Key takeaways
- “Friends” (no apostrophe) is the plural of “friend”: more than one friend.
- “Friends'” (apostrophe after the s) shows possession by a group of friends.
- “Friend’s” (apostrophe before the s) shows possession by a single friend.
- An apostrophe never forms a plural. If you are just talking about more than one friend, no apostrophe is needed.
- The apostrophe rule is the same for all regular plural nouns ending in s: the apostrophe always goes after the s.
Apostrophes in English are one of the most consistently misapplied punctuation marks. The confusion between “friends,” “friend’s,” and “friends'” comes up in signs, emails, and social media posts every day. The rule is straightforward, and once you know it, you can apply it to every regular plural noun in English.
With 150+ languages taught by 30,000+ tutors, italki connects you with English tutors who can help you get punctuation habits right through real writing practice with feedback. The three forms and when to use each
| Form | Name | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| friends | Plural noun | More than one friend | I have five friends in this city. |
| friend’s | Singular possessive | Belonging to one friend | That is my friend’s car. |
| friends’ | Plural possessive | Belonging to a group of friends | We met at the friends’ reunion. |
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“Friends”: the plural, no apostrophe needed
When you are referring to more than one friend and not showing possession, no apostrophe is needed:
- She has many friends at school.
- My friends are coming to visit next week.
- They remained friends for decades.
Adding an apostrophe to make a word plural (“friend’s coming to visit”) is always wrong. An apostrophe either shows possession or marks an omission in contractions.
“Friend’s”: one friend owns something
- That is my friend’s jacket.
- I borrowed my friend’s car.
- The decision was my friend’s to make.
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“Friends'”: more than one friend owns something
- They stayed at their friends’ house.
- She cleaned up her friends’ mess.
For plural nouns that already end in s, add only an apostrophe after the s:
| Noun | Plural | Plural possessive |
|---|---|---|
| friend | friends | friends’ |
| parent | parents | parents’ |
| student | students | students’ |
| colleague | colleagues | colleagues’ |
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The rule for irregular plurals
Nouns with irregular plurals (children, men, women) take apostrophe + s for the possessive:
| Noun | Plural | Plural possessive |
|---|---|---|
| child | children | children’s |
| man | men | men’s |
| woman | women | women’s |
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The most common apostrophe error: plurals
Wrong: “She has three friend’s.” Right: “She has three friends.” Wrong: “We served pizza’s and salad’s.” Right: “We served pizzas and salads.” Get real-time feedback from an English tutor on apostrophe mistakes in your writing.
Contractions vs. possessives
“It’s” with an apostrophe is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” The possessive form of “it” is “its” with no apostrophe. This is the only common case where a possessive does not take an apostrophe. Clear up years of apostrophe uncertainty with personalized writing feedback. Trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, italki connects you with expert English tutors.Book a trial lesson today.
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FAQ
What about names ending in s? Is it “James’ car” or “James’s car”?
Both are accepted. The Chicago Manual of Style recommends “James’s car.” The AP Stylebook prefers “James’ car.” Choose one approach and use it consistently. Can “friends'” ever mean only one friend? No. “Friends'” with the apostrophe after the s always refers to possession by multiple friends. For one friend, use “friend’s” with the apostrophe before the s. What is “Friends'” referring to in the TV show title? The TV show “Friends” has no apostrophe in its official title. It is simply the plural noun. When fans write about “the Friends’ cast,” they are using the plural possessive correctly, but the show title itself is apostrophe-free.
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