Meaning & use
don'ts
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Meanings
nounplural
Things that you should not do; the rules or pieces of advice that tell people to avoid certain actions.
Grammar: Almost always used as the plural noun 'don'ts', usually in the phrase 'dos and don'ts'; the singular 'don't' as a noun is rare.
Patterns
- the dos and don'ts of something
- a list of dos and don'ts
- the do's and don'ts
The guide lists the dos and don'ts of using the office kitchen.
Before the trip, our teacher went over the dos and don'ts of traveling alone.
Every new employee gets a sheet of dos and don'ts for emailing clients.
nounplural
The apostrophe in 'don'ts' shows it is a contraction, but as a noun it is usually written with a plain apostrophe before the s.
Grammar: This sense is about spelling; in careful writing, use 'don'ts' with an apostrophe, not 'donts'.
Patterns
- write 'don'ts' with an apostrophe
Many style guides prefer 'dos and don'ts' with the apostrophe kept in 'don'ts'.
If you drop the apostrophe and write 'donts', readers may think it is a typo.
Common combinations
- the dos and don'ts of something
- The manual explains the dos and don'ts of setting up the printer.
- a list of dos and don'ts
- She pinned a list of dos and don'ts next to the front door.
- the do's and don'ts
- The coach wrote the do's and don'ts of safe tackling on the board.
- know the dos and don'ts
- New interns quickly learn the dos and don'ts of the newsroom.
- follow the dos and don'ts
- If you follow the dos and don'ts of the exam, you will avoid silly mistakes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rules
- 'Rules' is broader and can be official; 'don'ts' often sounds like friendly advice rather than strict law.
- guidelines
- 'Guidelines' are suggestions, while 'don'ts' specifically names the things you should avoid.
- taboos
- 'Taboos' are strongly forbidden things in a culture; 'don'ts' is a lighter, more practical word.
Opposites
Word family
- don't verb
- Contraction of 'do not', used to form negative commands and statements.
- do verb
- To perform an action; the positive half of the 'dos and don'ts' pair.
Commonly confused: don'ts or dont? don'ts or doesn't?
don'ts vs dont
'Dont' without an apostrophe is a common misspelling; the correct contraction is 'don't', and the plural noun is 'don'ts'.
don'ts vs doesn't
'Doesn't' is the negative for he, she, or it; 'don't' is used with I, you, we, and they.
Practice
Which sentence uses the noun 'don'ts' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Don'ts' as a noun appears in the fixed phrase 'dos and don'ts' meaning things to avoid. The other options wrongly use 'don'ts' as a verb form; the correct verb is 'doesn't' or 'don't' depending on the subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “don'ts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.