Search this site
Skip to main content
Skip to navigation
National Geographic Style Manual
NG Style Manual
- # -
24/7, 24/7/365
7-Eleven
9/11, September 11
- A -
a, an
a-
A.D., B.C., C.E., B.C.E.
a.m., p.m.
ABBREVIATIONS
abbé
Abominable Snowman
Aboriginal, Aboriginals
ACADEMIC DEGREES
Academy Awards
ACCENT MARKS
accord, accords
according to
ACRONYMS
act
acts and laws (federal, state, or foreign)
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS, PUNCTUATION OF
administration
admiral
affect, effect
Afghan, afghani
Africa
African
African American, Black
African buffalo
after
afterward
Age, age
AGES OF PERSONS, ANIMALS, AND THINGS
aging
AGREEMENT, SUBJECT-VERB
Air Base
AIR FORCE
AIRCRAFT
airport
aka, also known as
Akhenaten
al Qaeda
Alaska
albatross, albatrosses
alga, algae
Algonquin
all
all right
all together, altogether
all-
Allah akbar
Allied, Allies
almost
Alpine, alpine
already
Altiplano
ambassador
Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
America's Cup, Americas Cup
America, American
AMERICAN INDIANS, NORTH AND SOUTH
Amerindian
amid
among, between
ampersand (&)
Anasazi, Pueblo, Puebloan
ancient, old
angel, archangel
ANIMALS
Anonymous sources
Antarctic
Antarctic Convergence, Antarctic Polar Front
antenna, antennae, antennas
anthropomorphism
anti-
Antony, Mark
anymore
anytime
Apatosaurus, apatosaur
Apostle
APOSTROPHE
app, apps
APPELLATIONS AND EPITHETS
APPOSITION
Arabian Gulf
Arabian Nights
ARABIC LANGUAGE, TRANSLITERATION OF
arch
archaeology
ARCHITECTURE
Arctic
Argentine
ark
Armada
armed forces, armed services
ARMY
Army Corps of Engineers
ARTICLES
Articles of Confederation
as well as
Asante
Ascension
Ashkenazi
Asia, Asian
Asian elephant
Asian Games
assure, ensure, insure
ASTERISK, DAGGER
astronaut, cosmonaut
ASTRONOMICAL TERMS
Aswan High Dam
Atahualpa
Athabaskan
Atlantic
atlas
atomic age
AU
Australasia
Australian Commonwealth
australopith, australopithecine
Avenue, Street
average of
AWARDS AND MEDALS
awhile, a while, while
axis of evil
Axis powers, the Axis
ayatollah
Aztec
- B -
-bed
-bound
B.C.
B.C.E., C.E.
backward
Bahasa Indonesia
Baja California
bale, bail
BALLETS
balloons
Baluchi
bank
bank, river
Bantu languages, people
bark
Base Camp
Basin
Basin and Range Country, Province
Basketmaker
bathyscaph, bathyscaphe, bathynaut
battalion
battle
Bay
Bay Area
bed-and-breakfast, B&B
Bedouin
bee sting, beestings
beefalo, beefalos
Beetle
below
belt
Beltway
bends
Bermudian
beside, besides
best
better
between, among
Bhagavad Gita
bi-, semi-
BIBLE
Bible Lands
biblical
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Bicentennial
big five
Big Island (Hawaii)
Big Sky
big, great, large
Bigfoot, Sasquatch
bijou, bijoux
Bill of Rights
bills
binoculars
BIRD CALLS
BIRDS
bishop
Black Angus
Black Death
Black Hawk
Blackfeet
Blarney stone
blindman's buff
blond, blonde, brunet, brunette
blood-red
blue planet
Bluegrass country
BOATS
boatswain
Bohemian, bohemian
bomb
Book of Common Prayer
Book of Kells
BOOK REFERENCES
BOOK TITLES
Border Patrol
Border State(s)
born
borne
Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Bosporus
Boston Whaler
bosun, bos'n, boatswain
bottlenose dolphin
BP
BRACKETS
Braille, braille
branch
BREAKING WORDS
breeches, britches
BREEDS
Britain, Great Britain, British Isles
BRITISH ROYALTY AND NOBILITY
British, Briton, English, England
Brontosaurus, brontosaur
Bronx, the Bronx
Bronze Age, Early Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age
brother, sister
Brown Bess (musket)
Bruegel
brunet, brunette
Btu
buffalo
builder, building
BUILDING
BULLETS, PUNCTUATION OF
BUMPER STICKERS
bunco
bur
burka, chadri, chador
Burkinabe
Burma
burning bush
burro
bushmeat
buzkashi
- C -
- CATEGORY INDEX -
C
C.E., B.C.E.
ca
Cabinet
cacao, cocoa
caliber
California University system
called, dubbed, named, known as
callous, callus
Cambodia
Candomblé
cannot
Cape buffalo
capital, capitol
CAPITALIZATION
captain
captive breeding
carat, caret, karat
carbon-14, carbon-dating
carbonation, carbonization
cardinal
cardinalfish
careen, career
caret
Carnival
Casbah, casbah
casualties, fatalities
CAT scan
cataract
Catholic
Catholic Monarchs
Caucasus, Caucasus Mountains
cavalry
Cavelier, Robert
cc
celebrants, celebrators
Celsius, C
cement, concrete
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
centigrade
centimeter, cm
Central Africa
Central America, Middle America
Central Asia, Soviet Central Asia
central Europe, central European nation
central states (U.S.)
CENTURIES
Chaak
chador
chadri
channel
CHAPTERS OF BOOKS
char, arctic char
CHEMICAL TERMS
Chennai, Madras
Cheops
Chephren
Chernobyl
Chesapeake
Chevy, Chevys
Chhetri
chief cartographer
Chief Executive
Chief Justice
chief of state, head of government
China, People's Republic Of China
China, Taiwan
CHINESE NAMES AND TERMS
choral, chorale
Chornobyl, Chernobyl
Chosen People
Christ Child
Christian era
chromosome
church
Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May)
cinder block, cinder-block
circa, ca
CIS
CITIES, SECTIONS OF
Citroën
city hall
civil rights movement
Civil War
clan
class
classic, classical
cleft palate
CLERGY
climate change, global warming
close-up, to close up
clownfish
club-hopper
cm
co-
coast
Coast Guard
coat of arms, crest
Coca-Cola, Coke
cocoa
COINED WORDS
COLLECTIVE NOUNS AS SINGULAR OR PLURAL
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
COLON
colony, colonial, colonists (U.S. context)
color
colors
comet
COMMA
Commander in Chief
Commandment
Committee for Research and Exploration (CRE)
commonwealth
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
COMMUNICATIONS CODE WORDS
Communion
communism, communist
compact disc, compact disc player
COMPANY NAMES
compare, contrast
COMPARISONS
COMPASS DIRECTIONS
COMPOUND MODIFIERS
comprise, compose
compromise
COMPUTER TERMS
Conch, Conchs
concrete
Confederacy
Confederation
conference
Confidential or unidentified sources
Congo
Congress, congressional
congressional Medal of Honor
Conquest
CONSTELLATIONS, STARS, AND PLANETS
Constitution
consulate
CONTENTS PAGE
conterminous, or contiguous, continental, continental United States
continent
continental
CONTINUED NOTE
continuous, continual
contra, contras
contrast
CONTRIBUTOR'S NOTE
convention
CONVERSIONS
conveyer, conveyor
convince, persuade
COPYRIGHT
corn, maize
Corps of Engineers
Corpus Christi
Cortés, Hernán
cosmonaut
Cossack
Country
county
couple, few, several
COURT CASES
COURTS
COVID-19, coronavirus
crater
crawfish, mudbug
creation
CREDITS
CREDITS--SPECIES IDENTIFICATION
Creole
crepe, crape
crest
crewed
Crioulo, Kriolu
Crispr, CRISPR
Crittercam
croat, croatian
cross
crown
crucifix
Crucifixion
Crusades
CT scan
cubic centimeter, cc
Cultural Revolution
culture
cum
Cuna
current
Cusco
Customs
cyber
cyclone
czar, czarist
Czechia, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, Czech
Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Ivoirian
- D -
D-Day
D.C.
da Gama
da Vinci, Leonardo
da, de, d', du, la, van, von
Dalit, Dalits
Dark Ages
Dark Continent
dark side
DASH
data
date at, date back, date from, date to
date line
DATES
Day
DAYS
de Soto
de-
dead
Dead Sea Scrolls
Death March
decade
DECADES
DECIMALS
Declaration of Independence
decompression, recompression
deep
Deep South
Deepfreeze, deep freezer
deepwater, deep water, deepwaterman
DEGREES ACADEMIC
DEGREES, TEMPERATURE
deity
delta
Delta Air Lines
Deluge, Flood
Demilitarized Zone, DMZ
Democratic Party
Dene
Department
Depression, the Great Depression
desalination
desert
desertify, desertified, desertification
deserts
DIACRITICAL MARKS
DIAERESIS
DIALECT
different from
DIMENSIONS
dinosaurs
DIRECTIONALS IN LEGENDS AND TEXTBLOCKS
disabled, handicapped
disc, disk
disciple
disinterested, uninterested
Disney, The Walt Disney Company
district court
District of Columbia, the District, D.C.
dive, dived
Division
DIVISION OF WORDS
Diwali
Dixie cup
djellaba
DMZ
DNA, genes, proteins
dog species
DOGS
dolphin, porpoise
Domesday Book
dos and don'ts
Down East, Down Easter
downlist
downstream, upstream
Dr.
Dreaming, Dreamtime
Druid, druidic
dry, wet
du Pont
due to, because of
Dust Bowl
dweller
dynasty
- E -
-eater
each
each other, one another
early, late
Earth
EARTHQUAKES
east, eastern
eco-
ecology
Ecuadorian, Ecuadorean
Editor, Editor in Chief
EGYPTIAN DYNASTIES, PERIODS, AND KINGDOMS
EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS AND GODS
Ehattesaht
Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr
elder, eldest
electoral college
electric, electrical
Ellie, Ellies, Ellie Award
ELLIPSIS
embassy
emigrant, immigrant
Emmy, Emmys, Emmy Award
empire
Endangered Species Act (ESA), endangered species list
endangered, threatened, vulnerable species
endemic, indigenous, native
English Channel, the Channel
enslaved, enslavement
Equator
era
especially, specially
establishment
ESTATES AND HOUSES
etc.
eucalyptus, eucalyptuses
Eurasian crane
euro, euros
Euro-
EUROPE, GEOGRAPHICAL AND POLITICAL
Eve
even
ever
every
ex-, former, then
Excellency
EXCLAMATION POINT
exclusive economic zone
executive
EXHIBITS
EXPEDITIONS AND RESEARCH PROJECTS
Explorer in Residence
extraterrestrial, ET
eyewall
- F -
-fold
-ful, full
F
f-stop
f-word
Fahrenheit, F
fair
FAIR USE
falls
family
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
far north, the north
far side
farmers market
Farsi
farther, further
fascism, fascist, Fascist Party, Fascist
fatalities
father
Fathometer
fault
feast
federal
FedEx
Feds
Fertile Crescent
festival
few, fewer, less, lesser
fiberglass, Fiberglas
FIGURES
Filipino, Filipina
fire
FIREARMS
first Communion
first ever
First Lady, first family
First Lieutenant, First Sergeant
First Nations
First World
firstly
fish, fishes
fjord
flag, flagpole, flagstaff
flammable, nonflammable
flaunt, flout
fleet
flier
Flood, Deluge
Florida Keys, the Keys
flout, flaunt
FLOWERS, FRUITS, AND PLANTS
flyer
flyway
focus, focuses
foldout, fold out
folk, folks
FOOTNOTES
forbear, forebear
force
Ford (automobile)
fore-
forego, forgo
foreign exchange
FOREIGN TERMS
Forest Service
foreword, forward
Formalin
formation
former, ex-, then
former, latter
Fort
Fortune 500
forty-niner
forum
Forum
forum, online
Founding Fathers
four modernizations
four-by-four
Fourth of July
Fourth World
FRACTIONS
Franz Josef
free
free economic zone (FEZ)
free-climb
French Canadian, French-Canadian
French provincial
freshwater, fresh water
friar
frigatebird
Frisbee
FRUITS, FLOWERS, AND PLANTS
Fuji, Mount Fuji
furbearer, furbearing
furious fifties
further, farther
- G -
Gadhafi
galabia
Galápagos
Gang of Four
gantlet, gauntlet
gavial, gharial
Gay Nineties
gender glossary
gender-neutral language
genes
Genghis Khan
genie, jinni
gentile, gentiles
GENUS AND SPECIES
GEOLOGIC TERMS
GEOLOGIC TIME
Geological Survey, U.S.
getter, getting
gharial, gavial
Ghost Dance
GI, GIs
GIS
Glacial epoch
Glacier, glacier
global warming, climate change
God
goer, going
gold rush
Golden Age
goliath
Gondwana
Good Book
Gospel, Gospels
Gothic
government
governor, lieutenant governor
GPS
grader
grades
graffito, graffiti
grail, holy grail
gram, g
Grand Central Station, Terminal
Grand Slam
gray, grey
Great Barrier Reef
great beyond
Great Britain, Britain, British Isles
Great Depression
Great Divide, the divide
great leap forward
Great Plague
Great Plains
Great Trek
great-
Greater
Greenwich (mean) time, GMT
grill, grille
gross domestic product (GDP)
gross national income (GNI)
Grosvenor
ground zero
grower, growing
Guaraní
guard, guardsman
Gulf
Gwich'in
Gypsy, gypsy
gender pronouns
- H -
h
H.M.S.
Habsburg
hades
Hagia Sophia, Aya Sofya
hajj, hajji
half
half-breed
half-mast, half-staff
Halley's comet
Hammurabi, Hammurapi
hand-
Hapsburg
harbor
hare, hares
harelip
Harris's hawk
hashtag
HAWAIIAN TERMS
hawkfish
HBCU, historically Black colleges and universities
hdqrs., HQ
he, his, him, himself
head of government
headhunt, headhunter, headhunting
HEADLINES
heave, heaved, heaved
heaven
Hebrew
Hegira
heir apparent
hell
help (to)
Hemisphere
herculean
Heuriger
hew, hewed, hewn
Hezbollah
High Holiday, High Holy Day
High Plains
High Sierra
high, low
highlands
HIGHWAYS AND ROUTES
Himalaya, Himalayan
Hindi, Hindustani
His Highness, His Royal Highness, Her Majesty
Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Chicano, Chicana
historic, historical
HISTORICAL PRESENT TENSE
HIV/AIDS
holidays
Holocaust
Holstein
Holy Bible, Holy Quran
holy grail, grail
homebuilder, homebuilding
homeward bound
hominid, hominin, hominoid, human
honeybee
Honorable
hoof, hooves
hopefully
Horn of Africa, Cape Horn
horticulturist
host
hot line
hot spot, hotspot
Hottentot
House
house
House of Commons, House of Lords
HOUSES AND ESTATES
hove
hp
Huari, Wari
Hubble constant
Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble telescope, space telescope
Hula-Hoop, hula hoop
human
HURRICANE, TROPICAL CYCLONE, TYPHOON
hydrogen bomb
HYPHEN
- I -
-in-exile
Ibadhi
ibis, ibises
Ice Age
ice-cream
ID
Id al-Adha, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr
ill
imam
IMAX
immigrant, emigrant
Immigration
imperial
imply, infer
importantly
Impressionism, Impressionist
in
in residence
inauguration/inaugural
Inc.
Inca
inch
include
INDIA: PERSONAL NAMES
INDIA: PLACE-NAMES
INDIANS, NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN
Indigenous people
indigenous, endemic, native
INDIRECT DISCOURSE
Indochinese
industrial revolution
INFINITIVE, SPLIT
inflammable, noninflammable
INITIALS
Inshallah
insignia
insure, ensure, assure
inter-
international biosphere reserve
international boundary, international border
International cities datelines
international date line
International Labour Organization
International Space Station
internet
Internet2
intifada
intl.
Inuk, Inuit
iPad, iPhone, iPod, iTunes
Iron Age, Iron Age culture
Iron Curtain
ironmaker, ironmaking
ironworker, steelworker
Islam
Islamist
island continent, island nation
island, islander
ISOTOPES
Istanbul
istikhbarat
ITALIC
IUCN
Ivoirian
Ivory Coast
- J -
Jacuzzi
Japan Current
Japan, Sea of
Japanese American
JAPANESE PERSONAL NAMES
jeep
jerry can
jerry-built, jury-rigged
Jesus
JEW, HEBREW
JEWISH HOLIDAYS
jihad
Jim Crow laws, Jim Crowism
jinni, genie
jirga
joint meeting, joint session
Jr., Sr., III
judicial branch
jungle
just
just deserts
Justice
- K -
K2
kaffiyeh
karma
keeper, keeping
kelvin, K
Kennewick Man
Kentucky Derby
Kenya, Kenyan
key deer
Keys
Khafre, Chephren
khat, qat, kat
Khatami, Mohammad
Khoikhoi
Khufu, Cheops
kilometer, km
kilowatt-hour, kWh
kilt, plaid, tartan
Kim Il Sung
Kim Jong Il
kind, kinds
king
King Cotton
km
Kmart
Knight Templar, Knights Templar
knot
known as
Kodachrome
Koran, Koranic, Quran, Quranic
KOREAN PLACE-NAMES
Korean War
Kriolu, Crioulo
Kuroshio
Kutchin
Kwanzaa
Kyiv, Kiev
Kyoto Protocol
- L -
-load
L'Étoile, Place de l'Étoile
L.A., Los Angeles
La Salle, Sieur de
Labor Party, Labour Party
Labradorian
Lady
lake bed
Lakota
land
Land Cruiser, Land Rover
land of the midnight sun
landfill
LANGUAGE AND DIALECT
Lao, Laotian
larger than
last
last, latest, past
late
Late Horizon
late, early
late, latter, former
Latin America, Latin American
LATIN AMERICAN SURNAMES
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
Latter-day Saint, Mormon
law
lay, lie
leafcutter ant, leafcutter
leaped
leatherbound
leatherneck
LECTURES
left bank, left-bank
legal cases
legionary, legionnaire
legislative, legislature
leper
less, fewer
Letters from readers
LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET
LGBTQ
Liberal Party
lieutenant governor
life-size
lighted, lit
like
lilliputian
Linear A, Linear B script
Lion-Hearted, Richard the
Lipizzan
LITERARY WORKS
little
little red book
Living Buddha
LM
lobsters
local-language editions
logon, log on
long
Long Count
Long March
long walk
long wave
longitude
Lord
Lost Colony
low
lower
Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt
lower forty-eight, lower 48
Loyalist
Ltd
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lunar New Year
- M -
M.S., M.V.
Maasai, Masai
Macedonia, North Macedonia
macro-
Madagascan, Malagasy
made
Madonna and Child, Mother and Child
Madras
Mafia, mafia
Mafioso, mafioso
MAGAZINES
Maghreb
MAGNIFICATION
Magnum, magnum
Mahabharata
Mahican
mahogany
Main, Spanish Main
mainland China
major league baseball
Major, Major General
majority, minority
maker, making
Malay, Malayan, Malaysian
man
mantel, mantle
Mao Zedong
Maori
MAP COORDINATES, COMPASS DIRECTIONS
MAP CREDITS
MAP DE FACTO POLICY
MAP REFERENCES
MAP STYLE
map supplement, supplement map
MapMachine
Mardi Gras, mardi gras
MARINE CORPS
Maritime Provinces
Mark Antony
Marquis of Queensberry rules
Marseille
Marsh Arabs
Martian
Martin Luther King Day
Mary Queen of Scots
Mason, Masonic
Mason-Dixon Line
Mass
Maya
mayor
maypole
McGee, W J
McMurdo Dry Valleys
MEASURES
Mecca
Medal of Honor
MEDALS AND AWARDS
Medici
mega-
Megatransect , Megaflyover
megawatt
member, members
Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benzes
meridian
Merrimack
meteoroid, meteor, meteorite, meteor shower
meter, m
METRIC AND INTERNATIONAL MEASUREMENT
Mexican American
micro-
mid-
middle
Middle America
middle Atlantic states
Middle East, Near East
middle-age
midshipman
Midwest
MILITARY RANKS
military time
MILITARY UNITS
militia
Millennium Partners
millennium, millennia
millimeter, mm
mini-
MINISTERS
Miss
Missouri Compromise
mm
Moctezuma
Model A, Model T
MODIFIERS
Mohammad Zahir Shah
Mohammed, Mohammedan, Mohammedanism
Mohican
Monel Metal
MONEY
Monsieur, M., Madame, Mme, Mademoiselle, Mlle
monsignor, Msgr.
Montenegro
Montezuma
month-long
MONTHS
Montréal, Montreal
MONUMENTS
MOON TERMS
mopani, mopanies
more than one
more, most
Mormon
Mosaic law
Moses'
mother
Mother Earth, Mother Nature
Mother Russia
MOTTOES
mound builder
Mount
Mount of God
MOVIES AND DOCUMENTARY FILMS
mph
Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.
Mrs.
Ms.
Msgr.
mu
much
mucus, mucous
mudbug
Mughal
Muhammad, the Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet
mujahideen
mullah
multi-
Mumbai
MUSIC LYRICS
MUSIC NOTES
MUSIC TITLES
muskox, muskoxen
Muslim
mutation, genetic
mya
Myanmar, Union of
Mylar
Métis
- N -
NAFTA
Nair
named
named, called, known as
NAMES
Napoleon
narrow-gauge railroad
NASA
Nasca
Nasdaq
nation
national
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
National Geographic Expeditions
National Geographic Explorer
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation
National Guard
national historic site, landmark
national monument
national park
National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)
national wildlife refuge
native
native Alaskan
Native American, Native
native, endemic, indigenous
Nativity
Nature Conservancy (TNC)
NAUI, PADI
nautical mile, knot
Navajo
navigational aid
NAVY
Nayar
Neanderthal, Neandertal
near
Near East
Nebuchadrezzar
nebula, nebulae
needleleaf
Negev
Nenets
Nepali, Nepalese
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
never
New Age, New Agers
New Jerseyan
New-York Historical Society
NEWSPAPERS
Nez Perce
NGS
NICKNAMES OF PERSONS
NICKNAMES OF PLACES AND THINGS
Nigerian, Nigerien
night
nirvana
no-fly zone
Noah's ark
Nobel Prize
NOBILITY
non
none
nonflammable, noninflammable
nor'easter, nor'wester
norteño, norteños
North America
north geomagnetic pole, north magnetic pole
North Pole
North Slope
north temperate zone
North Woods
north, northern
not
not only ... but also
nova, novae
now
Nowruz, Nauruz
nuclear bomb
number
NUMBER, GRAMMATICAL
NUMBERS
nutria
- O -
O, oh
Occident, Occidental
occupied Palestinian territories
ocean bed
oceanaut
OceanEye
Oceania
OCEANS
odd
ODDS, PROPORTIONS, RATIOS
off-island, off-islander
off-load
often
oil rigs
Old City, Old Quarter
Old West
Old World, New World
older, oldest
Olympic Games
OMISSIONS
on, onto
on, upon
once
one another, each other
one of the only
one of those who, one of the things that
one or more
one-half, one-quarter, one-third
online
Online titles (National Geographic)
only
OPEC
OPERAS, OPERETTAS, ORATORIOS
opossum
or
Order
ORDINAL NUMBERS
Orient, Oriental
Origin of Species
orogeny
Osama bin Laden
Our Lord, Our Lady
outback
outside
over
Overthrust Belt
- P -
-pounder
p.m.
Pac-Man
Pacific
paddy, paddy field, rice field
PADI
PAGE REFERENCES
PAGINATION
PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES, AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
pair
palate, palette, pallet
paleo
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
Palestine, Palestinian territories
Pampas
Pan American Highway
Panhandle
panic
Panjabi, Punjabi
Papago
paradise
parallel
Paramotor
PARENTHESES
Park Service
Parliament
Parti Québécois
partially, partly
partition
party
Pashtun, Pashto
Passion
past, last, latest
pastor
Patriarch
patriot
PATTERNS: Quilts (appliqué and patchwork), pressed glass, crafts, etc.
pay, paid, payed
Peace Corps volunteer
Peacock Throne
peasant
peninsula
PepsiCo, Pepsi-Cola, Pepsi
per
per capita income
percent, percentage
PERIOD
period
Persia, Persian
Persian Gulf, Persian Gulf states
PERSONAL NAMES
persuade, convince
peshmerga
petrodollars, petrowealth
Phalangist
pharaoh
Philippine, Filipino, Filipina
Phocoenidae
phosphorus, phosphorous
photo essay, photo series
photographer
PHOTOGRAPHS
pidgin English
Pied Piper
Ping-Pong
Piper Cub, Super Cub
PLACE-NAMES
plague(s)
plains
PLANETS, STARS, CONSTELLATIONS
plankton
PLANTS, FLOWERS, FRUITS
plate
play-fight
PLAYS
Plexiglas
PLOS One
PLURALS
plus
podcast
POETRY
pole, polar
Politburo, politburo
POLITICAL PARTIES, party
pollinate
pollock, pollack
polyglot
Pompeii, Pompeian
Pony Express
pope
Popol Vuh
POPULATION
porpoise
PORTUGUESE SURNAMES
POSSESSIVES
possum
post
post office
Post-it, Post-it notes
potter, putter
prairie chicken
Prairie Provinces, prairie states
prayer
pre-
predominantly
prefecture
PREFIXES
prehistory
PREPOSITIONS
presently
President's Page
President, presidency, presidential
Presidential Medal of Freedom
preventive
prey
Pride, pride, gay pride
priest
prime meridian
Prime Minister
primitive
private
prizewinner
pro-
PROFANITY
professor
Prohibition
promised land
pronghorn
PRONUNCIATION
proof
prophet
PROPORTIONS, ODDS, AND RATIOS
proteins
proto
protozoan, protozoans
proved, proven
Province
Provincial Congress
pseudonyms
PTA
public television
Pueblo, Puebloan
Pulitzer Prize
PULL QUOTES
PUNCTUATION
PUNCTUATION, MULTIPLE
PUNCTUATION, TYPEFACES
purchasing power parity (PPP)
put-in, pull-out
pygmy
Pyramid, Pyramids
Père
- Q -
Qaddafi, Muammar
QR code reader
QuadGraphics
quarter
Quechua, Kichwa
Queen
QUESTION MARK
quinceañera
QUOTATION MARKS
QUOTATIONS
Quran, Quranic
Québec, Quebec
Québécois
- R -
R.V.
rabbi
rack, wrack
radar-track
RADIO
radio collar, radio-collar
radiotrack, radiotracking
rainforest
Ramayana
Range Rover
Ranger, Rangers
rapids
re-
real estate agent
Reb, Rebel
Reconquest, Reconquista
Reconstruction
RECORDINGS
Red Army
red planet, Mars
red rock, red-rock
regiment
regrettably, regretfully
Regular Army
rem
remote sensing, remote-sensing device
replica
Representative
republic
republic of Georgia
Republican
reservation
reserve
Resistance
Ret.
Revelation
Reverend
Revolution, revolution
rhebok
Rhodesian ridgeback
rille
Ring of Fire
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
risktaker, risktaking
river
river dolphin
riverbank
rock-and-roll
Rocky Mountain Front
Rollerblades
Rolls-Royce
ROMAN NUMERALS
Romantic
Romany, Romanies
Rotunda
Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Navy
royal palace
ROYALTY AND NOBILITY
rpm
Rubik's Cube
Russian Far East
RUSSIAN LANGUAGE, TRANSLITERATION OF
Rwenzori
- S -
-san
-scape
-score
S.A.
sabertooth, saber-toothed cat
sage grouse
Saint, St.
Salem witch trials
Sami
Santería
Savior, savior
Scandinavia
school
SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATURE
Scot, Scottish, Scotch
Scotch tape
Scottish Highlands
Scout
Scripture, scriptural
SCULPTURE
Sea of Japan (East Sea)
Sea People, Sea Peoples
sea star
seaboard
sear, sere
seasons
seasons for TV / podcast
second, third, fourth, etc.
secretary
seeker
seldom
self-
seller
semi-
SEMICOLON
Senate, Senator, senatorial
September 11
SERIES
service
several
Señor, Señora, Señorita
shahadah
shalwar kameez
sharia
shark fin soup
SharkFest
shear, sheer
sheikh
sherd, shard
Shield
Shiite
SHIPS AND BOATS
SHORT STORIES
shrimps
sic
Side
side
Sierra, High Sierra
SIGNS
sir
site
Six Day War
SIZE
SLANG
slash
slave, slavery
SLOGANS
Slovenian
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
smokejumper
Smokey Bear, Smokey
snowkiting
so-called
SOCIAL MEDIA
socialism
SoHo
someday, some day
something
sometime, sometimes, some time
SONGS
sort, sorts
SOUNDS
south temperate zone
south, southern
Southern Ocean
space age, space-age technology
SPACE TERMS
spaceflight
spartan
speaker
Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
special forces
SPECIES AND GENUS
Sphinx, sphinx
SPLIT INFINITIVE
SS
St. James's Court
stanch, staunch
STAR NAMES
starfish
Stars and Stripes
state
station
STATUARY
steam age
steelworker, ironworker
Steller sea lion
steppe
Stetson
still
Stone Age, humans, culture
storm petrel
STORMS
strewed, strewn
strip mine
stygian
style
Styrofoam
sub-
subduct
SUBMARINES, SUBMERSIBLES, ROVs
sun
sun god
Sunni
super-
supernova, supernovae
Supreme Court, Court
SURNAMES: SPANISH
swath, swathe
Swaziland, Eswatini
Swiss army knife
SYLLABIFICATION
SYMPHONIES
symptom, sign
sea-level rise
- T -
-time
-to-be
tagelmust
Taiwan
taker
tarai
Taxol
Tea Party
Technicolor
telephone pole
telescope
TELEVISION (NGP)
TELEVISION (other)
temblor, tremblor
TEMPERATURES
Temple
Ten Commandments
Tenochtitlan
TENSES
Teotihuacan
terai
Territory
Tethys Ocean
thankfully
that, which, who
the
theater
then, ex-, former
Thermopane
thermos, Thermos
third
Third World
thoughts
threatened, endangered, vulnerable species
3D
thrive, thrived
Tiahuanaco, Tiwanaku
Tibet
tidal wave
Tidewater
Tigray, Tigrayans
TIME OF DAY
time zone
times
Timor-Leste
tin
tipi, tepee, teepee
titan, titanic
Titanic
TITLES OF ART, LITERARY, AND MUSICAL WORKS
TITLES OF ARTICLES
TITLES OF PERSONS
TITLES OF SPEECHES
together with
Tohono O'odham
ton
TORNADO
tortoiseshell, tortoise shell
tortuous, torturous
toward
toxic, toxin, toxicant
TRADEMARKS
TRAINS
trans-Alaska pipeline
treaty
Tribeca
trio
Tropic of Cancer, Capricorn, the tropics, tropical
tsar, tsarist, czar, czarist
tsessebe, tsessebes
Turkey, Türkiye
turned
Tutankhamun
Twelve Apostles
twin towers
type
- U -
U.S. cities datelines
U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
Uighur, Uigur, Uyghur
Ukraine
ultra-
UN, United Nations
uncrewed
under way, underway
under-
undocumented immigrant, illegal immigrant, illegal immigration, illegal alien
UNESCO
uninterested, disinterested
Union, Federal Union, Union Army
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom, U.K.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United States
Universal time, UT
University of California
Untouchable, Untouchability
upon, on
upper
Upper Egypt (valley), Lower Egypt (delta)
upstate New York
upward(s)
USGS
Utahn
utility pole, telephone pole
utopia, utopian
Uyghur, Uyghurs
- V -
V day, V-E Day, V-J Day
valley
van, von
Vanuatuan
Vaseline
Velcro
versus
very
vet
Veterans Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, VA
vice
vice admiral
Vice President, Vice Presidency, vice presidential
Vietnam, Vietnamese, Vietnam War
Virgil
visitors center
volcano
Volkswagen, VW, Beetle, Rabbit
video games
- W -
-watcher, -watching
-wise
-word
Wall, wall
walrus, walruses
war
Wari, Huari
Washington, D.C.
Wazir, Wazirs
WEEK
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
well
West Asia
west, western
Western Europe
Western Wall
whalebone, whale bone
what
while
whiskey, whisky
who, whom
WHO, World Health Organization
wide
Wikipedia
wind
Windsurfer, windsurfer, windsurfing
winner
woman suffrage
woodburning, wood burner, wood-burning stove
WORDS AS WORDS
worker
world
World Heritage Convention, List, site, city
World Trade Center, Trade Center
World War
- X -
x-ray
Xerox
Xinjiang region
- Y -
Yakama
Yanomami
Yellow Border, Yellow Border Design
yet
yuca, yucca
Yucatán, Yucatan
- Z -
zero
zip code
Ziploc
zodiac
zone
4. Exceptions
5. Sources
7. Credits & History
National Geographic Style Manual
furbearer, furbearing
NGS preferred spelling and capitalization.
Write as one word, no hyphen.
Report abuse
Page details
Page updated
Report abuse
