Guys’ or Guy’s? (Correct Possessive Form)

Possessive forms for regular nouns tend to follow similar trends. “Guys” is a great example of a regular noun that allows the possessive form rules to shine through. This article will explore how to use the possessive form of “guys.”

Guys’ or Guy’s?

Guys’ is the plural possessive form of guys, meaning you are referring to more than one guy owning an object. Guy’s is the singular possessive form of guy, meaning that only one guy owns an object. Guys’s’ is an incorrect possessive form.

Here’s a quick table for reference to help you figure it out:

Singular	Guy
Plural	Guys
Singular possessive	Guy’s
Plural possessive	Guys’

Possessive rules for regular nouns like “guy” are fairly easy to follow.

You can create the singular possessive form by adding an apostrophe and an “s” to the end of the singular form. “Guy” becomes “guy’s,” in this case.

To create the plural possessive form, you take the plural form and add an apostrophe to the end. “Guys” becomes “guys'” when this is done. You do not include an extra “s” after the apostrophe because it makes it harder to read.

Guys

“Guys” is not a possessive form at all. “Guys” is the plural form. You should use it when referring to multiple “guys” in a sentence.

You should not use it when you are trying to show ownership. For example, “the guys mother” is incorrect because “mother” is an owned object. You would need to include an apostrophe here.

It’s also common for people to say “you guys” when referring to a group of guys they know. This helps to establish that there is a group of multiple people rather than just one “guy.”

Here are a few examples to show you how to use “guys” in a sentence:

• I love you guys more than you know. You’re the best friends that a guy like me can ask for.
• The guys are coming over for the evening. I hope you don’t mind, but I would love a guys’ night.
• I think your guys said something about you being there later today. That sounds like fun.
• The guys have told me all about your latest adventure! Did you have fun?
• What about all the guys? I wish I could invite them all, but I’m worried you’ll hate that!

Guy’s

“Guy’s” is the singular possessive form. You should use it when referring to one guy owning an object or a group of objects. It’s common to see this when referring to a man who owns something.

The apostrophe is always required when you are setting up the possessive form in this way. It’s also very common for the owned object to come directly after the possessive form to make things clearer (i.e. “the guy’s hamster”).

These examples will help you understand how to use “guy’s” in a sentence:

• The guy’s umbrella wasn’t working at all. He was still getting drenched when the rain kicked in.
• I thought the guy’s friend was coming over. I guess it wasn’t going to be that simple.
• You need to talk to the guy’s mother. She’ll give you a clearer picture of what he’s like.
• I think the guy’s father needs to talk to him. It might help him get his head around the situation.
• I’m not the guy’s carer. I’m not going to do things for him that I don’t feel like doing.

Guys’

“Guys'” is the plural possessive form. It’s commonly seen when you call your friends “guys” and want to do things with them. You can use this form when referring to multiple guys owning the same object or group of objects in a sentence.

For example, you might have a “guys’ night,” where “night” is an object owned by all of the guys you consider friends.

Also, it’s common for the phrase “you guys” to appear in the plural form. You can change “you guys” to “you guys'” if you want to make it the plural possessive form.

“You” works as a plural pronoun here to show that you are addressing a group of friends.

Remember, when using the plural possessive form, you should never place an “s” after the apostrophe. This will make it much more challenging to read.

Take a look at these examples to see how to use “guys'” in a sentence:

• You guys’ landlord is arguing with me. I don’t know what I did wrong, but he doesn’t like me.
• The guys’ night is going ahead as planned. I hope things are going to be as epic as last time.
• The guys’ friends are coming over tonight! I think a few of them are single if you’re interested.
• Your guys’ first mistake was not allowing me to come over. I think you realize that now, though.
• I told you the guys’ parties are the most fun! You need to come over and enjoy your time with us.

Guys’s

“Guys’s” is never correct. You cannot use this form because it repeats the “s” at the end of the plural possessive form.

“Guys'” is correct. It’s the plural possessive form. We’ve already mentioned that an apostrophe is added to the end of “guys” to show that multiple guys own the same object.

However, we have also said that an “s” does not need to come after the apostrophe in the plural possessive form. That’s because “guys” already ends with an “s.” Another “s” makes things overly complicated for the reader.

These examples will help you to figure out the correct form:

• Correct: I’m going out with the guys’ mates tonight. Do you want to come with me?
• Incorrect: The guys’s night is going to be a blast! I can’t wait to see everyone again.
• Correct: I told you that the guys’ mothers were all okay with it. I always ask permission first!
• Incorrect: Those guys’s troubles have all gone away. I told you they’re doing much better.

Final Thoughts

You can use guy’s as the singular possessive form and guys’ as the plural possessive form. Guy’s’ is an incorrect form. Guy becomes guy’s to show that one guy owns something. Guys becomes guys’ to show multiple guys own something.