Is It “Doctor’s Appointment” or “Doctors appointment”?

The possessive form comes up a lot in English. It takes the form of an apostrophe in most cases, and it’s worth knowing the best areas for it to apply before using it yourself. This article will look into the difference between “doctor’s appointment” and “doctors appointment.”

Is It “Doctor’s Appointment” or “Doctors appointment”?

“Doctor’s appointment” is grammatically correct and demonstrates the possessive form well. The “appointment” belongs to the “doctor,” as they are meeting with you about something. “Doctors appointment” is incorrect because it does not demonstrate the possessive form in any way.

Doctor's Appointment or Doctors appointment

The key is in the apostrophe. You should use the apostrophe to show that the doctor owns the appointment. The same rules apply when you are trying to turn any noun into a possessive form to show that it owns something.

Doctor’s Appointment

“Doctor’s appointment” is the appropriate way of writing the singular possessive form. It shows that one “doctor” owns the “appointment.” You can are going to visit this doctor to find out what might be wrong with you.

The apostrophe and the “s” are commonly seen when the singular possessive form is used. It’s important to include it after the main noun to show what the noun owns in the sentence.

In this case, the “‘s” demonstrates that the “doctor” owns the “appointment.”

  1. I’m going to need to go to my doctor’s appointment soon. I hope you don’t mind if I shoot off to get that done.
  2. I don’t have a doctor’s appointment booked just yet. I’m going to make sure I get one set to find out what’s wrong with me.
  3. It isn’t a doctor’s appointment for you. It’s supposed to be for me, so I’d really appreciate it if you let me do my thing.
  4. The doctor’s appointment has been canceled. I knew it was going to happen. It’s just my luck, really.
  5. I thought you were supposed to be at your doctor’s appointment. I know that you haven’t left for it yet. What’s that about?
  6. Have you sorted out your doctor’s appointment yet? We don’t have much longer to wait.

Doctors Appointment

“Doctors appointment” is never grammatically correct. You should not use it because it shows that you are lazily avoiding the English rules associated with correct possessive presentation. No apostrophe is used here, which is incorrect.

If you see someone doing this, it’s likely because they either don’t know about the possessive rules or they’re too lazy to include the apostrophe. Either way, it’s something that needs to be fixed by the writer, as it is a grammatical error.

  1. Correct: The doctor’s appointment was set for yesterday. I totally forgot that I was supposed to go to it.
  2. Incorrect: I’m not sure it’s the doctors appointment that you agreed to. I think you’ll just have to go to it anyway.
  3. Correct: I’m going to book a doctor’s appointment to find out what’s wrong with me. I can’t keep living like this with no answers.
  4. Incorrect: I thought you were going to get a doctors appointment set up to find out what might be able to happen next.
  5. Correct: The doctor’s appointment isn’t going forward. I knew I should have booked another one. These things always happen to me.
  6. Incorrect: You were supposed to set the doctors appointment for him. Didn’t you think it was wise to get that done?

Doctor Appointment

“Doctor appointment” is an interesting one because it can be used. People use it informally when they are speaking with their friends. “Doctor” is supposed to imply the possessive form of “doctor’s” without including the “‘s” at the end of the singular noun.

You will only find this one used in spoken English. Since it’s a very informal phrase, it’s best to avoid using it in your writing unless you know that you’re writing in a more informal capacity.

Most of the time, “doctor’s appointment” is going to be a much better fit than “doctor appointment.”

  1. You’ll need to go to the doctor appointment at some point. You can’t keep avoiding the situation and hope they go away.
  2. It’s a doctor appointment, and I need to take it seriously. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to come out with you later.
  3. You have a doctor appointment, right? Why haven’t you left for it or prepared yourself at all? Aren’t you worried?
  4. You’re going to go to that doctor appointment, right? It’s important that you find out what’s wrong with you.
  5. It’s not just a simple doctor appointment. I’m actually a little bit nervous about what I might find out.

Which Is Used the Most?

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “doctor’s appointment” is used the most, showing that it’s the correct form. It follows the formal language rules associated with possessive forms, which is why it is the only correct form used in the graph.

Doctor's Appointment or Doctors appointment usage

“Doctor appointment” is the next most popular, and it can be used in more informal situations. People like to use it when they’re not directly following the formal English rules.

“Doctors appointment” is the least popular because it’s grammatically incorrect. It completely ignores the possessive rules used in “doctor’s,” so it’s best to avoid using it.

How to Refer to An Appointment with More Than Two Doctors

While it might be unlikely, you can also book an appointment with more than one doctor. If you have multiple doctors in the appointment, you need to use the plural possessive form. This becomes “doctors’ appointment,” where the apostrophe comes after the “s.”

  • It’s a doctors’ appointment because there will be two doctors there to see what’s wrong with me.

It’s not particularly common to come across an appointment that’s booked in with two doctors (or more). Nevertheless, if you need to write about it, “doctors’ appointment” is the correct form.

Final Thoughts

“Doctor’s appointment” and “doctor appointment” can both be used to refer to a singular appointment. “Doctor’s” works best as it’s the singular possessive form. “Doctors’ appointment” can be the plural possessive form. You should not use “doctors appointment” because it is incorrect.

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