Periods and other end punctuation
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End a complete sentence with a period, unless it's a question. There are
exceptions for working in lists.
Periods with lists
Whether to end a list item with a period depends on several factors, including
the kind of list that the item appears in.
For details about how to use periods in lists, see the
Capitalization and end punctuation
section of the "Lists" page.
Periods with URLs
When a period immediately follows a URL or a file path, it can be hard to
tell whether the period is part of the URL.
To indicate that the punctuating period isn't part of the URL, try one of the
following techniques:
- Whenever possible, avoid putting URLs in text.
- Rewrite the sentence so that the URL isn't at the end of the sentence.
- Put the URL on a separate line from the text, omitting the final period.
If the URL is a link, it generally looks different from the surrounding text. For
example, in most browsers, link text is blue by default. This formatting helps
distinguish the URL from the period.
Recommended:
We use your feedback to improve the Animals API, in accordance with Example
Pet Store's Privacy Policy:
http://www.examplepetstore.com/privacy/
Not recommended:
We use your feedback to improve the Animals API, in accordance with Example
Pet Store's Privacy Policy at http://www.examplepetstore.com/privacy/.
When you do put a period after a URL, don't leave any space between the last character of
the URL and the period.
Periods with quotation marks
When a sentence ends with material inside quotation marks, place the period
inside the quotation marks even if the period isn't part of the material inside
the quotation marks. An exception to this guideline applies if you're using quotation marks around
a keyword or other literal string. For more information, see
Commas and periods with quotation marks.
Recommended: ... you might say "Fixed typo."
If the material inside the quotation marks ends with a question mark or an
exclamation point, don't use a period.
Recommended: Children always ask "Why?"
Periods with parentheses
If the last part of a sentence is contained inside parentheses, put the
period after the closing parenthesis.
If the parentheses contain a complete sentence, put the period inside
the parentheses.
Recommended: Your application could show
a notification when a relevant file or folder has changed (even if that change
occurs while your application isn't running).
Recommended: App Engine applications are
easy to create, easy to maintain, and easy to scale. (With App Engine, there are
no servers for you to maintain.)
For more information, see Parentheses.
Periods with headings
Don't end headings with periods.
For more information, see Headings.
Periods with numbers
Use a period to represent a decimal point. (Using a comma to separate the decimal part
of a number is the editorial custom in some countries, but not in the US.)
For more information, see Numbers.
Periods with alt text
See Alt text.
Periods with abbreviations
Put a period after a shortened word.
Don't put periods after the letters of an acronym or initialism.
For more information, see Abbreviations.
Spaces between sentences
Leave only one space between sentences.
Exclamation points
Don't use exclamation points in text except when they're part of a code
example.
Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2025-05-22 UTC.
[null,null,["Last updated 2025-05-22 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eAlways end complete sentences with a period, except in lists or headings.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWhen including URLs, avoid placing them at the end of a sentence to prevent confusion with the period.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eFor quotations, place the period inside the quotation marks, even if it's not part of the quoted material.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eIn parentheses, if it encloses a full sentence, the period goes inside; if it's part of a larger sentence, the period goes outside.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUse periods for decimal points and abbreviations but not for acronyms, headings, or generally in captions.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Periods conclude sentences, but list items may vary depending on list type. Avoid placing URLs at the end of sentences; rewrite or separate them onto a new line. Periods belong inside quotation marks, unless the quote ends with a question mark or exclamation point. For parentheses, place the period outside if it's part of the main sentence, inside if the parenthetical is a complete sentence. Do not use periods in headings, or generally in captions, only in alt text. Use periods to indicate decimals and after shortened words, but not in acronyms. Use only one space between sentences, and avoid exclamation marks.\n"],null,["# Periods and other end punctuation\n\nEnd a complete sentence with a period, unless it's a question. There are\nexceptions for working in lists.\n\nPeriods with lists\n------------------\n\nWhether to end a list item with a period depends on several factors, including\nthe kind of list that the item appears in.\n\nFor details about how to use periods in lists, see the\n[Capitalization and end punctuation](/style/lists#capitalization-and-end-punctuation)\nsection of the \"Lists\" page.\n\nPeriods with URLs\n-----------------\n\nWhen a period immediately follows a URL or a file path, it can be hard to\ntell whether the period is part of the URL.\n\nTo indicate that the punctuating period isn't part of the URL, try one of the\nfollowing techniques:\n\n- Whenever possible, avoid putting [URLs in text](/style/cross-references#urls).\n- Rewrite the sentence so that the URL isn't at the end of the sentence.\n- Put the URL on a separate line from the text, omitting the final period.\n\nIf the URL is a link, it generally looks different from the surrounding text. For\nexample, in most browsers, link text is blue by default. This formatting helps\ndistinguish the URL from the period. \nRecommended:\n\nWe use your feedback to improve the Animals API, in accordance with Example\nPet Store's Privacy Policy:\n\nhttp://www.examplepetstore.com/privacy/\n\nNot recommended:\n\nWe use your feedback to improve the Animals API, in accordance with Example\nPet Store's Privacy Policy at http://www.examplepetstore.com/privacy/.\n\nWhen you do put a period after a URL, don't leave any space between the last character of\nthe URL and the period.\n\nPeriods with quotation marks\n----------------------------\n\nWhen a sentence ends with material inside quotation marks, place the period\ninside the quotation marks even if the period isn't part of the material inside\nthe quotation marks. An exception to this guideline applies if you're using quotation marks around\na keyword or other literal string. For more information, see\n[Commas and periods with quotation marks](/style/quotation-marks#commas-and-periods-with-quotation-marks).\n\nRecommended: ... you might say \"Fixed typo.\"\n\nIf the material inside the quotation marks ends with a question mark or an\nexclamation point, don't use a period.\n\nRecommended: Children always ask \"Why?\"\n\nPeriods with parentheses\n------------------------\n\nIf the last part of a sentence is contained inside parentheses, put the\nperiod after the closing parenthesis.\n\nIf the parentheses contain a complete sentence, put the period inside\nthe parentheses.\n\nRecommended: Your application could show\na notification when a relevant file or folder has changed (even if that change\noccurs while your application isn't running).\n\nRecommended: App Engine applications are\neasy to create, easy to maintain, and easy to scale. (With App Engine, there are\nno servers for you to maintain.)\n\nFor more information, see [Parentheses](/style/parentheses).\n\nPeriods with headings\n---------------------\n\nDon't end headings with periods.\n\nFor more information, see [Headings](/style/headings).\n\nPeriods with numbers\n--------------------\n\nUse a period to represent a decimal point. (Using a comma to separate the decimal part\nof a number is the editorial custom in some countries, but not in the US.)\n\nFor more information, see [Numbers](/style/numbers).\n\nPeriods with captions\n---------------------\n\nSee [Figure captions](/style/images#figure-captions).\n\nPeriods with alt text\n---------------------\n\nSee [Alt text](/style/images#alt-text).\n\nPeriods with abbreviations\n--------------------------\n\nPut a period after a shortened word.\n\nDon't put periods after the letters of an acronym or initialism.\n\nFor more information, see [Abbreviations](/style/abbreviations).\n\nSpaces between sentences\n------------------------\n\nLeave only one space between sentences.\n\nExclamation points\n------------------\n\nDon't use exclamation points in text except when they're part of a code\nexample."]]
