Womans or Woman’s or Womens’? (Correct Possessive Explained)

“Woman” is one of those words that doesn’t seem to follow the standard plural and possessive rules. Luckily, this article will have all the information you could possibly need to make sure you get the possessive form correct when using “woman.”

Womans or Woman’s or Womens’: Which Is The Correct Possessive Form?

The correct possessive form for “woman” is “woman’s.” It follows standard rules, where we add an apostrophe and an “S” to the end of the word when turning it into the possessive form. However, the plural of “woman” is “women,” making the plural possessive “women’s.”

Womans or Woman's or Womens’: Which Is The Correct Possessive Form?

Any other option in the title is incorrect. You should not use “womans” or “womens'” when writing plural or possessive forms.

To help you, you can refer to the following information:

SingularWoman
PluralWomen
Singular possessiveWoman’s
Plural possessiveWomen’s

There are no exceptions to the above rules. “Woman” is the singular, and “women” is the plural. While this is an irregular formation for pluralization, you won’t have to worry about it again once you remember how to do it.

Women

“Women” is a tricky way to pluralize the word “woman,” but it’s correct nonetheless.

“Women” is the plural form of “woman.” We use it when talking about multiple “women” in the same place. There is no possessive form involved when using “women” in this way.

Unlike other plural forms, “women” is a rare occurrence. Typically, you’d expect to add an “S” to the end of a singular word to make it plural, meaning that “womans” should be our answer. However, this is not the case.

You should stick only to “women,” and we’ll show you how it works:

  1. The women would like to know when you’ll be ready to see them.
  2. Women have a hard time getting by in society today, and we need to do something to change that.
  3. Women make it difficult for men when men don’t give them a chance to do anything worthwhile.
  4. You should be thankful for all the women in your life.
  5. There are plenty of other women out there for you, champ. Just hold out hope.
  6. The women that you associate with aren’t exactly the nicest bunch of people.

“Women” simply refers to a group of “woman” characters. We use it when there are multiple “women” in one place or being spoken about.

Woman’s

“Woman’s” is the next form we want to talk about. This is the first of the possessive forms to mention.

“Woman’s” is the singular possessive form. It takes the singular noun “woman,” and adds an “‘s” to the end of it. We use it to show that a “woman” is in possession of something in a sentence.

An object or noun will follow “woman’s” directly in the sentence. This is done to show what it is that the “woman” owns.

You can see it in the following ways:

  1. Where is the woman’s flashlight? She left it over there somewhere.
  2. The woman’s handbag was held tight to her waist as she made her way through the crowd.
  3. The woman’s eyes were holding mine in a malicious gaze.
  4. This woman’s ideas have taken their toll on me, and I don’t know what to do about them!
  5. The woman’s willpower far outweighed anything that I could ever try to muster myself.
  6. Which woman’s bag was this, and how do we get it back to her?

“Woman’s” comes before an object, and whatever object it comes before is the thing owned by the “woman.”

Women’s

There is one other possessive form that we might use, and that’s the plural possessive form.

“Women’s” is the plural possessive form that refers to multiple “women” owning a particular object or group of objects in a sentence. We take the plural “women” and add “‘s” to the end of it to indicate that it’s possessive.

There are no other rules or exceptions to this case. When multiple women own the same thing or a collection of similar things, we’ll use the plural possessive form.

You should also never use “womens'” because it’s an incorrect form of the possessive. We’ll include some examples to show you what’s correct and incorrect here:

  • Correct: The women’s love for their children was beyond that of anyone I’ve ever met.
  • Incorrect: These womens’ bags are all collected now.
  • Correct: Women’s cosmetics aren’t as cheap as they used to be!
  • Incorrect: Womens’ makeup is a joke now when you look at the prices of it!
  • Correct: I need to find the section that sells women’s clothing!
  • Incorrect: The womens’ perfume isn’t something I’d like to try on myself!

“Women’s” is the only correct case when using the plural possessive form. It’s more common than you might think, too, especially when you’re looking in stores for “women’s things.”

Quiz: Have You Mastered Women Or Woman’s Or Women’s?

Now that we’ve explained all we can about “woman” and its possessive forms, it’s time for a quick quiz. With this, you can test your knowledge and your understanding of this article. The answers will also be included at the end.

  1. That (A. women / B. woman’s / C. women’s) purse has fallen on the floor, and we must return it to her.
  2. The (A. women / B. woman’s / C. women’s) clothing store has closed down, so now where do I go?
  3. (A. women / B. woman’s / C. women’s) should be treated more fairly, especially in this day and age.
  4. (A. women / B. woman’s / C. women’s) toiletries can be found down aisle number six!
  5. You are not (A. women / B. woman’s / C. women’s) if you think like that!
  6. A (A. women / B. woman’s / C. women’s) bond with her child is stronger than anything else in this world.

Quiz answers

  1. B
  2. C
  3. A
  4. C
  5. A
  6. B

Final Thoughts

“Woman’s” is the singular possessive form, and “women’s” is the plural possessive form. Any other forms that you might think about are incorrect, and there are no exceptions to this rule. Always remember that the apostrophe and the “S” must come after the word here.

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