When to use & instead of "and"

Question

Are there rules of usage when using the ampersand "&" instead of "and"?

Are they completely interchangeable?

The ampersand seems more casual, but I'm not sure.

http://clientsfromhell.net/post/1116394387/please-replace-all-ands-with-ampersands-we-think
I think that this joke is suitable here — zerkms, Sep 17 '10 at 02:27
The header of this english stack exchange community uses it, "English Language & Usage", probably as stylish decorative purposes (as for the writing of this comment). — edmundo096, Feb 17 '19 at 01:08

score 60 · Accepted Answer · edited Feb 07 '14 at 11:24

There are very, very few acceptable uses of & in proper written English. Here are some of them:

& is especially common when joining names to indicate a firm or a partnership, for example, a law firm:

Baker & McKenzie
Abercrombie & Fitch
Crosby Stills Nash & Young

In abbreviations, when abbreviating "and", & is often used:

AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph)
P&L (profit and loss)
R&D (research and development)

One rare usage is on envelopes addressed to a couple:

Mr. & Mrs. Jackson

&c. is a rare and somewhat archaic looking abbreviation for etc.

Other than that it is vanishingly rare to see & in formal written English, although of course in informal email, text messages, notes, and handwriting, anything goes.

You missed one very important usage. In the title 'English language and usage' ;-) — Niranjan, Mar 29 '23 at 03:32

score 14 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 16 '10 at 21:11

14

Are there rules of usage when using the ampersand "&" instead of "and"?

I looked through a couple of reference books and both of them said that the ampersand should only be used in company names.

Are they completely interchangeable?

Meaning-wise I think they are.

The ampersand seems more casual, but I'm not sure.

It's an abbreviation so one might use it more in less formal writing.

answered Sep 16 '10 at 21:11

2

Thanks! I found this Interesting discussion as well: http://typophile.com/node/12426 – OneProton Sep 16 '10 at 21:45

score 10 · Answer 3 · edited Feb 07 '14 at 11:23

10

I cannot say this is correct but in use I find it very useful.

I often use "&" when two things are related directly but only in a series. Example: "Michel has experience in Marketing, Research & Design, and Business Management."

Like I said, this most likely isn't correct but it makes sense, seems useful, and if enough people agree then we can change the rules & regulations.

edited Feb 07 '14 at 11:23

RegDwigнt

97,231

answered Mar 07 '13 at 18:48

no help following the rules

101

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Great example of a good place to use it. It could be argued that the department name is in fact "Research & Design" or R&D. It's a proper noun, so the usual rules don't apply anyhow. – OneProton Aug 04 '17 at 19:16
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If we do eventually extend the guidance to more informal conditions like "agriculture, hunting & fishing" based on common usage, we might consider the style rule that it should not appear next to other punctuation, like "this, that, & the other" or "this &/or that" ...none of which is considered appropriate in the present set of rules. – CZahrobsky Jun 11 '18 at 17:31

score 2 · Answer 4 · edited Dec 24 '23 at 09:58

2

The ampersand is used inside brackets when referencing (Smith & Jones, 2008:36). But in a sentence, "and" is used, e.g. "Smith and Jones (2008:36) hold that..."

Also, & is used in the reference list of an academic paper when more than one author is cited. But not in the title, then "and" is used.

edited Dec 24 '23 at 09:58

PeterJames

111

answered Nov 19 '13 at 17:09

user57731

29

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It will depend on the style guide. Which manual is this rule from? – choster Nov 19 '13 at 18:37

When to use & instead of "and"

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