dos and don'ts

See also: do's and don't's and do's and don'ts

English

WOTD – 10 March 2025

Etymology

From dos (“plural of do (“something that can or should be done”)”) + and + don’ts (“plural of don’t (“something that must or should not be done”)”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌduːz‿n̩ ˈdəʊnts/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌduz‿n̩ ˈdoʊnts/
• Rhymes: -əʊnts

Noun

dos and don'ts pl (plural only)

1. A set of things that one should do or not do in a particular situation; a set of guidelines or rules that one has to or ought to follow.

Usage notes

The plural forms of do and don’t are correctly dos and don’ts respectively; do’s and don’t’s are sometimes used for the sake of legibility, but are considered by some as incorrect.

Alternative forms

• do's and don'ts, do's and don't's (often proscribed)

Translations

set of things that one should do or not do in a particular situation

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: ohjeet pl (guidelines), säännöt (fi) pl (rules)
• French: please add this translation if you can
• Georgian: რა უნდა გააკეთოთ და რა არ უნდა გააკეთოთ (ra unda gaaḳetot da ra ar unda gaaḳetot), რისი გაკეთება შეიძლება და რისი გაკეთება არ შეიძლება (risi gaḳeteba šeiʒleba da risi gaḳeteba ar šeiʒleba), როგორ უნდა მოიქცეთ და როგორ არ უნდა მოიქცეთ (rogor unda moikcet da rogor ar unda moikcet)
• German: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: ami kötelező és ami tilos, amit szabad és amit nem, viselkedési szabályok
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: please add this translation if you can

  Roman: poželjno i nepoželjno n

• Spanish: decálogo (es) m (literally “ten commandments”) (informal)