Seasons Greetings vs Seasons Greetings With Apostrophe: Which Is Correct

Seasons greetings vs seasons greetings with apostrophe: which is correct? The standard form is Season’s Greetings with an apostrophe before the s, because the greetings belong to the season. Seasons Greetings without the apostrophe is the common search spelling, and readers will understand it, but formal writing, holiday cards, and business messages should use the apostrophe. Test your card with our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz, and use the belonging test below when the two forms feel equal.

The phrase is a seasonal greeting for the winter holiday season, from Thanksgiving through New Year, and it works for every holiday in that stretch, which is why shops, schools, and offices use it so often. Our is Thanksgiving capitalized guide covers the same holiday season and the same capitalization rules.

Quick answer

When to use Season’s Greetings with an apostrophe

Use Season’s Greetings on holiday cards, in business emails, on office signs, and in any formal message. The apostrophe marks the singular possessive: one season, the winter holiday season, owns the greetings. Style guides and dictionaries agree on this form, and readers expect it on a printed card. YourDictionary on Season’s Greetings states the same rule: the version with the apostrophe is correct, because the greetings belong to the season, while the version without it suggests greetings for all the seasons of the year.

✓ Season’s Greetings from our family to yours!

✓ Wishing you Season’s Greetings and a happy New Year.

✓ Season’s Greetings from the whole team at the office.

✓ We send Season’s Greetings to all our customers.

✓ Season’s Greetings! May your holidays be bright.

✓ The card reads “Season’s Greetings” in gold letters.

The apostrophe also tells the reader that the phrase refers to one season, not to spring, summer, fall, and winter together. Without it, the words read as a plain plural, and the meaning shifts toward greetings for every season of the year. That small mark carries the whole meaning of the phrase, which is why editors and card makers keep it.

Businesses send Season’s Greetings cards to clients, suppliers, and staff every December, because the phrase wishes well to everyone at once without naming one holiday. A company that serves customers of many faiths can use it safely, since it covers Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year in one warm line. The apostrophe stays in the printed card, in the email subject line, and on the office poster, because the formal setting calls for the correct form.

✓ Our company sends Season’s Greetings to every client.

✓ Season’s Greetings from the management and staff.

✓ Season’s Greetings and best wishes for the New Year.

✓ Please accept our Season’s Greetings this holiday season.

When Seasons Greetings without an apostrophe appears

Use Seasons Greetings without an apostrophe only when you match what people type into a search box, or when a sign, a headline, or a design already drops punctuation. Search engines connect the two spellings, so the plain version still finds the right pages, and many shop signs skip the apostrophe for a clean look. In your own writing, though, the apostrophe stays the correct choice, and the plain form works best as a keyword, not as a greeting.

✓ Shoppers search for “seasons greetings cards” every December.

✓ The store window reads “Seasons Greetings” in plain letters.

✓ Many people type “seasons greetings” without the apostrophe.

✓ The plain form “seasons greetings” is common in search results.

The same pattern shows up with other holiday phrases, where the search spelling drops the mark that formal writing keeps. People type “new years eve” without an apostrophe, but the correct written form is New Year’s Eve, and the same gap appears with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Our is Black Friday capitalized guide shows the same holiday capitalization rules for another seasonal phrase.

Writers who work on seasonal pages often keep both spellings on purpose: Season’s Greetings with the apostrophe in the heading and the card text, and seasons greetings without it in the page keywords, so searchers find the page either way. That split is good practice for the web, since it serves the reader with the correct form and the search engine with the common one, and the article itself stays correct from the first line to the last.

✓ The shop page targets “seasons greetings” as a keyword.

✓ The card itself reads “Season’s Greetings” in gold letters.

✓ Searchers type “seasons greetings” more often than the correct form.

✓ The sign maker left the apostrophe out of “Seasons Greetings.”

The tricky exceptions

Seasons’ Greetings with the apostrophe after the s is wrong

Do not write “Seasons’ Greetings” with the apostrophe after the s. That form is a plural possessive, and it would mean greetings belonging to many seasons, which is not what the phrase says. The phrase refers to one holiday season, so the apostrophe goes before the s: Season’s. If you see Seasons’ on a card, it is a mistake, even though it looks careful and formal.

✗ Seasons’ Greetings from our family. (Wrong: one season, so the apostrophe goes before the s)

✓ Season’s Greetings from our family.

Capitalization: Season’s greetings in the middle of a sentence

Capitalize both words when the phrase stands alone as a greeting, as in “Season’s Greetings!” on a card. In the middle of a sentence, keep Season’s capitalized and write greetings in lowercase, as in “We wish you season’s greetings and a happy New Year,” unless your style guide caps the whole phrase. AP style treats greetings as lowercase inside a sentence, and it caps them only when the phrase works as an exclamation or a heading. Our capital vs capitol guide shows the same proper noun test for another word where the capital letter changes with the job the word does.

✓ Season’s Greetings! (a greeting on its own)

✓ We send you season’s greetings and warm wishes. (inside a sentence)

Other holiday possessives follow the same rule

The same belonging test covers the other holiday phrases you write in December. New Year’s Eve takes an apostrophe because the eve belongs to the New Year, Valentine’s Day takes one because the day belongs to Saint Valentine, and Mother’s Day and Father’s Day take one for the same reason. Family names on cards follow the opposite rule: write “Happy holidays from the Smiths” with no apostrophe, because Smiths is a plural, not a possessive, and an apostrophe would turn the family name into a mistake.

✓ Happy New Year’s Eve! See you at midnight.

✓ Happy holidays from the Smiths, not the Smith’s.

Season’s Greetings vs Seasons Greetings at a glance

Quick practice

Choose the correct form for each sentence:

1. ___ from our family to yours! (Season’s Greetings / Seasons Greetings / Seasons’ Greetings)
2. We wish you ___ and a happy New Year. (season’s greetings / seasons greetings / seasons’ greetings)
3. Happy holidays from the ___. (Smiths / Smith’s / Smiths’)
4. The correct form of the holiday eve is ___. (New Years Eve / New Year’s Eve / New Years’ Eve)

Answer key:

• 1. Season’s Greetings (the greetings belong to one season)
• 2. season’s greetings (lowercase greetings inside a sentence)
• 3. Smiths (a plural family name takes no apostrophe)
• 4. New Year’s Eve (the eve belongs to the New Year)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is correct, Season’s Greetings or Seasons Greetings?

Season’s Greetings with an apostrophe is correct. The apostrophe shows that the greetings belong to the season, while Seasons Greetings without it is only a common search spelling.

Is Seasons’ Greetings with the apostrophe after the s correct?

No, Seasons’ Greetings is wrong. The apostrophe after the s makes it a plural possessive, but the phrase refers to one holiday season, so the apostrophe goes before the s.

Do you capitalize season’s greetings?

Capitalize both words when the phrase stands alone as a greeting, as in “Season’s Greetings!” Inside a sentence, write “season’s greetings” with lowercase greetings.

Final Thoughts

Season’s Greetings with an apostrophe is the correct form, because the greetings belong to the season, and the small mark carries that meaning. Seasons Greetings without the apostrophe is the spelling people type into search boxes, and it works as a keyword, but it is not the form to put on a card or in a business message. Remember the belonging test, keep the apostrophe before the s for one season, and let the same rule guide New Year’s Eve and the other holiday possessives on your cards.

Plural of Hippopotamus: What Is the Correct Form?

Plural of hippopotamus: what is the correct form? The standard modern plural is hippopotamuses, made by adding es to the singular, just like bus becomes buses. Hippopotami is also listed in dictionaries as an accepted plural, but it is the classical Latin style form, and most style guides prefer hippopotamuses in everyday writing. The plural of the short form hippo is simply hippos. Test your sentence with our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz, and use the add es test below when the two plurals feel equal.

The word comes from the Greek for “river horse,” from hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river, and it reached English through Latin. That mixed history is why two plurals exist at all. Our leafs or leaves guide shows the same pattern for another word where the plural follows a rule that is easy to miss.

Quick answer

When to use hippopotamuses

Use hippopotamuses in school essays, news articles, science writing for general readers, and everyday conversation. It follows the regular English rule for nouns that end in s, sh, ch, x, or z: add es to make the plural. Dictionaries list it first, and it is the form readers meet most often, so it never looks strange or old fashioned. Quick and Dirty Tips on the plural of hippopotamus reaches the same verdict: both plurals appear in dictionaries, but hippopotamuses is the best choice, and it appears more often in books and newspapers.

✓ Three hippopotamuses rested in the river all afternoon.

✓ The zoo cares for two hippopotamuses in the new enclosure.

✓ Hippopotamuses spend most of the day in the water.

✓ A group of hippopotamuses is called a bloat or a pod.

✓ The river is home to many hippopotamuses.

✓ Young hippopotamuses stay close to their mothers.

The regular plural also matches how English treats similar words. Octopus becomes octopuses, virus becomes viruses, and bus becomes buses, and hippopotamus follows the same path. When a word has lived in English for centuries, the English plural usually wins over the foreign one, and hippopotamuses is the clear winner in modern books and newspapers.

Zoo guides, wildlife documentaries, and school textbooks all use hippopotamuses, because it is the form children and general readers understand at once. A documentary narrator who says “hippopotamuses” never has to explain the word, while hippopotami would stop some listeners and make them wonder whether they heard it right. That instant clarity is the real reason the regular plural wins: it lets the sentence carry the facts instead of the spelling.

✓ The guide told visitors that hippopotamuses sleep under water.

✓ The textbook explains how hippopotamuses keep cool in the river.

✓ The documentary filmed hippopotamuses at dawn.

✓ Hippopotamuses can weigh more than a small car.

When hippopotami appears

Use hippopotami when you want a classical, literary, or playful tone, or when you write for an audience that enjoys the Latin style plural. It still appears in dictionaries and in older books, and it is not wrong, but it is less common today. The New York Times has not used hippopotami since the 1930s, which shows how far the regular plural has pulled ahead in modern writing.

✓ The old poem spoke of hippopotami in the Nile.

✓ The naturalist wrote of hippopotami wallowing at dusk.

✓ In the story, the hippopotami guarded the river crossing.

✓ The museum label listed hippopotami among the river animals.

Think of hippopotami as the formal dress version of the plural: correct, but more dressed up than the occasion needs. In a joke, a poem, or a quiz about tricky plurals, it works well. In a school essay or a news report, hippopotamuses reads more naturally. Our heros or heroes guide shows the same es ending rule for another word where the plural hides in the spelling.

Crossword setters and quiz shows love hippopotami, because it is the answer that tests whether you know the classical plural. That is also why it survives in print: it is a useful word for word games, even though everyday writing has moved on. If you meet it in a puzzle or a poem, enjoy it, and if you meet it in an essay, switch it to hippopotamuses unless your teacher asked for the classical form.

✓ The crossword clue asked for hippopotami, nine letters.

✓ The quiz show host read out hippopotami as the trick answer.

✓ The quiz asked whether hippopotami or hippopotamuses was correct.

✓ Both hippopotami and hippopotamuses appear in the dictionary.

The tricky exceptions

Hippopotami is a hypercorrection, not a true Latin plural

Here is the twist that most guides miss: hippopotamus comes from Greek, not Latin, so the Latin style plural hippopotami is technically a hypercorrection. The word entered English through Latin, which is why the Latin ending feels natural, but the Greek root never had an i plural. That is why modern style guides call hippopotamuses the better choice, even while dictionaries keep hippopotami as an accepted variant.

✓ Greek root: hippos plus potamos, meaning river horse.

✓ Modern choice: hippopotamuses, the English plural.

The plural of hippo is hippos, never hippoes

The short form hippo follows the simplest rule of all: add s, and stop. Write hippos for two or more hippos, and never write hippoes, which is a common overcorrection. The same rule covers other short forms, such as rhino to rhinos, so the pattern is easy to remember once you see it. Our buses or busses guide shows the same single s versus double s question for another short plural.

✓ Two hippos played in the shallow water.

✗ Two hippoes played in the water. (Wrong: use hippos)

A group of hippopotamuses is a bloat or a pod

A group of hippopotamuses has two accepted collective nouns: a bloat and a pod. Bloat fits the animal well, since hippopotamuses spend their days floating with most of their bulk under water, and pod is the same word used for whales and dolphins. Either word is correct, so pick the one your reader will understand, and use the plural hippopotamuses with it.

Bloat is the more vivid of the two words, and it appears in most modern animal guides, while pod is the older and more general word for a group of water animals. Some guides use bloat for hippopotamuses on land and pod for those in the water, but no strict rule separates them, so either word works in any sentence about a group. What matters is the plural that follows: a bloat of hippopotamuses, never a bloat of hippopotamus.

✓ A bloat of hippopotamuses basked on the muddy bank.

✓ The pod of hippopotamuses moved slowly down the river.

✓ A bloat of hippopotamuses filled the river bend.

✓ A pod of hippopotamuses rested near the bank.

Hippopotamus plurals at a glance

Quick practice

Choose the correct form for each sentence:

1. Three ___ rested in the river. (hippopotamus / hippopotamuses / hippopotami)
2. The plural of hippo is ___. (hippos / hippoes / hippopotami)
3. A ___ of hippopotamuses filled the river. (bloat / bloats / bloating)
4. Which plural does Garner’s Modern American Usage recommend? (hippopotami / hippopotamuses / hippos)

Answer key:

• 1. hippopotamuses (the standard modern plural)
• 2. hippos (add s to the short form, never es)
• 3. bloat (a bloat of hippopotamuses is the collective noun)
• 4. hippopotamuses (the guide recommends the English plural)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the plural of hippopotamus?

The plural of hippopotamus is hippopotamuses, and hippopotami is also accepted. Hippopotamuses is the standard modern form, and it is the one most style guides recommend.

Is hippopotami wrong?

No, hippopotami is not wrong, since dictionaries list it as an accepted plural. It is simply less common today, and it suits a classical or playful tone better than everyday writing.

What is the plural of hippo?

The plural of hippo is hippos. Add s to the short form, and never write hippoes, which is a spelling error.

Final Thoughts

Hippopotamuses is the plural to use in almost every sentence, because it follows the regular English rule, it is the form dictionaries list first, and it is the form modern newspapers and style guides prefer. Hippopotami stays correct as a classical variant for poems, jokes, and older writing, and hippos covers the short form with a simple s. Remember the river horse root, add es to the long word and s to the short one, and the plural takes care of itself.

Pre Existing or Preexisting: Which Spelling Is Correct?

Pre existing or preexisting: which spelling is correct? Both pre-existing and preexisting are correct, and the right choice depends on the style guide you follow. The Associated Press Stylebook prefers pre-existing with a hyphen, while the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster prefer preexisting as one word. Writing pre existing with a space is always wrong. Test your sentence with our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz, and use the style guide test below when the two forms feel equal.

The rule is the same one that decides our long term or longterm guide: a hyphen often appears where two word parts meet, and the style guide you follow decides whether it stays or goes. Once you see that pattern, pre-existing and preexisting stop causing trouble, because only your audience and your style guide decide the form.

Quick answer

When to use pre-existing with a hyphen

Use pre-existing with a hyphen when you write for a general audience, for news, or for healthcare and insurance. The Associated Press Stylebook hyphenates words formed with the prefix pre when the base word starts with the letter e, because the double vowel can slow the reader down. The hyphen also makes the word easier to scan in a headline or a policy document, where readers move fast and clarity matters more than saving one keystroke. GrammarTune’s pre-existing guide states the same split: AP style favors the hyphenated form, Chicago style favors the closed form, and both forms are accepted in standard English.

✓ She disclosed a pre-existing condition on the insurance form.

✓ The policy does not cover pre-existing injuries from last year.

✓ He signed a pre-existing agreement before joining the company.

✓ The doctor asked about any pre-existing medical conditions.

✓ The inspection found pre-existing damage to the roof.

✓ Our pre-existing arrangement with the supplier stays in place.

The hyphenated form is the one most readers expect, because it is the form used in newspapers, health websites, and insurance paperwork. When a reader sees “pre-existing condition” in a health article, the hyphen signals at once that pre and existing belong together as one idea. That is why AP style keeps the hyphen even though the closed form exists, and why most general writing should keep it too.

You will meet the hyphenated form in everyday writing as well, not only in news and insurance. Job applications ask about pre-existing injuries, rental forms ask about pre-existing damage to a flat, and school forms ask about pre-existing health needs, and in each case the hyphen keeps the meaning clear for a reader who scans the form in seconds. If you write for the public, the hyphenated form is the safe default, because it matches what your reader has seen a hundred times before.

✓ The job form asked about any pre-existing injury.

✓ Please note any pre-existing damage on the checklist.

✓ A pre-existing illness can affect your premium.

✓ The contract lists every pre-existing fault in the building.

When to use preexisting as one word

Use preexisting as one word when you write academic papers, formal reports, or anything that follows the Chicago Manual of Style. Merriam-Webster lists preexisting as the main entry, and Chicago generally drops the hyphen after prefixes unless the result is hard to read. In this style, compound words evolve over time: they start hyphenated, then close up as readers grow used to them, and preexisting has reached that closed stage.

✓ The study controlled for preexisting diabetes in all patients.

✓ Researchers measured preexisting knowledge before the course began.

✓ The report cites preexisting contract terms from 2019.

✓ Preexisting data from earlier trials shaped the design.

✓ The survey found preexisting differences between the two groups.

✓ Engineers checked the preexisting structures before building.

The closed form is common in medical journals, legal writing, and university essays, where Chicago style is the default. If your teacher, editor, or publisher follows Chicago, write preexisting without a hyphen and stay consistent through the whole document. Mixing the two forms in one paper looks careless even though both forms are correct on their own. Our setup or set up guide shows the same consistency rule for another pair where the form changes with the job the words do in the sentence.

✓ The court accepted evidence of a preexisting dispute.

✓ The thesis reviews preexisting research on the topic.

The tricky exceptions

Pre existing with a space is always wrong

The one form you must never use is “pre existing” with a space. Pre is a prefix, not a standalone word, so it cannot stand alone before existing. No dictionary lists “pre existing” as a phrase, and spell checkers flag it at once. If you catch yourself typing a space after pre, delete it and choose either the hyphen or the closed form.

✗ She has a pre existing condition. (Wrong: use pre-existing or preexisting)

✓ She has a pre-existing condition.

The double vowel rule behind the hyphen

The hyphen in pre-existing exists because the prefix pre ends with the letter e and the base word existing starts with the same letter. AP style hyphenates most pre-e combinations for this reason, so writers using AP also write pre-election, pre-establish, and pre-eminent with a hyphen. Chicago takes the opposite view for many of these words, and it accepts preexisting and even preeminent as closed forms. Neither style is wrong. The difference is a choice about readability, not about correctness, so pick the style your reader expects and keep it through the whole piece. Our high-quality or highquality guide shows the same hyphen decision for another compound where the hyphen protects the reader.

✓ AP style: a pre-existing condition, a pre-election poll.

✓ Chicago style: a preexisting condition, a preelection poll.

Pre-existing before capitals and numbers always takes a hyphen

Both style guides agree on one case: always hyphenate pre before a capital letter, a number, or a proper name. Write pre-COVID, pre-2020, and pre-Victorian with a hyphen, because the closed form would bury the capital or the number inside the word. The same rule covers pre-GPS and pre-World War II. If the word after pre starts with a capital, the hyphen is not optional in any style.

✓ The study covers the pre-COVID years and the years after.

✓ Pre-2020 data shows a different pattern.

Pre-existing vs preexisting at a glance

Quick practice

Choose the correct form for each sentence:

1. The insurer asked about any ___ conditions. (pre existing / pre-existing / preexisting)
2. The journal article controlled for ___ diabetes in all patients. (pre existing / pre-existing / preexisting)
3. Write the AP style form of the word in this sentence: She disclosed a ___ illness. (pre existing / pre-existing / preexisting)
4. The data covers the ___ years before the pandemic. (pre-COVID / preCOVID / pre COVID)

Answer key:

• 1. pre-existing (insurance writing follows AP style)
• 2. preexisting (a journal article follows Chicago style)
• 3. pre-existing (AP style keeps the hyphen after pre before e)
• 4. pre-COVID (always hyphenate before a capital letter)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is preexisting a word?

Yes, preexisting is a real word. Merriam-Webster lists it as the main entry, and it is the preferred form in Chicago style and academic writing.

Which is correct, pre-existing or preexisting?

Both are correct. Use pre-existing in AP style writing such as journalism and healthcare, and preexisting in Chicago style writing such as academic papers.

Is “pre existing” with a space correct?

No, “pre existing” with a space is never correct. Pre is a prefix, so it must join the word with a hyphen or close up into one word.

Final Thoughts

Pre-existing and preexisting are both correct, and the style guide you follow makes the call: AP style keeps the hyphen for journalism, healthcare, and general writing, while Chicago style closes the word up for academic and formal work. The only form to avoid is pre existing with a space, which no dictionary accepts. Pick one form, stay consistent through the whole document, and remember the capital letter test, since pre before a capital or a number always takes a hyphen.

Is Black Friday Capitalized? Rules and Examples

Is Black Friday capitalized? Yes, always write Black Friday with capital letters on both words. It is the name of a specific shopping event, the day after Thanksgiving, so it is a proper noun just like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Test your sentence with our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz, and use the holiday test below when the capital letters feel uncertain.

The rule is the same one in our is Thanksgiving capitalized guide: holiday and event names take capitals, while the common words around them stay lowercase. Once you see Black Friday as a name, not a description, the capital letters follow on their own.

Quick answer

When to capitalize Black Friday

Capitalize Black Friday whenever you mean the shopping event on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a specific, named day, and English capitalizes the names of holidays, festivals, and special events. Calendar UK’s capitalization guide states the same rule: Black Friday is a proper noun because it refers to the famous shopping day after Thanksgiving, and all proper nouns are capitalized.

✓ We shop on Black Friday every year.

✓ Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving.

✓ The store opens at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.

✓ She plans her whole budget around Black Friday.

The rule holds in any position in a sentence, at the start, in the middle, or at the end. A capital letter is not about emphasis, it is about the name, so Black Friday keeps both capitals even in the middle of a long sentence. Our capital vs capitol guide shows the same proper noun rule for another word where the capital letter carries the meaning.

✓ Our Black Friday sale starts on Friday morning.

✓ They queued all night for the Black Friday deals.

When the words around Black Friday stay lowercase

Only the two words in the name take capitals. Common nouns that follow it, such as sale, deals, weekend, and shopping, stay lowercase, because they are descriptions, not part of the name. The same rule applies to Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas morning, where only the holiday name is capitalized.

✓ We found a great Black Friday sale online.

✓ The Black Friday deals start at midnight.

✓ She spent the whole Black Friday weekend shopping.

✓ Black Friday shopping starts earlier every year.

Words before the name follow the normal sentence rules too. In the middle of a sentence, write “a happy Black Friday” with happy in lowercase, just as you would write “a happy Thanksgiving.” Happy is an adjective, not part of the event name, so it stays lowercase unless it starts the sentence.

✓ I wish you a happy Black Friday and a calm weekend.

✓ Happy Black Friday! The sale is now live.

The tricky exceptions

Black Friday versus a black Friday

Lowercase “black friday” is wrong when you mean the shopping event, but the words black and Friday can appear in lowercase in a different sense. A “black Friday” in a history book could mean any dark Friday in the past, and the color black stays lowercase when it describes a thing, as in “a black dress on Friday.” If you mean the sale day, always use both capitals.

✓ The Black Friday sale broke all records.

✓ She wore a black dress on Friday.

Cyber Monday follows the same rule

Cyber Monday, the online shopping day after Black Friday weekend, is also a named event, so it takes capitals on both words. The same goes for Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday. Each one is a proper noun, a specific day with a name, so the capital letters apply in the same way.

✓ Cyber Monday deals go live after the weekend.

✓ Small Business Saturday falls between the two.

Black Friday in headlines and titles

In a headline, Black Friday keeps both capitals, and the words around it follow your headline style. In title case, most words take capitals, so “Best Black Friday Deals of 2026” capitalizes Deals too. In sentence case, only Black Friday and the first word take capitals. Our curb or kerb guide shows the same rule in action: a word keeps its capital only when it is part of the name itself.

✓ Best Black Friday Deals of 2026 (title case)

✓ Best Black Friday deals of 2026 (sentence case)

Black Friday capitalization at a glance

Quick practice

Choose the correct capitalization for each sentence:

1. We shop on (Black Friday / black friday) every year.
2. The (Black Friday Sale / Black Friday sale) starts at midnight.
3. I wish you a (Happy / happy) Black Friday.
4. (Cyber Monday / cyber monday) deals go live after the weekend.

Answer key:

• 1. Black Friday (the name of a specific shopping event)
• 2. Black Friday sale (sale is a common noun, not part of the name)
• 3. happy (mid sentence, happy is not part of the event name)
• 4. Cyber Monday (a named shopping event, same rule)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Black Friday always capitalized?

Yes, when it means the shopping event on the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is a proper noun, the name of a specific day, so both words take capital letters in any position in a sentence.

Is it Black Friday or black Friday?

It is Black Friday, with both words capitalized. Writing black friday in lowercase is wrong for the shopping event, and writing Black friday with only the first word capitalized is also wrong.

Do you capitalize sale in Black Friday sale?

No, write Black Friday sale with sale in lowercase. Sale is a common noun that describes the event, not part of its name, so it follows the normal lowercase rule in the middle of a sentence.

Is Cyber Monday capitalized too?

Yes, Cyber Monday takes capitals on both words, because it is also the name of a specific shopping day. The same rule covers Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday.

Is Black Friday capitalized in AP style?

Yes, AP style capitalizes Black Friday as a holiday and special event name. The AP Stylebook directs writers to capitalize holidays and historic events, and Black Friday falls under that rule.

Final Thoughts

Black Friday takes capital letters on both words whenever it names the shopping event, and the words around it follow their own rules: sale, deals, and weekend stay lowercase, happy stays lowercase mid sentence, and the same test covers Cyber Monday and the other named shopping days. Swap in Thanksgiving as a test, and the capital letters answer themselves. For the next capitalization question where a proper noun hides inside an everyday phrase, our capital vs capitol guide applies the same test in the same way.

Long Term or Longterm: Which Spelling Is Correct in 2026?

Long term or longterm: which spelling is correct? Write long-term with a hyphen when it describes a noun, and write long term as two words when it stands alone as a noun. Longterm as one word is never correct in standard English. Test your sentence with our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz, and use the position test below when the three forms feel equal.

The rule is the same one that decides our full time or full-time guide: a compound modifier takes a hyphen before a noun, and loses it after one. Once you see that pattern, long term, long-term, and longterm stop causing trouble, because only the position of the words in the sentence decides the form.

Quick answer

When to use long-term with a hyphen

Use long-term with a hyphen when the two words work together as one adjective before a noun. The hyphen shows the reader that long and term belong together and describe the noun that follows. GrammarHow’s long-term guide states the same rule: the hyphenated form is the adjective, the two word form is the noun, and the one word form is never correct.

✓ We need a long-term plan for the next five years.

✓ She signed a long-term contract with the firm.

✓ This is a long-term investment, not a quick win.

✓ The study looked at the long-term effects of the drug.

The hyphen also helps in writing about goals, health, and money, where long-term is common. A long-term goal, a long-term lease, and a long-term relationship all take the hyphen, because the words describe the noun right after them. Our nevermind or never mind guide shows the same one word versus two word trap for another phrase where the joined form is wrong.

✓ Their long-term goal is to buy a house.

✓ He took a long-term lease on the shop.

When to use long term without a hyphen

Use long term as two words when the phrase acts as a noun, usually after a preposition such as in or for, or after a verb such as is. Here the words name a period of time, not describe another noun, so no hyphen is needed.

✓ In the long term, the plan should pay off.

✓ We are thinking about the long term, not next week.

✓ The effects will show in the long term.

✓ This project is for the long term.

The same position rule decides our setup or set up guide, where the form changes with the job the words do in the sentence. When the phrase comes after the verb, as in “The plan is long term,” the two words stand alone and the hyphen stays out.

✓ The plan is long term, so be patient.

✓ Our focus is the long term, not the next quarter.

The tricky exceptions

Longterm as one word is always wrong

Longterm looks like a normal compound word, but no major dictionary lists it, and style guides do not accept it. Some writers join it by habit, copying words such as longstanding or longhand, but long term never closed up that way. If your spell checker flags longterm, trust it and split the word.

✗ We need a longterm solution. (Wrong: use long-term)

✓ We need a long-term solution.

The AP exception after the noun

The Associated Press Stylebook gives a clean version of the rule: hyphenate a compound modifier before a noun, and drop the hyphen after it. So “a long-term project” keeps the hyphen, but “the project is long term” drops it. Most other style guides agree, so this one rule covers almost every case you will meet.

✓ A long-term project needs steady funding.

✓ The project is long term and needs steady funding.

Long term versus short term follows the same rule

Short term works exactly like long term, so learning one pair teaches you both. Write short-term before a noun, as in “a short-term loan,” and short term after a verb, as in “in the short term.” Our any more or anymore guide shows the same paired pattern for another phrase where the space decides the meaning.

✓ We need a short-term fix and a long-term plan.

✓ In the short term we save, and in the long term we invest.

Long term vs long-term at a glance

Quick practice

Choose the correct form for each sentence:

1. We signed a ___ contract with the firm. (long term / long-term / longterm)
2. In the ___, the plan should pay off. (long term / long-term / longterm)
3. This is a ___ investment, not a quick win. (long term / long-term / longterm)
4. The project is ___ and needs patience. (long term / long-term / longterm)

Answer key:

• 1. long-term (before the noun contract)
• 2. long term (a noun phrase after in)
• 3. long-term (before the noun investment)
• 4. long term (after the verb is)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is longterm a word?

No, longterm is not a word in standard English. Major dictionaries do not list it, and editors treat it as a spelling error. Always write long term or long-term, depending on the position in the sentence.

Is it long term or long-term in AP style?

In AP style, use long-term with a hyphen before a noun, as in “a long-term project,” and long term without a hyphen after a noun or verb, as in “the project is long term.” The AP rule matches the general rule used by most style guides.

Do you hyphenate long term in “long term goals”?

Yes, write “long-term goals” with a hyphen, because the phrase describes the noun goals that follows it. Any time long term comes right before a noun, add the hyphen.

Is “in the long-term” correct?

No, write “in the long term” without a hyphen. After the preposition in, the phrase is a noun, so the hyphen is wrong. The hyphen belongs only when the phrase works as an adjective before a noun.

What is the difference between long term and long-term?

Long term is a noun phrase that names a period of time, as in “in the long term,” while long-term is an adjective that describes a noun, as in “a long-term plan.” The meaning is the same, but the grammar job in the sentence is different.

Final Thoughts

Longterm is never correct, long-term belongs before a noun, and long term stands alone after one, and that position check answers the question every time: look at the word after the phrase, not the dictionary, and the hyphen appears or disappears on its own. Keep the short term pair in mind as a second test, stay consistent with one style guide, and this compound stops causing trouble. For the next spelling pair where position decides the form, our full time or full-time guide applies the same check in the same way.

Is Thanksgiving Capitalized? Thanksgiving Day Rules Explained

Is Thanksgiving capitalized? Yes, when you mean the holiday, always write it with a capital T. Thanksgiving is a proper noun, the name of a specific holiday, so it takes a capital letter in the middle of a sentence just as Christmas and Halloween do. The confusion comes from the small word thanksgiving, which is a common noun for the act of giving thanks, and the two look identical except for the capital letter. Test your sentence with our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz, and use the holiday test below when the two forms feel equal.

The rule covers both the American holiday, on the fourth Thursday of November, and the Canadian holiday, on the second Monday of October. In both countries the name is a proper noun. The same proper noun first habit guides our capital vs capitol guide, where the capital letter decides the meaning, not the sound.

Quick answer

When to capitalize Thanksgiving

Capitalize Thanksgiving whenever it names the holiday, in any position in a sentence. Holidays are proper nouns in English, and the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style both direct writers to capitalize them. The Editor’s Manual holiday capitalization guide confirms the rule: capitalize names of holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Thanksgiving, while common words around them stay lowercase.

✓ We host dinner every Thanksgiving at our house.

✓ Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November in the US.

✓ The store closes early on Thanksgiving Day.

✓ She booked her flight home for Thanksgiving weekend.

Capitalize the full name when Day is part of it, as in Thanksgiving Day, and capitalize related holiday names the same way, such as Black Friday and the day after Thanksgiving only when Day itself is part of the official name. The word “day” on its own in “the day after Thanksgiving” stays lowercase, because it is a description, not part of the name.

✓ We watch the parade every Thanksgiving Day morning.

✓ The shops open early on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

When to keep thanksgiving lowercase

Keep thanksgiving lowercase when it means the general act of giving thanks, not the holiday. In this sense it is a common noun, like gratitude or praise, and it follows the normal lowercase rule. Our Chris’s or Chris’ guide makes a similar proper versus common split for another word where the capital letter carries the meaning.

✓ The church held a service of thanksgiving on Sunday.

✓ She wrote a letter of thanksgiving for their kindness.

✓ His speech was full of thanksgiving for the volunteers.

✓ A spirit of thanksgiving filled the room after the news.

This lowercase use is rare in everyday writing, and it almost always appears in formal or religious contexts, often after “of” or “for.” If your sentence is about turkey, family, or a November date, you mean the holiday, so capitalize it.

✓ The hymn was a song of thanksgiving and praise.

✓ We offer thanksgiving for a safe journey home.

The tricky exceptions

Happy Thanksgiving: only the holiday takes a capital

In the greeting “Happy Thanksgiving,” the word Happy takes a capital because it starts the sentence or greeting, while Thanksgiving is capitalized because it is the holiday. In the middle of a sentence, the rule changes: write “I wish you a happy Thanksgiving,” with happy in lowercase and Thanksgiving still capitalized. The adjective happy is never part of the holiday name, so it follows the normal sentence rule.

✓ Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoy the day.

✓ I wish you a happy Thanksgiving with your family.

Thanksgiving dinner, break, and weekend stay lowercase

Common nouns that follow the holiday name stay lowercase, because only the holiday itself is a proper noun. Write Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving break, Thanksgiving weekend, and Thanksgiving parade with a capital T and a lowercase second word. The same rule applies to Christmas dinner and New Year’s Day, where only the words that belong to the name are capitalized.

✓ We serve turkey at Thanksgiving dinner every year.

✓ School closes for Thanksgiving break on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving Day versus the day after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is the full official name, so both words take capitals. The phrase “the day after Thanksgiving” is a description of a date, not a name, so day stays lowercase while Thanksgiving keeps its capital. Our curb or kerb guide shows the same rule in action: a word keeps its capital only when it is part of the name itself.

✓ Offices close on Thanksgiving Day.

✓ The sale starts the day after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving capitalization at a glance

Quick practice

Choose the correct capitalization for each sentence:

1. We fly home for (Thanksgiving / thanksgiving) every year.
2. I wish you a (Happy / happy) Thanksgiving with your family.
3. The church held a service of (Thanksgiving / thanksgiving) on Sunday.
4. The sale starts the (Day / day) after Thanksgiving.

Answer key:

• 1. Thanksgiving (the holiday is a proper noun)
• 2. happy (mid sentence, happy is not part of the holiday name)
• 3. thanksgiving (the general act of giving thanks, not the holiday)
• 4. day (a description of a date, not part of the official name)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Thanksgiving always capitalized?

Yes, when it means the holiday. Thanksgiving is a proper noun, so it takes a capital T in any position in a sentence. The only lowercase use is the rare general sense of giving thanks.

Do you capitalize Happy in Happy Thanksgiving?

Capitalize Happy only at the start of a sentence or greeting, as in “Happy Thanksgiving!” In the middle of a sentence, write “a happy Thanksgiving,” with happy in lowercase and Thanksgiving still capitalized.

Is it Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving day?

It is Thanksgiving Day, with both words capitalized, because Day is part of the official holiday name. In contrast, “the day after Thanksgiving” keeps day lowercase, because there it is only a description.

Is Thanksgiving capitalized in Canada too?

Yes. The Canadian holiday, on the second Monday of October, is also a proper noun and takes a capital T. The rule is the same in both countries, and only the date differs.

Should thanksgiving be lowercase in a prayer?

Yes, when the prayer means the act of giving thanks rather than the holiday. A “prayer of thanksgiving” uses the lowercase common noun, while a prayer said on Thanksgiving Day names the holiday and takes the capital.

Final Thoughts

Thanksgiving takes a capital letter whenever it names the holiday, and the words around it follow their own rules: happy stays lowercase mid sentence, dinner and break stay lowercase, Day is capitalized only inside the official name Thanksgiving Day, and the small word thanksgiving survives only for the general act of gratitude. Swap in Christmas as a test, and the capital letter answers itself. For the next capitalization question where a proper noun hides inside an everyday phrase, our capital vs capitol guide applies the same test in the same way.

High Quality or Highquality: Which Spelling Is Correct?

High quality or highquality is a spelling question with a clear answer: highquality as one word is never correct, while high quality and high-quality are both correct in different positions. The hyphen is the only thing that changes, and it depends on where the phrase sits in the sentence. Test your sentence with our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz, and use the position check below when the two forms feel equal.

The rule is simple once you see it: hyphenate the phrase when it comes directly before a noun, and leave it as two separate words when it comes after the noun. Both forms mean the same thing, a standard of excellence, so the choice is about placement, not meaning. The same placement first habit guides our full time or full-time guide, where the hyphen also follows the noun.

Quick answer

When to use high-quality

Use high-quality with a hyphen when the phrase comes directly before the noun it modifies. This is the attributive position, and the hyphen joins the two words into a single compound adjective so the reader knows they work together. Style guides such as AP Style and the Chicago Manual of Style agree on this rule, and Grammarhow’s high quality guide confirms that the hyphenated form belongs before a noun. The hyphen tells the reader that high describes quality, not the noun that follows.

✓ She bought a high-quality camera for the trip.

✓ We need high-quality materials for this project.

✓ The restaurant is famous for its high-quality ingredients.

✓ He gave a high-quality presentation to the clients.

The hyphen also prevents a misreading. In “high-quality products,” the reader knows the products are of high quality. Without the hyphen, “high quality products” could still be understood, but the link between the words is weaker, and careful readers expect the hyphen in edited writing. Use it every time the phrase sits before a noun.

✓ The shop sells high-quality shoes at fair prices.

✓ Our high-quality service keeps customers coming back.

When to use high quality

Use high quality as two words, with no hyphen, when the phrase comes after the noun or after a linking verb such as is, was, or seems. This is the predicative position, and the words describe the noun from a distance, so they do not need a hyphen to hold them together. Our setup or set up guide makes a similar before versus after split for another pair that changes with position.

✓ The camera she bought is high quality.

✓ The food at that cafe is high quality and fairly priced.

✓ His work has always been high quality.

✓ The sound from these speakers is high quality.

The same two word form appears when the phrase follows a noun it describes in a looser way, as in “products of high quality” or “a standard of high quality.” Here the words are separated by other words, so no hyphen is possible. If you can move the phrase to the front of the noun, the hyphen returns with it.

✓ We judge the firm by the high quality of its reports.

✓ The fabric feels soft because it is high quality.

The tricky exceptions

Highquality as one word is always wrong

Highquality written as a single word does not appear in standard dictionaries, and no style guide accepts it. Some compound words do close up over time, such as “website” or “notebook,” but high quality has not followed that path, and spellcheckers flag it as an error. If you see it in a draft, split it into two words and then apply the position rule.

✗ They sell highquality chairs. → ✓ They sell high-quality chairs.

✗ The chairs are highquality. → ✓ The chairs are high quality.

The AP Style exception after a linking verb

AP Style keeps the hyphen even after a form of the verb “to be” when the compound is a well known pairing, so “the work is high-quality” can appear in AP edited copy. Most other guides, including Chicago, drop the hyphen there and write “the work is high quality.” Either choice is defensible, but you must stay consistent inside one document. For school and general writing, the simple rule is safer: no hyphen after the verb.

✓ The report is high quality. (Chicago and general rule.)

✓ The report is high-quality. (AP Style only, keep it consistent.)

Very high quality never takes a hyphen

When a modifier such as very, really, or extremely comes before the phrase, drop the hyphen entirely, even before a noun. The modifier breaks the compound, so “very high-quality products” is wrong and “very high quality products” is right. The same rule applies to adverbs ending in ly: never hyphenate a compound that starts with one. Our nevermind or never mind guide shows the same rule in action: a word that looks joined is not always joined.

✓ She chose very high quality paper for the invitations.

✗ She chose very high-quality paper for the invitations.

High quality vs highquality at a glance

Quick practice

Choose high-quality, high quality, or highquality for each sentence:

1. We only buy ______ coffee beans for the cafe.
2. The coffee beans here are ______.
3. They sell ______ chairs at that shop.
4. She wants very ______ paper for the cards.

Answer key:

• 1. high-quality (before the noun beans)
• 2. high quality (after the linking verb are)
• 3. high-quality (before the noun chairs; highquality is never correct)
• 4. high quality (very breaks the compound, so no hyphen)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is highquality one word correct?

No. Highquality as one word is not a standard English spelling, and dictionaries do not list it. Write high quality as two words or high-quality with a hyphen, depending on position.

When do I hyphenate high quality?

Hyphenate it when it comes directly before the noun it describes, as in “high-quality service.” Leave it as two words when it comes after the noun or a linking verb, as in “the service is high quality.”

Is high quality hyphenated in AP Style?

Yes, before a noun, and AP Style also keeps the hyphen after a form of “to be” for well known compounds. Most other style guides drop the hyphen after the verb, so pick one guide and stay consistent.

Does very high quality take a hyphen?

No. When very, really, or extremely comes before the phrase, write “very high quality” with no hyphen, even before a noun. The extra word breaks the compound adjective.

Is high quality a noun or an adjective?

It is usually an adjective phrase describing a noun, as in “high-quality work.” It can also act as a noun phrase after “of,” as in “work of high quality,” where it names the standard itself.

Final Thoughts

Highquality is never correct, high-quality belongs before a noun, and high quality stands alone after one, and that position check answers the question every time: look at the noun, not the dictionary, and the hyphen appears or disappears on its own. Keep the very rule in mind, stay consistent with one style guide, and this compound stops causing trouble. For the next spelling pair where position decides the form, our full time or full-time guide applies the same check in the same way.

Treck or Trek: Which Spelling Is Correct and When Should You Use It?

Treck or trek is a spelling trap that catches good writers, because “treck” looks so natural next to words like check, wreck, and neck. The correct modern spelling is trek, with no c. It works as both a noun and a verb for a long, difficult journey, and “treck” is not listed as a standard spelling in modern dictionaries. If you want a fast check on your own sentence, run it through our free Grammar Checker and Spelling Quiz.

The confusion makes sense. English is full of “ck” endings after a short vowel, so the hand wants to add one here too. Trek breaks that pattern because it came into English from Afrikaans and Dutch, where the root word was spelled without the extra letter. The same borrowed spelling logic explains our leafs or leaves guide, where the rule looks odd until you see the word family behind it.

Quick answer

When to use trek as a noun

Use trek as a noun for a long or difficult journey, especially one made on foot or through rough ground. Merriam-Webster’s trek entry defines it as a trip or movement involving difficulties or complex organization, which is a wider meaning than a simple walk. A stroll to the shop is not a trek. A muddy, uphill, six hour walk with heavy bags is.

✓ The trek to the mountain hut took nine hours in the rain.

✓ Their trek across the desert needed guides, water, and a strict plan.

✓ It was not a holiday walk. It was a real trek.

✗ Their treck across the desert needed guides. → ✓ Their trek across the desert needed guides.

When to use trek as a verb

Use trek as a verb for travelling slowly or with effort, often on foot. It also works for a short but tiring trip, like climbing many flights of stairs with heavy bags. The verb is intransitive, so it does not take a direct object: you trek somewhere, not trek something. Our buses or busses guide shows a similar pattern, where the plural and verb forms follow one spelling family, not a guess.

✓ We had to trek up six flights of stairs with our groceries.

✓ They trekked through the forest before sunrise.

✓ She is trekking in the hills all this week.

✗ We trecked to the station in the storm. → ✓ We trekked to the station in the storm.

Notice the doubled k in “trekked” and “trekking.” That doubling is the standard rule for a short vowel word ending in a single consonant when you add a vowel ending. It does not turn the base word into “treck.” The base stays trek, and only the ending changes.

The tricky exceptions

Trek as a proper noun: Star Trek and place names

Capitalize Trek only when it is part of a proper name, such as the Star Trek series or an official event name. The capital letter does not change the spelling: it is still Trek, never Treck. In ordinary sentences, keep it lowercase.

✓ We watched Star Trek on Friday night.

✓ Our weekend trek starts at the trailhead, not on a screen.

Trek versus hike, walk, and journey

Trek carries a sense of difficulty that hike and walk do not always carry. A hike can be pleasant and planned for fun, while a trek sounds long, tiring, or hard to organize. A journey is the neutral, general word. Choose trek when the effort or the hardship is part of the point, and choose walk or hike when it is not.

✓ The charity trek raised money precisely because it was hard.

✓ We went for a gentle walk by the river, not a trek.

Why the old Dutch root does not save “treck”

Trek comes from Afrikaans and Dutch words for pulling, hauling, and migrating, and the old Dutch noun form did include a c. That history explains why “treck” feels plausible, but history is not current usage. Modern English dictionaries list trek as the headword, and spellcheckers flag “treck” as an error. In school, work, and publishing, use the modern form only. Our wifes or wives guide makes the same point: an old or guessed form is not a live variant.

✓ The word trek entered English from Afrikaans in the 1800s.

✗ The old spelling treck is fine in a modern essay. → ✓ Use trek in a modern essay.

Treck or trek at a glance

Quick practice

Choose trek or treck for each sentence, and fix the verb form where needed:

1. The ______ to base camp took three days.
2. They ______ed across the valley in the snow.
3. She is ______ing through the mountains this summer.
4. It was a long ______ back to town after the car broke down.

Answer key:

• 1. trek (noun, long journey)
• 2. trekked (past tense, double the k)
• 3. trekking (present participle, double the k)
• 4. trek (noun, not “treck”)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is “treck” a correct spelling?

No. In modern English, “treck” is not a standard spelling. Always write trek for the long, difficult journey, in both its noun and verb uses.

Why do so many people write “treck”?

Because English has many “ck” words after a short vowel, such as check, neck, and wreck. The ear hears a short “e” and the hand adds “ck” by habit. Trek is a borrowed word that never took that ending.

What is the past tense of trek?

The past tense is trekked, and the present participle is trekking. Both double the k, following the short vowel rule. The base word itself stays trek.

Is Trek capitalized?

Only in proper names, such as Star Trek. In ordinary sentences, trek is a common noun or verb and stays lowercase.

Is there a US versus UK difference for trek?

No. Both American and British English spell it trek, and both double the k in trekked and trekking. There is no regional variant to learn here.

Final Thoughts

Trek is the only spelling to use in modern writing, and its toughness is the clue: a short, bare word for a long, hard journey, with no spare letter to carry. Remember the doubled k in trekked and trekking, keep the capital letter for proper names only, and this borrowed word stops tripping you up. For the next spelling pair where a familiar pattern points the wrong way, our leafs or leaves guide applies the same check: trust the dictionary entry, not the look of the word.

Leafs or Leaves? Which Spelling Is Correct in 2026?

Leafs or leaves is a plural spelling question that trips up even confident writers, because English has two competing patterns for words ending in “f.” The standard answer is simple: leaves is the correct plural of “leaf” in almost every case. “Leafs” looks logical, just add an “s”, but it is only correct in one narrow, special case, explained below. The same f-to-ves pattern decides our wifes or wives guide.

The confusion is understandable. Most English plurals simply add “s”: book becomes books, car becomes cars, tree becomes trees. But a small family of nouns ending in “f” or “fe” changes the “f” to “v” and adds “es”: leaf becomes leaves, wife becomes wives, life becomes lives. Once you know which family “leaf” belongs to, the spelling becomes automatic.

⚡ Quick answer

When to use leaves

Use leaves whenever you mean more than one leaf, the flat, green part of a plant or tree. Merriam-Webster’s leaf entry gives “leaves” as the plural, and every major dictionary agrees. This covers autumn foliage, tea leaves, leaves on a table, and leaves in a book (the pages of a book are also called leaves).

✓ The leaves fell thick and fast after the first frost.

✓ She raked the leaves into a pile for the children to jump in.

✓ Green tea leaves are picked by hand in the spring.

✓ The old diary had several loose leaves tucked inside its cover.

✗ The leafs are changing colour. → ✓ The leaves are changing colour.

“Leaves” is also the third-person singular of the verb “to leave”, “she leaves at six”, which is a different word entirely, though spelled the same way. Context always makes the meaning clear, and neither use is ever spelled “leafs.”

✓ He leaves for work before sunrise every morning.

When to use leafs (the rare exceptions)

Leafs is correct in exactly two situations. First, as a verb: when someone turns the pages of a book or magazine quickly, they “leaf through” it, and in the third person that becomes “she leafs through.” Second, as part of a proper name: the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team keeps the “Leafs” spelling as a trademarked team name. Outside those two cases, “leafs” is a spelling error. Our heros or heroes guide shows the same pattern, where the “es” plural wins over the simple “s.”

✓ He leafs through the newspaper every morning before breakfast.

✓ The Toronto Maple Leafs played at home last night.

✗ The tree lost all its leafs in November. → ✓ The tree lost all its leaves in November.

The tricky exceptions

Not every f-word changes to v

English is inconsistent here, which is why the rule feels unfair. Some f-words simply add “s”: roofs, chiefs, proofs, beliefs, safes. Others change to “ves”: leaves, wives, lives, knives, wolves. There is no perfect rule, so the honest advice is to memorise the short “ves” family, leaf, wife, life, knife, wolf, calf, half, loaf, thief, and add “s” to everything else unless a dictionary says otherwise.

✓ The roofs of the houses were covered in snow. (Roof keeps its f.)

✓ The baker sliced two loaves for the morning rush. (Loaf changes to v.)

Leaf as a verb: “to leaf”

The verb “to leaf” means to put out leaves (a tree leafs in spring) or to turn pages (she leafs through a catalogue). Its forms are leaf, leafs, leafing, leafed. Confusingly, “leafed” is the past tense of this verb, while “leaved” describes something that has leaves, as in “a well-leaved tree.” Keep the verb and the noun in separate boxes and they stop colliding.

✓ The oak leafs late, sometimes not until May.

✓ She leafed through the brochure without reading a word.

Compound words: maple leaf, bay leaf, gold leaf

In compounds, the plural still follows the same rule: maple leaves, bay leaves, fig leaves. “Gold leaf” is a mass noun, thin sheets of gold, so it has no plural at all; you say “sheets of gold leaf,” not “gold leaves.” The same logic explains why our buses or busses guide treats a doubled consonant as a red herring: the plural rule belongs to the base word, not to the compound.

✓ Add two bay leaves and simmer for twenty minutes.

✓ Canadian flags show a single red maple leaf; the forest floor is covered in maple leaves.

Leafs vs leaves at a glance

Quick practice

Choose leafs or leaves for each sentence:

1. The oak tree dropped all its ______ in a single week.
2. He ______ through the report while waiting for the meeting.
3. Fresh mint ______ make the tea taste much better.
4. The Toronto Maple ______ won their home game last night.

Answer key:

• 1. leaves (plural noun)
• 2. leafs (verb, “leafs through”)
• 3. leaves (plural noun)
• 4. Leafs (proper team name)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it leafs or leaves?

It is leaves. “Leafs” is only correct as a verb (“she leafs through a book”) or in the Toronto Maple Leafs team name. As the plural of the noun “leaf,” always write leaves.

Why does leaf change to leaves?

Leaf belongs to a small group of nouns ending in “f” or “fe” that change the “f” to “v” and add “es” in the plural: leaf/leaves, wife/wives, life/lives, knife/knives. The change goes back to Old English pronunciation, where the “f” was voiced to “v” between vowels.

Is “leafs” ever correct in everyday writing?

Yes, but rarely: only when “leaf” is a verb. “She leafs through the catalogue” is correct. If you mean more than one leaf from a tree, “leafs” is always wrong.

What is the plural of “maple leaf”?

Maple leaves. The plural rule applies to the final word of the compound, so bay leaf becomes bay leaves and fig leaf becomes fig leaves.

Is “leafs” acceptable in American English?

No. American and British English agree here: the plural noun is leaves on both sides of the Atlantic. The verb “leafs” and the Toronto team name are the only exceptions in either variety.

Final Thoughts

Leaves is the plural you need in almost every sentence you will ever write, the f turns to v, the es follows, and the autumn foliage stays correctly spelled. Save leafs for turning pages and for hockey, and the vein-in-the-leaf trick will keep the two apart for good. For the next member of the f-to-ves family, our wifes or wives guide works exactly the same way.

Else’s or Elses? Correct Spelling, Examples, and Grammar Guide

Else’s or elses is one of those questions that looks tiny and causes big embarrassment, because the wrong form slips past spellcheckers and into professional emails. The answer is clear: else’s is correct, and elses is not a standard English word. The apostrophe shows possession, something belongs to “someone else”, and the ‘s always attaches to “else,” never to the pronoun before it. The same possessive-placement logic runs through our Chris’s or Chris’ guide.

“Else” itself means “other” or “in addition.” It follows words like someone, anyone, everybody, nobody, and what: someone else, anything else, who else. When that whole phrase owns something, English puts the possessive ending on the last word of the phrase, which is “else.” That is why we write “someone else’s car” and never “someone’s else car” or “someone elses car.”

⚡ Quick answer

When to use else’s

Use else’s whenever a phrase ending in “else” owns or is connected to a noun that follows it. Merriam-Webster’s else entry defines “else” as “being different in identity”, somebody else, what else, and the possessive of those phrases always lands on “else.” Dictionaries and usage guides agree: “somebody else’s” and “everybody else’s” are the standard forms, while “somebody’s else” is nonstandard.

✓ Please don’t read someone else’s messages.

✓ Everyone else’s plans worked out better than mine.

✓ Does anyone else’s dog bark at the vacuum cleaner?

✓ This umbrella isn’t mine, it must be somebody else’s.

✓ Nobody else’s opinion matters as much as your own judgment.

✗ Please don’t read someone elses messages. → ✓ Please don’t read someone else’s messages. (Possession needs the apostrophe.)

✗ That is someone’s else idea. → ✓ That is someone else’s idea. (The ‘s goes on “else,” the last word.)

When to use else (without the possessive)

Plain else, no apostrophe, no s, is the form you need whenever there is no possession involved. It appears after indefinite pronouns (someone else, nobody else), after question words (what else, who else, where else), and in the phrase “or else,” meaning “otherwise.” If nothing is owned, nothing gets an apostrophe. The same no-possession-no-apostrophe rule runs through our wifes or wives guide, where a plural and a possessive are easy to mix up.

✓ Is there anything else you would like to add?

✓ Who else is coming to the meeting?

✓ Finish your homework, or else you can’t go out tonight.

✓ Nobody else volunteered, so I took the job.

✗ Who else’s is coming tonight? → ✓ Who else is coming tonight? (No possession, drop the ‘s.)

The tricky exceptions

“Whose else”, the one exception

There is exactly one accepted exception. With “who else,” the possessive is sometimes formed as “whose else”, but only when no noun follows it. “Is this book yours? Whose else could it be?” Here “whose” already carries the possession, so “else” stays bare. As soon as a noun follows, the normal rule returns: “Whose else’s book is this?” is wrong; “Who else’s book is this?” is right.

✓ Is this pen yours? Whose else could it be? (No noun follows, the rare exception.)

✓ Who else’s pen is this? (A noun follows, normal rule applies.)

Why “elses” feels right but isn’t

“Elses” feels plausible because English usually makes plurals and possessives by adding s. But “else” is not a noun, it is an adverb/adjective meaning “other”, and it has no plural. You cannot have two “elses” any more than you can have two “verys.” The only correct way to add an s to “else” is with an apostrophe, for possession. The same part-of-speech logic explains our heros or heroes guide, where a real plural rule works very differently.

✗ The elses of the group disagreed. → ✓ Everyone else in the group disagreed. (“Else” cannot be pluralized.)

✓ I borrowed somebody else’s charger, mine is at home.

British and American English agree here

Unlike some spelling pairs, “else’s” is identical on both sides of the Atlantic. British and American writers both write “someone else’s,” both reject “elses,” and both keep the ‘s on “else.” There is no regional variant to learn, one rule covers every English-speaking audience.

✓ (UK) It was somebody else’s turn to wash up. ✓ (US) It was somebody else’s turn to do the dishes.

Else’s vs elses at a glance

Quick practice

Choose else’s, else, or elses, and try our Grammar Checker for more possessive practice:

1. That jacket is somebody __________, not mine.
2. What __________ do we need from the shop?
3. The teacher collected everyone __________ homework.
4. Who __________ car is blocking the driveway?

Answer key:

• 1. else’s (possession, no noun follows but ownership is meant)
• 2. else (no possession, just “what other”)
• 3. else’s (everyone else’s homework, possession)
• 4. else’s (who else’s car, possession before a noun)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is correct: elses or else’s?

Else’s is correct. “Elses” is not a standard English word, because “else” has no plural form, the apostrophe-s marks possession only.

Is it “someone’s else” or “someone else’s”?

It is “someone else’s.” The possessive ending always goes on the last word of the phrase, which is “else.” “Someone’s else” is nonstandard.

Can I ever use “elses”?

No. “Elses” does not appear in standard dictionaries and is never correct in formal or informal writing. If you mean possession, write “else’s”; if you mean “other,” write “else.”

What about “whose else”?

“Whose else” is the one exception, used only when no noun follows: “Whose else could it be?” When a noun follows, use “who else’s” instead.

Does British English use “else’s” differently?

No. British and American English both use “else’s” for the possessive and both reject “elses.” One rule works everywhere.

Final Thoughts

Else’s is the only correct possessive, the apostrophe lands on “else,” the last word of the phrase, and “elses” without an apostrophe is never a word at all. Remember “last word owns it,” and this tiny mark will never trip you again. For the next possessive puzzle, our Chris’s or Chris’ guide applies the same last-word logic to names.