAQ

Is it “do’s and don’ts” or “dos and don’ts”?

Both are correct. “Do’s and don’ts” is preferred by AP style and is more common online. “Dos and don’ts” is preferred by the Chicago Manual of Style and by British dictionaries such as Oxford and Cambridge. Choose one and use it consistently.

Why does “do’s” have an apostrophe if plurals don’t use them?

The apostrophe is a readability exception. Without it, “dos” can look like the operating system DOS, the Spanish word for “two,” or a misspelling of “does.” The same exception lets us write “p’s and q’s” for lowercase letters.

How do you spell “don’ts”?

D-O-N-apostrophe-T-S. The single apostrophe replaces the missing “o” from “do not.” Add a plain “s” to make it plural. Do not add a second apostrophe.

Is “don’t’s” ever correct?

No. “Don’t’s” adds an unnecessary second apostrophe. No major style guide or dictionary uses it.

Are “don ts” and “don t s” correct spellings?

No. These are what people type into search boxes when they skip the apostrophe. In writing, the correct form is “don’ts.”

Is “do’s and don’ts” singular or plural?

Plural. Say “The do’s and don’ts are simple,” not “The do’s and don’ts is simple.”

What is the plural of “to-do”?

“To-dos.” Avoid “to-does,” which mixes up the noun with the verb “does.”

Should I capitalise “do’s and don’ts” in a title?

In title case, write “Do’s and Don’ts” (or “Dos and Don’ts”). Keep “and” lowercase, and never capitalise the letter after the apostrophe.

Can I use “dos” in British English?

Yes. “Dos and don’ts” is the standard form in British dictionaries and many UK publications. “Do’s” is also understood and appears in British writing, though less often in formal print.

Is “do’s and don’ts” too informal for professional writing?

Not at all. It is standard English and appears in newspapers, government guidance and corporate handbooks. For very formal documents, “guidelines” or “requirements” may suit the tone better.

About this article

RP

Written by Rosalind Petrie

Rosalind Petrie writes Star Dictionary's guides to word meanings, origins, idioms and usage, from everyday definitions and pronunciation to commonly confused words and grammar questions. She checks each entry against established dictionaries, historical citation records and usage guides, and she cares about giving readers clear examples they can actually use in a sentence.

• Fact-checked by Maureen Talbot before publication.
• Published October 29, 2026