Do you prefer the spelling of LEDs or led's?

Is there a standard spelling for the plural of this acronymn?

No poll on this quesition on purpose. If you are interested or even care, please post here. That's all.

Since it's a question about something other than board administration, I'm going to move it to the LED forum. The true plural would be light emitting diodes, but since it's usually designated LED, I'd think LEDs would be proper. The apostrophy would be possessive, used in such phrases as "the LED's (or led's) brightness". I guess for possessive plural it would be something like LEDs's....... not!

I would think that both LED's and led's are now considered proper. Take for example, L.A.S.E.R. (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation). People never uppercase laser. Don't know if they ever did.

Jeff

I use "LEDs." Possesive plural would be LEDs' :naughty:

I don't believe there is an apostrophe for plural acronyms.

xpitxbullx said:

I would think that both LED's and led's are now considered proper. Take for example, L.A.S.E.R. (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation). People never uppercase laser. Don't know if they ever did.

Jeff

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I think they stopped using it as an acronym because most people probably dont know that it's an acronym. lol
If you ask most people what laser stands for, they'll look at you with a wierd look becuase they think that laser is the word.

LED on the other hand, we dont pronounce like a word, so more people are likely to know that it's an acronym.

With that said, i believe LEDs is technically the correct way to spell it.

If I say, "My LED's...." is that double possesive? :naughty:

Jeff

Most believe that if you have to pronounce each letter, it must be capitalized. I stand corrected.

Jeff

Alin10123 said:

LED on the other hand, we dont pronounce like a word, so more people are likely to know that it's an acronym.

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Don't you believe it! I've heard people pronounce it like a word! I think, I've even heard a fellow CPFer pronounce it like a word, before (one of the few that I've met.) I remember, promptly, saying the letters as soon as he pronounced it as a word.

Although, how about the company, LEDWAVE? Anybody actually say, "L-E-D-wave?" Or, does everbody just pronounce it like a word? It seems like it is meant to pronounced like a word.

Similar acronyms like LCD aren't pronounced as a word. I wouldn't think the inclusion of a vowel dictates that it should be pronounced as a word.

As for names like LEDWAVE, I'd think that would be entirely the chosen option of the one that coins the name.

Trashman said:

Although, how about the company, LEDWAVE? Anybody actually say, "L-E-D-wave?" Or, does everbody just pronounce it like a word? It seems like it is meant to pronounced like a word.

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Anytime I see LED in print in any form as it pertains to a Light Emitting Diode, I say L-E-D no matter if it appears to be part of a word or not since I know it's an acronym.

In response to this thread, I think LEDs is the proper way to use the acronym for Light Emitting Diodes. It always drives me nuts to see an unnecessary apostrophe.

It should be easy to see the crux of the biscuitt is the apostrophe (').

LEDs please though sometimes I have to check myself to make sure there is no '.

But I suppose the board is CPF about light and not the rules of English grammar.

I'd rather be open to everyone from around the world interested in light whatever their level of English, than apopolectic about apostophes.

Cheers.

Here's what Google Answers thinks about the plural form of acronyms and abbreviations

The correct method is just to add the letter 's' to the acronym. Here
are some examples:

PBXs (not PBX's)
VLANs (not VLAN's)
NICs (not NIC's)
PCs (not PC's)

The possessive of an acronym plural has the apostrophe after the s.

PBXs'
VLANs'
NICs'
PCs'

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In short: if it has periods between letters, use an apostrophe; if no periods, a lowercase S will do. So ... LEDs or L.E.D.'s, but noone likes to separate out acronyms by periods anymore.

"led's" is downright confusing - it would seem to indicate posession.

Most of the time I'll spell out L-E-D when pronouncing it, but when you're talking to someone familiar with the subject, it's faster to say "led" and you don't lose them since odds are you're not talking about the element...

As for LASER being commonly refered to as laser, that's not surprising since lase is now a proper word that implies laser-like behavior. It's no longer an acronym, like radar.

Acronyms and jargon slowly become commonplace words if their usage is broad enough. Look at what's become of E-mail (email).

LED because it's (still) an acronym. The 's or not, I really can't tell. With English being only my second language and with me sleeping during the English classes in school, I'm still trying to figure out how this works. idleprocess almost got it covered but can someone just explain to me in layman's (risky one... ) terms the difference between:

1. Cars? This should be two or more cars.
2. Cars'?
3. Car's?

I hope this isn't too off-topic...

LEDs is correct.

However, I tend to type LED's.

I just think it looks better !!

In order of clarity.....

http://www.buzzin.net/english/apost.htm

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/aegean/6354/grammar.html#Apostrophes

http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/sensen/part2/fourteen/spelling_possessive.html

http://secretariesusa.com/pages/possessives/Poss.html

umm, i type LEDs and avoid the " ' " to save time, i know i am naughty hehehe

winny said:

LED because it's (still) an acronym. The 's or not, I really can't tell. With English being only my second language and with me sleeping during the English classes in school, I'm still trying to figure out how this works. idleprocess almost got it covered but can someone just explain to me in layman's (risky one... ) terms the difference between:

1. Cars? This should be two or more cars.
2. Cars'?
3. Car's?

I hope this isn't too off-topic...

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Since this seems like a Cafe topic I'll throw in read Eats Shoots and Leaves excellent, light( ) book on some of the harder parts of English, by an English woman.
winny-I'm no authority, however I'll try my best
1. correct
2. I'm having a hard time with an example for this. :thinking: It would refer to something belonging to more than 1 car. **Cars' dashboards in the 60's cracked from too much sunlight. Not a great sentance, I think most references to cars problems would usually be worded so as to not use the plural possesive.
3. My car's dashboard is cracked. (It isn't but was) Refering to one cars possesion. As much as an object can own anything

A subject near and dear to my heart as it is Wits' End NOT Wit's End
BTW my vote is LEDs Though I have written LED's

Wits' End,

Thank you very much! I'll make that one a sticky in my head... :goodjob:

After reading the link idleprocess provided, I know I wrote "P's and Q's" somewhere which I must hunt down now...

Have we come to the conclution that "LEDs" is the correct term?

Thanks for that civil and informative discussion. It could have fallen apart fast, as things do, but only the people who were interested posted. People like to say that punctuation doesn't matter, but I prefer the clarity of thought that correct punctuation provides. None of us are perfect, probably, just 'getting better all the time'.