thomas's or thomas'

Thomas’s or Thomas’? Which is the Correct Plural Possessive?

Vocabulary / By

Thomas is a popular name, and since it ends with an S, it can be tricky to make it possessive. Whether you use Thomas’s or Thomas’ depends on the style guide that you follow. Both Thomas’s or Thomas’ are correct.

There are several different style guides for writing the English language. When you follow the rules of The Associated Press Stylebook, Thomas’ is correct. With all other style guides, Thomas’s is correct.

Thomas’

The Associated Press Stylebook has rules that state any plural noun, including names that end with an S, only get an apostrophe to symbolize possession. If you are required to follow AP style in your writing, this is the correct way.

In school, we are taught that Thomas’ is the proper way to write about something that belongs to Thomas. However, language is always developing and making changes, which is why this form isn’t used as often as it used to be.

Examples

I think those are Thomas’ shoes.

The last time I checked, that was Thomas’ favorite movie.

We took Thomas’ car to dinner.

Have you seen Thomas’ phone? 

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Thomas’s

Other style guides, such as The Microsoft Manual of Style and The Chicago Manual of Style, recommend that singular nouns, like a name, show possession by adding an apostrophe and an S, even if the name or noun ends with S.

Thomas’s will also be more common in British English than Thomas’. This is due to their style guides being slightly different than those in the United States. Even in America, Thomas’s is becoming more popular than Thomas’.

Examples

Does anyone know if this is Thomas’s wallet?

I just need to grab Thomas’s car keys so we can leave.

She’s on her way to Thomas’s house for the surprise party.

Remind me to get Thomas’s email for the mailing list before we leave.

Which is Correct?

The confusion of these two words comes from what we were taught to write versus how we say things. In school, it is common to be taught to write Thomas’ when talking about something that belongs to Thomas. When we are talking, we say Thomas’s when referring to something that belongs to Thomas. While both are technically correct, the main difference is in the required style guide.

It will always depend on the required style guide you need to follow, but the most important thing is that you stay consistent with it. 

It is also important that you don’t make any exceptions during your writing process. Consistency will make a huge difference. You will also need to make sure that the program you are writing on doesn’t automatically correct it to the opposite.

Most people will just follow what their friends and family use. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page, but it might not always be best in a professional situation. Always make sure to follow the style guide that is used by the company or person you are writing for.

If you really aren’t sure which to use, and you don’t want to make a mistake, you can keep things simple. Instead of saying Thomas’ or Thomas’s, you can just say that it belongs to Thomas. 

Read more about how to use “apostrophe s” or “s apostrophe” in our complete guide here. 

Conor
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