Apostrophe Before or After the Year? The Simple Rule

You’re captioning a photo about your favorite music and type “the 90’s.” Something looks off, but you can’t say why.

Should the apostrophe sit before the 9, after the 0, or not appear at all?

Years confuse students, bloggers, and professionals alike, because one tiny mark can do three different jobs. It can stand in for missing digits, show that something belongs to a year, or get misused as a plural marker.

This guide settles whether the apostrophe goes before or after the year. You’ll get one clear rule per situation, the spots where sources disagree, a few related date rules, and a short practice test at the end.

Quick Answer

Keep this three-line version handy:

Digits left out: the apostrophe goes before the numbers, as in the ’90s or the class of ’25.
Something belongs to the year: the apostrophe goes after the year, followed by an s, as in 2026’s biggest stories.
A plain decade: no apostrophe at all, as in the 1990s.

Why Years Make Apostrophes So Confusing

An apostrophe has three main jobs in English. It replaces missing letters or numbers, it shows possession, and in a few narrow cases it marks a plural. Study.com’s apostrophe lesson sorts the mark into these same three groups.

Years can trigger all three at once. When you see “the 90’s,” you can’t tell whether the writer meant a shortened decade, a plural, or something owned by the nineties. That doubt is why the mark looks wrong.

The fix is to decide what you mean before you type the apostrophe. The sections below take each meaning in turn.

When the Apostrophe Goes Before the Year

An apostrophe in front of a year works like the one in “don’t.” It marks the spot where something was left out. With years, the missing piece is the first two digits.

Shortened decades

Drop the “19” from 1990s and you get ’90s. The apostrophe sits at the very front, because that is where the digits disappeared.

1980s becomes ’80s
1970s becomes ’70s
1960s becomes ’60s

Here it is in sentences:

My parents met at a college dance in the ’70s.
’90s fashion keeps coming back around.
She grew up watching Saturday cartoons in the ’80s.

Notice that nothing goes between the zero and the s. That final s only signals the plural, so it needs no help.

Class years and single years

The same logic works for one year. The University of Portland’s style guide treats “class of 1978” and “class of ’78” as two acceptable ways to write the same thing. The apostrophe simply signals that the first two numbers are omitted.

She graduated with the class of ’25.
He started his first job in ’08.

Use the short form only when the century is obvious. If a reader might wonder whether ’08 means 1908 or 2008, write the full year.

Alumni Style: Name Followed by ’25

Many colleges write a graduate’s name followed by the short class year, like Jane Doe ’25. The apostrophe still goes before the two digits, because the “20” is missing.

Jane Doe ’25
Ahmed Khan ’98

This is a house style, not a universal rule. Check your school or publication guide before using it.

What about the ’00s?

Decades that begin with 00 feel awkward. Grammboost calls ’00s less common but still correct. My suggestion: write the 2000s instead. It reads cleanly and nobody has to pause over it.

’26 or 26’? Watch the Feet Mark

Write ’26, not 26’. The apostrophe replaces the missing “20,” so it must come first.

A mark after the number can also confuse readers. In measurements, 26’ means 26 feet. That symbol is a prime mark, not an apostrophe, and it only belongs to measurements.

Correct: She joined in ’26.
Wrong: She joined in 26’.

When the Apostrophe Goes After the Year

An apostrophe after a year shows possession. Something belongs to that year or comes from it, just like the ’s in “the dog’s bone.”

Singular years

Add ’s directly after the full year:

1969’s moon landing is still replayed in documentaries.
2023’s product launches were hard to keep up with.
The election was 1980’s biggest news story.

The University of Portland guide describes this the same way: an apostrophe after the year is needed for possessives.

Plural decades

When a decade owns something, the apostrophe moves after the plural s:

The 1990s’ music scene shaped later artists.

The apostrophe comes after the s because the decade is already plural. Study.com’s lesson on plural possessives follows the same pattern with words like “dogs’ bone.”

When to rewrite instead

Possessive years can sound clunky, especially the plural kind. If a sentence makes you stumble when you read it aloud, flip it:

Instead of “2025’s biggest stories were widely discussed,” write “The biggest stories of 2025 were widely discussed.”
Instead of “the 1990s’ influence on fashion,” write “the influence of the 1990s on fashion.”

Both versions are correct. The second just reads more smoothly.

When You Don’t Need an Apostrophe at All

Full decades

When you write out a decade, add an s and stop. The University of Portland guide says to use an s without an apostrophe for spans of decades or centuries, with “the early 1900s” as its example.

The 1960s marked a shift in civil rights legislation.
Fashion from the 1980s is trending again.
The 2000s brought huge changes in smartphones.

The s only makes the decade plural. Plurals don’t need an apostrophe, any more than “cats” or “books” do.

Full years

A year used as a date needs no apostrophe either.

She was born in 1998.
The business opened in 2005.
We moved here in 2020.

Also avoid stacking marks, as in “‘1990s.” Pick one: 1990s in full, or ’90s shortened.

This Year’s, Last Year’s, and Two Years’ Time

Use ’s with the singular word year, as in this year’s budget. Use s’ for plural years that own something, as in two years’ experience. A plain plural like “five years ago” needs no apostrophe.

This is the same possessive rule you already use for other nouns, applied to the word “year” instead of a number.

Singular: this year’s results, last year’s model, a year’s salary
Plural possessive: two years’ experience, ten years’ work
Plain plural: for years, three years ago

A quick test: if you can swap in “of the year” or “of two years,” you need the apostrophe. If you can’t, you don’t.

Wrong: this years budget
Right: this year’s budget
Wrong: two year’s experience
Right: two years’ experience

Can You Write 90s Without an Apostrophe?

For a shortened decade, the standard form is ’90s with the apostrophe. You will see 90s in casual posts, but it drops the mark that shows missing digits. If you want to skip the apostrophe, write 1990s.

Be careful with “19s.” The “19” is the part you drop, so 19s does not mean the nineties. It reads like the plural of the number 19.

Standard: the ’90s
Also fine: the 1990s
Avoid: the 19s, the 19’s

Style guides differ on informal use, so verify yours if the piece is going to print.

Plural Numbers That Aren’t Years

Plural numbers usually take just an s, with no apostrophe. This is the same logic as 1990s. The s already makes the number plural.

She rolled two 6s.
He sorted the 5s from the 10s.

Some style guides allow an apostrophe in rare cases to avoid confusion, so verify your guide if you are unsure.

1990s or 1990’s? Why Some Sources Disagree

Here is something most guides skip. Not every source agrees.

Study.com’s apostrophe lesson lists decades among the numerical figures that can take an apostrophe for a plural, and its example uses “the 1960’s.” Meanwhile, the University of Portland guide and Grammboost both say the plural decade takes no apostrophe.

So what should you do? If a school, employer, or publisher gives you a style guide, follow it. If you have no guide, choose 1990s. It is the form the university style guide and the explainers I reviewed recommend, and nobody can mistake it for a possessive.

Don’t Let Autocorrect Flip Your Apostrophe

The University of Portland guide makes a point most articles never mention: the apostrophe should point down and to the left, like a tiny closing curl. That is ’, not ‘.

Many word processors and phone keyboards read a mark at the start of a word as an opening quotation, so ’90s can turn into ‘90s the moment you type it. If that happens, type two apostrophes in a row and delete the first, or insert the correct character manually.

Study.com also warns that a leading apostrophe can make a spell checker flag a word. A red underline under ’90s doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

You may see straight apostrophes online as well. They are common when typing, but the curly one looks more polished. Whichever you use, keep it in the right position.

Does the Apostrophe Go Before or After the Period?

The apostrophe comes before the period. The apostrophe is part of the word or year, and the period only closes the sentence.

She graduated with the class of ’25.
Those notes are the teachers’.
I loved the music of the ’80s.

Quotation marks work differently. If you use a single quote mark at the end of a quoted phrase, American style usually puts the period inside it, while British style often puts it outside. Check your style guide for this one.

Writing Year Ranges and Dates Around the Apostrophe

Apostrophes rarely belong in ranges or full dates. These patterns come from the University of Portland style guide, and other guides vary slightly.

Year ranges

Use a hyphen and drop the first two digits of the second year. If the range crosses a century, keep all four.

1971-89
2012-15
1989-2011

When you introduce a span with “from,” use “to” instead of a hyphen: “She attended from 2011 to 2015.”

Month and year combinations

With only a month and a year, use no comma: “The snowstorm was in Feb. 2011.” With a full date, set the year off with commas: “She was born on October 15, 1963, in Orlando.”

Formal or Casual? Choosing the Right Form

Study.com notes that contractions suit informal writing and are best avoided in formal pieces. A shortened decade like ’90s is a kind of contraction, so the same advice applies.

Situation	Best choice	Example
Essay, report, business document	Full decade	The 1990s changed communication.
Social post, headline, casual blog	Shortened decade	Loving this ’90s playlist.
Formal class year	Full year	The class of 2025
Casual class year	Shortened year	The class of ’25
Something owned by a year	Possessive or rewrite	2025’s trends, or the trends of 2025

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Fix	Why
the 1990’s	the 1990s	A plain decade needs no apostrophe
the 90’s	the ’90s	The apostrophe replaces the first digits, so it goes at the front
in 2020’s	in 2020	A date isn’t possessive
2025 biggest surprise	2025’s biggest surprise	The surprise belongs to the year
the ‘90s	the ’90s	The mark should curl down and to the left
‘1990s	1990s or ’90s	Don’t combine a full year with a leading apostrophe

An Easy Way to Remember: Lead, Follow, or Leave It

Before you type the mark, pick one of three words:

Lead: digits were dropped, so the apostrophe leads the number (’90s).
Follow: something belongs to the year, so the apostrophe follows it (2026’s).
Leave it: you are just naming a decade or a full year, so leave the apostrophe out (1990s, 2026).

If you can’t decide, write the full year or decade. It is clear and safe in nearly every setting.

Quick Practice: Fix These Five Sentences

Try correcting each one before checking the answers.

The 80’s had great music.
Our company opened in 2019’s.
2025 biggest surprise was the finale.
I still love the 1990’s.
The ‘90s were fun. (Look at the direction of the mark.)

Answers:

The ’80s had great music. (or The 1980s)
Our company opened in 2019.
2025’s biggest surprise was the finale.
I still love the 1990s.
The ’90s were fun.

FAQs

Does the apostrophe go before or after the year?

It depends on your meaning. Put it before the digits when you shorten a year or decade, as in ’90s. Put it after the year to show possession, as in 2026’s trends. For a plain decade like 1990s, or a full year like 2026, skip it entirely.

Is it 1990s or 1990’s?

Write 1990s. The s only makes the decade plural, and plurals don’t need apostrophes. The University of Portland style guide and Grammboost both recommend this form. Some educational sources, such as Study.com’s lesson, show “1960’s,” so follow your own style guide if you have one.

Is it ’90s or 90’s?

Write ’90s. The apostrophe replaces the missing “19,” so it belongs at the front of the number. Putting it before the s, as in 90’s, suggests possession or a contraction that isn’t there. Check that the mark curls down and to the left, not the other way.

How do I shorten “class of 2025”?

Write the class of ’25, with the apostrophe before the two remaining digits. The University of Portland guide shows the same pattern with “class of ’78.” Use the short form only when the century is obvious. In formal writing, the full year is the safer choice.

Can a year be possessive?

Yes. When something belongs to or comes from a year, add ’s after it, as in 1969’s moon landing or 2023’s product launches. Plural decades take the apostrophe after the s, as in the 1990s’ music scene. If it sounds clumsy, rewrite it with “of,” as in “the music of the 1990s.”

How do I write the 2000s in short form?

You can write ’00s, and Grammboost calls it less common but still correct. However, it can look odd or like a typo. Most writers are better off with the 2000s, which is clear, needs no apostrophe, and works in both formal and casual writing.

Do American and British English treat years differently?

Not in any major way. Grammboost describes the rule as basically identical in both: no apostrophe for plural decades, an apostrophe before shortened digits, and a possessive apostrophe for ownership. What does vary is the house style of individual publishers, so check your target guide.

Is it this years or this year’s?

Write this year’s. The apostrophe shows that something belongs to this year, as in this year’s results.

Can I write 90s without an apostrophe?

Use ’90s or 1990s. The bare 90s appears in casual writing, but it is not the standard form. Verify your style guide for formal work.

Does the apostrophe go before or after the period?

Before it. The apostrophe stays with the word or year, and the period ends the sentence, as in the class of ’25.

Conclusion:

The question of whether the apostrophe goes before or after the year comes down to what you mean.

Use it before the numbers when digits are dropped, after the year when something is owned, and not at all for a plain decade or a full year.

Your next step is quick. Open your latest draft and search for 90’s, 80’s, 1990’s, and similar patterns.

Then use Lead, Follow, or Leave It to fix each one. A two-minute check keeps your dates looking polished.

Sophia Mitchell

I’m Sophia Mitchell, an English grammar and writing enthusiast. I create simple, easy-to-understand content to help learners improve their English. My goal is to make grammar clear, practical, and enjoyable for everyone.