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Is there any difference in putting single and double quotation marks to a word in a sentence?

Say - 'design' and "design"

It is the 'design' that should appeal the viewer
It is the "design" that should appeal the viewer

Nathan Tuggy
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Mohan
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  • I tried to keep this question from closing. Mohan, is this you want? If yes, it makes it a good question. – Maulik V Oct 03 '15 at 05:45

1 Answers1

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There is no difference whatever.

The custom among most British publishers is to rely primarily on single quotes (‘x’), and to use double quotes (“x”) for a quotation inside a quoted passage:

‘As the Bible tells us, “The heart of man is deceitful above all things,”’ he proclaimed.

The custom among most American publishers is the opposite: primary double quotes, with secondary single quotes:

“As the Bible tells us, ‘The heart of man is deceitful above all things,’” he proclaimed.

Neither is right, neither is wrong; it’s merely a local convention. And nobody except publishers and some English teachers care, or even notice.

StoneyB on hiatus
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  • What about to give emphasis on certain word or phrase in sentence? – DAF Mar 28 '20 at 15:41
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    @DAF It's not a good idea to use single or double quotes for emphasis. That's the function of italics, bolding or underscoring. Quotes suggest that you are using the word or phrase in an unconventional sense, or that you are quoting a questionable use of the word or phrase. – StoneyB on hiatus Mar 29 '20 at 17:49