Teachers or Teacher’s or Teachers’? (Correct Possessive Explained)

Understanding the possessive form is hard enough without having to worry about plural forms too. This article will look at the difference between “teachers,” “teacher’s,” and “teachers'” and how you can understand which one is used in which case.

Teachers or Teacher’s or Teachers’: Which Is The Correct Possessive Form?

The correct possessive form is “teacher’s” in the singular form (if one teacher owns something) and “teachers'” in the plural form (if multiple teachers own something). “Teachers” is not a possessive form word and is instead the plural form of the noun “teacher.”

If you’re still not entirely sure what we mean, here is a table showing the difference:

Singular	Teacher	One teacher
Plural	Teachers	Multiple teachers
Singular possessive	Teacher’s	One teacher owns something
Plural possessive	Teachers’	Multiple teachers own something

You’ll find that in the plural possessive form, the “S” after the apostrophe is dropped. That’s because the word “teachers” already ends in an “S,” so including another one is irrelevant.

Technically, the plural possessive could look like this:

• Teachers’s

But we never write it in this way. The double “S” ending of the phrase is too clunky and jarring. It’s not something that you’ll ever see.

Teachers

“Teachers” is the plural form and the easiest one to understand. We use it when we’re trying to talk about more than one teacher. It is not a possessive form, but it helps us to understand how the plural possessive work later in the article.

• The teachers are all late to work today.
• We are all teachers, and we’d hope that you’d treat us with respect.
• My teachers are great people, and I wouldn’t change them for the world.
• These teachers could do with going back to school themselves.
• We’re the only teachers you’ll ever need.
• Teachers aren’t always looking for what’s best for their students.
• We, teachers, try to understand why so many of our students fall asleep in class!
• I like my teachers, and I would hate it if anyone told me that they didn’t know what they were doing.

“Teachers” is the plural form only, and it doesn’t come with any extra possessive forms. When we use it, we’re simply talking about more than one “teacher.”

Teacher’s

“Teacher’s” is the singular possessive form. We use it when one “teacher” owns another object in the sentence. The apostrophe and “S” ending is important to specify that it is the singular possessive form.

• This is my favorite teacher’s classroom.
• My teacher’s mug was smashed when it hit the floor.
• The teacher’s house is somewhere down this street.
• Our teacher’s mother isn’t doing very well in hospital.
• The teacher’s desk is in this classroom, and it needs moving.
• This is the teacher’s house that I told you about.
• This is the teacher’s only lesson this week.
• My teacher’s intelligence is amazing! I’ve never seen anyone say things as smart as him!

When only one teacher is the owner of the object, “teacher’s” is what we use. This means that only one person owns an object, and that object can be any kind of noun, so long as it’s possible for someone to be in possession of it.

Teachers’

“Teachers'” is the plural possessive form. We use it to refer to multiple teachers owning the same object in a sentence. It’s less common than the singular possessive form, but there are plenty of cases where it will work.

• The teachers’ lounge is the only place you can get some privacy around here.
• The teachers’ meeting will be held in three minutes, and you’re all expected to attend.
• The teachers’ event was filled with everyone from the school.
• The teachers’ classes were all packed because everyone wanted to see what would happen.
• The teachers’ cafeteria is always filled with nicer food than the stuff that we get.
• The teachers’ union is gathering to discuss further plans for the future.
• The teachers’ lounge is the only room in the school that students aren’t allowed to visit.
• We have set up a teachers’ strike, and we’d appreciate it if you could all join us.

When multiple teachers own the same object (often like a room in school where they can all go to), “teachers'” is what we use. This is the plural possessive form, where we add an apostrophe to the end of the plural form “teachers.”

Quiz: Have You Mastered Teachers Or Teacher’s Or Teachers’?

Now that we’ve shown you what each form means, it’s time to quiz you. We’ll include some questions and answers (in the next section) to see whether you understand which form should work.

1. Many (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) work in this school.
2. The (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) pet is lost somewhere on campus.
3. This is the (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) lounge, and you absolutely shouldn’t be in here.
4. Where can I find the new (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) classroom?
5. This isn’t the (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) meeting that I was instructed to attend.
6. The (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) corner is where (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) can go to relax after a busy day.
7. My (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) niece goes to the same school as him, and she gets special treatment.
8. The Spanish (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) language skills are second to none.
9. We are setting up a (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) debate at the end of the day.
10. This meeting is for (A. teachers / B. teacher’s / C. teachers’) only.

Quiz answers

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. C, A
7. B
8. B
9. C
10. A

Final Thoughts

“Teacher’s” is the correct possessive form when you’re talking about one teacher owning an object, while “teachers'” is the correct possessive form when you’re talking about multiple teachers owning the same object. They are both commonly used words in English.

You may also like:
Days or Day’s or Days’? Here’s The Correct Possessive
Everyones, Everyone’s, or Everyones’? (Possessive Explained)