The Dutch apostrophe in plurals, names, and short forms

The apostrophe (de apostrof) is the raised comma in auto's (cars) and 's avonds (in the evening). Dutch uses it in a limited set of spelling patterns. It is not the default before a plural or possessive s.

The table groups five common patterns. In plurals, diminutives, and possessive names, the apostrophe keeps the spelling readable. After an initialism, letter, or number, it separates the base from its ending. In shortened forms, it marks omitted letters or digits.

First check that the noun forms its plural with -s. If its final long vowel is written with one unaccented letter, put an apostrophe before the s. The apostrophe keeps that final vowel readable as long: auto → auto's (car → cars), not autos. This rule includes a final y when that y stands on its own after a consonant, as in baby → baby's (baby → babies).

Diminutives use a related but different spelling rule. The examples below all take the ending -tje, but the spelling before that ending depends on the final vowel.

See the full diminutive-ending rules for the other endings and spelling changes.

Several common time expressions start with 's, a shortened form of old des (of the). The apostrophe marks the omitted letters de.

• 's ochtends / 's morgens (in the morning), 's middags (in the afternoon).
• 's avonds (in the evening), 's nachts (at night).
• 's zomers (in summer), 's winters (in winter).

Write a space after 's: 's avonds, not 'savonds or s'avonds. At the start of a sentence, s stays lowercase and the next word gets the capital: 's Avonds drink ik thee. (In the evening I drink tea.)

Dutch can show possession with van (of), as in de auto van Anna (Anna's car). A name can also take a possessive -s before the thing owned. The spelling depends on how the name ends; see possession with van and the genitive for when to use this construction.

An initialism is an abbreviation read letter by letter. Put an apostrophe between it and an ending: tv's (televisions), cd'tje (little CD). Individual letters and numbers follow the same pattern: A4'tje (an A4 sheet), 80'ers (people in their eighties).

An apostrophe can mark omitted letters or digits. Some shortened forms are standard; short pronoun forms are mainly for informal writing.

Do not use an apostrophe merely because a word is plural or possessive. First choose the correct ending; then apply the apostrophe rule.

• Plain -s plural: use no apostrophe when no final long vowel needs protection: tafel → tafels (table → tables), meisje → meisjes (girl → girls).
• -en plural: many nouns take -en, not -s: hond → honden (dog → dogs), kat → katten (cat → cats). An apostrophe cannot replace that ending; see choosing -s or -en.
• Possessive name: a final long vowel written with one letter needs an apostrophe; a final consonant normally does not. Write Toms sleutel (Tom's key) and Anna's boek (Anna's book).