AP style gives journalists, editors and communications teams a shared set of conventions for clear, consistent copy. The details are easy to miss, especially when a deadline is close.

The examples below cover common AP style mistakes that can often be found mechanically. Context still matters, and AP guidance changes over time, so use the current AP Stylebook as the authority for important editorial decisions.

1. Using numerals for every number

In general text, spell out whole numbers below 10 and use figures for 10 and above.

  • Instead of: The committee has 7 members.
  • Write: The committee has seven members.

Many categories are exceptions. Ages, dimensions, percentages, temperatures, dates and times generally use figures. A checker should consider the category, not replace every small number blindly.

2. Starting a sentence with a figure

Spell out a number at the beginning of a sentence unless it is a year.

  • Instead of: 25 volunteers attended the event.
  • Write: Twenty-five volunteers attended the event.

Recasting the sentence is often cleaner when spelling out a large number would be awkward: The event drew 1,250 volunteers.

3. Adding ordinal endings to dates

Use a figure without st, nd, rd or th in a calendar date.

  • Instead of: The hearing is scheduled for July 21st.
  • Write: The hearing is scheduled for July 21.

4. Writing “7:00 p.m.”

Drop the minutes when a time falls exactly on the hour. Keep a.m. and p.m. lowercase with periods.

  • Instead of: The doors open at 7:00 PM.
  • Write: The doors open at 7 p.m.

Use noon and midnight rather than 12 p.m. and 12 a.m. when that wording is clearer.

5. Spelling out “percent”

AP style uses the % sign with a numeral in most news copy.

  • Instead of: Attendance increased 8 percent.
  • Write: Attendance increased 8%.

At the start of a sentence, rewrite when possible so the numeral and symbol do not lead.

6. Adding a serial comma to a simple list

AP style generally omits the comma before the conjunction in a simple series.

  • Instead of: The flag is red, white, and blue.
  • Write: The flag is red, white and blue.

Use a comma when it is needed for clarity or when an item in the series already contains a conjunction. Meaning is more important than mechanically deleting every final comma.

7. Capitalizing every job title

Capitalize a formal title when it appears immediately before a person's name. Lowercase a title when it follows the name or is used as a general description.

  • Before a name: Mayor Jordan Lee spoke Tuesday.
  • After a name: Jordan Lee, the mayor, spoke Tuesday.

Whether a phrase is a formal title or a job description can depend on context, so title corrections often need human review.

8. Using postal abbreviations in prose

AP state abbreviations used in traditional news copy are not always the same as two-letter U.S. Postal Service codes. Some state names are spelled out, and datelines and mailing addresses follow different conventions.

Before changing California to CA or Calif., identify whether the text is body copy, a dateline or a postal address.

9. Hyphenating “email” or splitting “website”

Current web terminology includes email, website, webpage and lowercase internet.

  • Instead of: Send an e-mail through the web site.
  • Write: Send an email through the website.

This is one of the safest patterns for an automated style check because the preferred forms usually do not depend on sentence context.

10. Treating a style checker as a grammar checker

AP style and grammar overlap, but they are not the same. A sentence can be grammatical and still conflict with an AP convention. It can also follow AP formatting while containing a grammatical error.

Use an automated tool to find supported patterns, then read the copy for meaning, tone, accuracy and exceptions. Fileverter publishes its AP style rule coverage so you can see which checks are implemented, partial or planned.

Check your copy

Paste a draft into the free AP Style Checker to review common number, date, time, punctuation, capitalization and web-term issues. Suggestions remain under your control, and important copy should still receive human editorial review.