Spelling Standards

Use ordinary, readable spelling unless the performed form has an established contraction, dialect spelling, name, or stylization covered below. Do not create a new phonetic spelling merely because a singer has an accent.

Preferred spellings

For consistency, use the standardized spelling on the left when it matches what is performed.

Standardized

Avoid

Context

I'ma

I'mma, Ima, Imma

“I am going to”

'cause

cause, cos, cuz

Use cuz only for “cousin”

okay / OK

O.K.

Either form is acceptable; capitalize OK

'til / till

til

Shortened “until”

tryna

trynna

“Trying to”

ayy / aye

ay

Choose the form that matches the meaning and performance

ho

hoe

Hoe remains the garden tool

though

tho


ya / yah


Ya for “you”; yah for “yeah/yes”

y'all

ya'll


skrrt

skrt


Perc / percy

Perk, Percy

When referring to Percocet

bougie

boujee, boujie

Unless a proper title or name officially uses another form

shawty / shorty


Match the performed form

lil'

lil, li'l

For the shortened word; preserve an artist’s official name

woah

whoa


dog

dawg


chopper

choppa


oughta

oughtta


naive


Naïve is also valid where conventional in the language

cliché

cliche


alright / all right


Both are acceptable

The Rap Slang Spelling Guide can help with unfamiliar terms, but still verify the word and meaning against the recording.

Contractions and apostrophes

Use an apostrophe where letters have been omitted: I'm, don't, y'all, rockin', 'cause. Do not use an opening quotation mark in place of an apostrophe.

Possessives and ordinary contractions keep their normal grammar:

  • the artist's voice

  • the artists' voices

  • it's for “it is”

  • its for possession

Numbers

Spell out ordinary numbers when they are spoken as words: three, not 3.

Keep digits when they are intrinsic to the reference:

  • years: 1999;

  • product and model names: iPhone 15, Air Jordan 4, Glock 17, PS5;

  • calibers and measurements conventionally written with digits: .357 Magnum, 9mm, 5.56;

  • identifiers: AK-47, AR-15.

When uncertain, prefer the conventional written form of the thing being named.

Abbreviations and acronyms

Use

Avoid

Context

a.k.a. / a.k.a.s

AKA, A.K.A

Use A.k.a. at the beginning of a line

GOAT / GOATs

G.O.A.T.


VIP / VIPs

V.I.P.


ASAP

A.S.A.P.

Use A$AP for the collective or its members

cream / C.R.E.A.M.


Lowercase for money; dotted form for the Wu-Tang title

HAM

H.A.M.


Pluralize acronyms without an apostrophe: VIPs, not VIP's, unless the word is possessive.

Special characters in names

Verify names rather than simplifying them. Preserve punctuation and meaningful symbols exactly, such as A$AP Rocky, Ke$ha, and will.i.am.

This section covers the characters that belong to a name. For uppercase, lowercase, and internal capitals, follow Capitalization.