apostrophes
They mark possession or missing letters. They have never once made anything plural.
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Wrong: We sell taco’s.
Right: We sell tacos.
More than one taco. Plurals take a bare s and nothing else.
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Wrong: The dog wagged it’s tail.
Right: The dog wagged its tail.
It’s is only ever “it is.” The possessive its has no apostrophe, like his.
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Wrong: The 1990’s were fine.
Right: The 1990s were fine.
A decade is a plural, not a possession.
The two jobs
An apostrophe does exactly two things:
- Possession. Ziad’s problem. The company’s policy.
- Missing letters. Don’t (do not). It’s (it is). ’90s (1990s).
Making a word plural is not on the list and never has been.
The one that trips everyone
its vs it's. It’s is always “it is” or “it has”—no exceptions. The possessive is its, apostrophe-free, exactly like his and hers. Nobody writes hi’s.
If you can say “it is” in its place, use it’s. Otherwise its. This is the entire rule and it takes two seconds.
Now go look at your own menu.