Writing lessons & Advice: The Ampersand

Katie Johns
2 days ago
2 min read

September 8th is World Ampersand Day! This post is all about this writing mark: &

The ampersand is an English symbol that represents the word “and”. Some may call it “the and symbol” but ampersand is its proper name. The symbol has actually been around a long time; at least as far back as the first century AD as a cursive Roman figure. For a while, it was even recognized as the twenty-seventh letter of the English alphabet! Conversely, its holiday has only been around since 2015--ten years as of this publishing!

However, for all the ampersand’s longevity, it is not commonly used in formal writing--except with APA format citations, formulas, or computer codes. It’s a bit like apostrophes and contractions in that respect. The ampersand replaces instances where “and” would be situated. The main thing is that the word pair goes together. Examples:

Rock & roll

Rhythm & blues

PB&J (peanut butter and jelly)

Peaches & cream

Company names or artistic titles with two or more people/terms often use them too. In contexts of advertising or social media, ampersands save text and space in print. Examples:

Johnson & Johnson (the company that specializes in healthcare products)

M&M’s (the candy)

Pride & Prejudice (book and movie title)

R&R at a B&B (short for rest and relaxation at a bed and breakfast)

Fall Festival-Sept. 27 & 28 (how a two-day event might show on an ad bulletin)

On other occasions, ampersands limit redundancy. Examples:

The school supplies list requests pens & paper, scissors & glue, pencils & erasers, and crayons & markers.

The pair were inseparable, like Batman & Robin, Thing One & Thing Two, or Scooby-Doo & Shaggy

A few punctuation and typographical notes to mention: the oxford comma and ampersand should never be used together. An ampersand between words needs spaces before and after the mark. However, it does not need spacing between letters.