Childs or Childs’ or Child’s? (Helpful Examples)

“Child” is a singular word, meaning the possessive form follows specific rules. You might be stuck between “childs,” “childs’,” and “child’s” and not know which to use.

We’ll help you understand the correct form when using the possessive of “child.”

Childs or Childs’ or Child’s?

“Child’s” is the only correct form here. It is the singular possessive form, showing that one child owns an object (i.e. “this is child’s play”). You can only use this form because “child” is singular. It becomes “children” in the plural form, meaning that “childs” and “childs'” are incorrect.

Here’s a quick rundown of the main forms used with “child:”

Singular	Child
Plural	Children
Singular possessive	Child’s
Plural possessive	Children’s

If you want to learn the correct possessive form of “Children”, take a look at this article: Childrens or Childrens’ or Children’s? (Helpful Examples)

“Child” becomes “child’s” when an “‘s” is added to the end of it. This is standard grammar when turning the singular form into a singular possessive form.

As you can see, though, the plural form does not follow standard rules. Most of the time, you add an “s” to the end of a singular noun to create the plural noun.

However, these rules do not apply to “child.” Instead, an “-ren” is added, meaning that only “children” is correct as the plural form.

You should check whether Childrens or Childrens’ or Children’s is correct from our other article, as it will help you understand the plural possessive form.

Child’s

“Child’s” is grammatically correct and works as the singular possessive form. This form implies that one child owns an object or group of similar objects.

It’s common for the object to come directly after “child’s.”

• The child’s masterpiece was a sight to behold. I’ve never seen talent like that.
• The child’s voice resonated with me. I wish I could speak to them again.

In some instances, you might find the object coming before “child’s:”

• That toy is the child’s.

In either case, the object is owned by one “child.” You should use the apostrophe and “s” at the end to show the possession clearly.

Childs

“Children” is the plural form of “child,” meaning that “childs” is grammatically incorrect. There are no contexts or times where “childs” can be used in your writing. You should avoid it to show you understand the plural rules associated with “child.”

Adding an “s” to the end of “child” only makes sense if “child” follows regular noun rules. However, it doesn’t do this because “child” becomes “children” when more than one “child” is present (i.e. “one child” but “two children”).

Childs’

“Childs'” is also incorrect. It follows the grammatical error as “childs,” where it is treated as a plural form even though “childs” is already proven incorrect.

The issue is that “children” is the plural form, not “childs.” You would find “children’s” as the plural possessive form. However, “childs'” does follow standard plural possession rules.

Again, “child” isn’t a standard noun. That’s why you can’t use standard plural possession rules when writing it.

“Child” is an irregular noun, but it’s still common for people to mistake “children” for “childs” when creating the plural form. This is one thing you must memorize to ensure you don’t get it wrong.

Conclusion

“Childs” and “childs'” are grammatically incorrect. They come from the assumption that “child” is a regular noun, but “children” is the correct plural of “child” (not “childs”).

“Child’s” is the singular possessive form. You should use the apostrophe to show that one child owns an object here.