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single quote

/ˌsɪŋgəl kwoʊt/
IPA guide

Other forms: single quotes

A single quote is a punctuation mark that looks similar to an apostrophe. It is used by being paired with another single quote to set aside spoken dialogue inside another quotation.

Single quotes are a way for a quoted speaker to quote someone else. Your mom might announce, "Remember what Aunt Sarah always says: 'It is what it is.' She's absolutely right!" Sometimes single quotes also denote the title of a short story, poem, or song, and occasionally writers use them to emphasize something in a sarcastic way: "Their so-called 'friends' ditched them at the mall."

Definitions of single quote
  1. noun
    a single quotation mark
    see moresee less
    type of:
    inverted comma, quotation mark, quote
    a punctuation mark used to attribute the enclosed text to someone else
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