Wednesday, March 12, 2025

When is it ok to shorten “and” to “n”?

Daily edition

When is it ok to shorten "and" to "n"?

The evolution of this playful contraction unveils an enduring truth about the English language: an irresistible tendency to shorten things whenever possible.

E nglish speakers have a penchant for shortening words into contractions — even if the words are already brief. Take, for instance, Joan Jett's 1980s anthem "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." In this case, "and" is reduced to a one-letter contraction: 'n.' The rock legend embraced a catchy spelling variation of "rock and roll," but this quirky twist isn't used by everyone. The AP Stylebook calls for "rock 'n' roll," but Merriam-Webster spells out "rock and roll" (with "rock 'n' roll as a variant), and the hall of fame for the music genre uses an ampersand (&) in its title. Nevertheless, you don't have to be a rock star to use the contraction.

The short 'n' is often reserved for select phrases, especially food items, as seen in "fish 'n' chips" and "mac 'n' cheese," or in proper names, such as the moniker of hip-hop group "Salt-N-Pepa." Yet other famous duos, such as "peanut butter and jelly" or "Batman and Robin," don't share the same treatment. The decision of when to use 'n' isn't about strict grammar rules but rather personal preference and what feels most natural in context.

The use of 'n' is far from a new trend — we've been shortening it for more than 150 years. The Oxford English Dictionary traces an early recorded usage back to an 1858 edition of The Atlantic Monthly: "To beat the taown 'n' the keounty." The practice gained further momentum in the early 20th century as newspapers and magazines shifted to a more casual tone.

Yet, when opting to shorten "and," there's still the matter of apostrophes: How many are there, and where do they go? While no clear-cut rule dictates the number or positioning, the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster favor bookended apostrophes, as seen in their preferred spellings of "mac 'n' cheese" and "rock 'n' roll." Variants with single apostrophe placement, such as "rock n' roll" or "rock 'n roll," are far less common. (However, the first documented appearance of the music genre in print was in a 1938 song lyric, spelled "rock an' roll.") The bookended-apostrophe convention follows a long-standing English tradition in which missing letters are replaced with apostrophes to form contractions, as seen in "don't" ("do not") and "'til" ("until"). In the case of "rock 'n' roll," both the first and last letters were dropped, justifying apostrophes at both ends.

While weighing the pros 'n' cons of using 'n' in your writing, consider this: The decision should be guided by context and tone. It's best suited for informal conversations or where it's a stylistic touch, such as on restaurant menus or in social media posts. The beauty of informal contractions is that they make language feel more fun and approachable when used appropriately.