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ACRONYMS AND APOSTROPHES |
One unusual modern use of the apostrophe is in plural acronyms, like
“ICBM’s” “NGO’s” and “CD’s”. Since this pattern violates the rule that
apostrophes are not used before an S indicating a plural, many people
object to it. It is also perfectly legitimate to write “CDs,” etc. See
also “50’s.” But the use of apostrophes with initialisms like “learn
your ABC’s and “mind your P’s and Q’s” is now so universal as to be
acceptable in almost any context.
Note that “acronym” was used originally only to label pronounceable
abbreviations like “NATO,” but is now generally applied to all sorts of
initialisms. Be aware that some people consider this extended definition
of “acronym” to be an error.
