When to Use Italics or Quotation Marks with Foreign Words

The following guidelines explain when to use italics or quotation marks with foreign words to set them apart from the surrounding English text. These guidelines are for general words in business documents, nonfiction, journalism, and academic writing but aren’t for proper nouns, such as people’s names or place names, which typically don’t require special formatting.

But first, what constitutes a foreign word? In general, words that originate from languages other than English aren’t considered foreign if they are included in our primary dictionaries. Three of the most popular American-English dictionaries are Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. If the word you are writing doesn’t appear in one of these dictionaries, you may want to format it with italics or place it in quotation marks, as explained below.

And, why would you use a foreign word? You may want to use a foreign word to add interest or authenticity to your writing. In other cases, you may have to use a foreign word because there is no English equivalent. Regardless, foreign words should be used sparingly and with great consideration because too many can confuse or frustrate your readers.

Italics with Foreign Words (Chicago Style)

Use italics for foreign words if you are writing a business document or general nonfiction. If the word appears frequently throughout your document, The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago style) recommends only using the italics the first time the word appears; however, you can continue to use italics if the word appears infrequently.

The waiter explained that le fromage would be served with a baguette, not with crackers.

The host served formaggio as an appetizer before the antipasto.

Quotation Marks with Foreign Words (AP style)

If you are writing a news-centric piece or are an independent journalist without a house style guide, follow the guideline from The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style): Use quotation marks around foreign words that aren’t “understood universally.” In addition to the quotation marks, AP style also recommends explaining the meaning of the word.²

The waiter explained that “le fromage,” which is cheese in French, would be served with a baguette, not with crackers.

The host served “formaggio,” which is cheese in Italian, before the antipasto.

Foreign Words in Academic Writing (APA Style and MLA Style)

Follow the relevant guideline above if your academic department adheres to either Chicago style or AP style.

If your department uses the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style), avoid pairing italics or quotation marks with “common” foreign words. Note that while APA style advises against special formatting for well-known foreign words, it doesn’t directly recommend italics or quotation marks for uncommon foreign words, either.³ Nevertheless, APA style does encourage italics with the first use of “key terms” that readers may be unfamiliar or less familiar with;⁴ so, foreign words can potentially fall into this key term category.

The Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook is silent on the issue of formatting foreign words. However, MLA style’s official online presence, The MLA Style Center, recommends italicizing most uncommon foreign words.⁵

As always, I encourage business and nonfiction writers who aren’t using a specific style guide to follow the Chicago style recommendation.

References

1. The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 7.53.
2. The Associated Press Stylebook 2020–2022 (New York: Associated Press, 2020), 115.
3. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 6.22.
4. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 6.22.
5. “How should I treat foreign terms in MLA style?” Ask the MLA, The MLA Style Center, accessed November 8, 2019.