AP Stylebook: Achilles' heel -  - GHS Newsroom

AP Stylebook: Achilles' heel

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By Dayna Fields
achilles-heel.png
Commonly misused: Achilles tendon, no apostrophe for the tendon connecting the back of the heel to the calf muscles.

Saw some good questions on Twitter for AP Stylebook, @APStylebook.

Here's one that always seems to trip people up: Is there an apostrophe in "Achilles' heel"?

The answer is yes, it is a possessive apostrophe to indicate the heel belongs to Achilles.

However, when we are talking about the body part –– more specifically, the tendon –– the rules  are different: Achilles tendon.

For the tendon that connects the back of the heel to the calf muscles, there is no possessive apostrophe.

Here are some other helpful tips for @APStylebook:

- crowdsourcing: asking many people to help gather information.

- Fashion terms that are all one word: sweatshirt, sweatpants, pantsuit, trenchcoat.

- Hoodie is a term that can stand on its own. No elaboration necessary.

- Haute couture is one of a kind, versus pret-a-porter, which is designer clothing sold ready-to-wear in stores.

- Sigout: words used to end a video story. A common format is name and location, such as Haven Daley, San Francisco.

- One entry we debated extensively was the spelling Savile Row, the shopping street in London known for its bespoke tailoring.

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