Double Quotes
Double quotation marks commonly mark quoted words or speech, but detailed punctuation and nesting conventions vary by style and region. The project therefore treats Microsoft’s double-outer/single-inner pattern as a style rule, not a universal law for every publication tradition.
Use double quotation marks for ordinary quoted material when your style guide calls for them. Microsoft style uses single quotation marks for a quotation inside a quotation; punctuation placement also follows style-specific rules.
Key details
Important caveats
Style Boundary
Placement of commas, periods, and other punctuation relative to quotation marks can vary by style; follow the governing style guide consistently.
Further guidance
Core Rule
Use double quotation marks for the main quoted material when following a style that specifies double outer quotation marks.
Nested Quotes
Under Microsoft style, use single quotation marks for a quotation inside another quotation.
Practical Application
Apply the quotation-mark hierarchy and punctuation rules of the governing style. When double quotation marks are the outer level, use them consistently and switch to the prescribed inner quotation form for quoted material inside a quotation.
Reader Check
Have you identified the house style for outer/inner quotation marks and for punctuation placement before normalizing the passage?
Worked Example
Under a style that uses double outer quotes and single inner quotes, a sentence can appear as “The note says ‘urgent,’” she replied; another style may differ in punctuation placement, so do not universalize the example.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Quotation marks — Microsoft Style Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Microsoft house-style treatment of quotation marks, including its straight-quote convention for Segoe