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AP Style Checker

Catch the style mistakes that signal "amateur" to every editor.

Paste your full press release. We check 14 AP Style rules — numbers, times, dates, state names, attribution, and more — and show you exactly where violations live in your copy.

Paste your full press release below. The AP Stylebook is the standard journalists and editors use. Violations don't just look careless — they signal that the writer isn't a journalist, which affects how seriously your release is taken. This checker flags the most common press release AP Style errors automatically. Note: some rules (particularly numbers) depend on sentence position. Review flagged items in context before changing.

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Your Release — AP Style Issues Highlighted

Why AP Style Is the Standard Editors Expect

The Associated Press Stylebook is the editorial bible for virtually every newspaper, trade publication, and wire service in the United States. When an editor opens a press release, they're reading it through an AP lens — automatically. Violations don't just look sloppy; they signal that the writer doesn't know the rules of the room they're trying to enter.

The most common mistakes aren't obscure — they're predictable: postal abbreviations instead of AP state abbreviations, "10 AM" instead of "10 a.m.," writing out "fifty" when AP requires "50." These errors are easy to introduce and easy to miss. That's what this checker is for.

The Four AP Style Categories That Trip Up Press Releases Most

Numbers & Percentages
Spell out one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above. Always use % not "percent." Write $12 million, not $12,000,000.
Times & Dates
Use 10 a.m. not 10 AM. Abbreviate months with specific dates (Jan. 15) — but never March, April, May, June, or July.
State Names
AP abbreviations differ from USPS postal codes. "LA" is a city, not Louisiana. "Calif." not "CA." Eight states are never abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Utah.
Quote Attribution
AP requires "said" — not "stated," "noted," "explained," or "added." Said is invisible to readers. Every other attribution word calls attention to itself.

AP Style Quick Reference

The 14 rules this checker covers — and what AP Style actually requires. Bookmark this page and keep it open while writing.

Rule AP Requires Common Error Category
Quote attribution "said" stated, noted, added, explained Attribution
Numbers 10 and above 10, 50, 100 ten, fifty, one hundred Numbers
Percentages 5%, 32% 5 percent, 32 percent Numbers
Large dollar amounts $12 million, $1.5 billion $12,000,000 Numbers
Times of day 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m., noon, midnight 10 AM, 2:30pm, 12 p.m. Dates & Times
Month names with dates Jan. 15, Sept. 23, 2026
March, April, May, June, July: never abbreviate		 January 15, September 23 Dates & Times
State names after cities Los Angeles, Calif.  |  New York, N.Y.
Never abbreviate: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Utah		 Los Angeles, CA  |  New York, NY State Names
Email email e-mail Spellings
Website website web site, Web site Spellings
Internet internet (common noun since 2016) Internet Spellings
"utilize" use utilize, utilizing, utilized Spellings
Company name comma ABC Company Inc. ABC Company, Inc. Spellings
"and/or" and  or  or  (choose one) and/or Usage
Exclamation points avoid in news copy ! Usage
Intensifiers cut or replace with a stronger word very, extremely, incredibly, highly Usage

Clean style is just the start.

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