Hers or Her’s: Which Spelling Is Correct?
Hers is the correct spelling.
Her’s is incorrect.
Examples:
Correct: This book is hers.
Incorrect: This book is her’s.
Correct: The blue jacket is hers.
Incorrect: The blue jacket is her’s.
The word hers already shows possession, so it does not need an apostrophe. If you mean “belonging to her,” use hers.
What Does Hers Mean?
Hers is a possessive pronoun. It means something belongs to a female person, girl, woman, or female animal that has already been mentioned.
Examples:
That seat is hers.
The decision was hers.
This phone is not mine; it is hers.
The small dog is hers.
In each sentence, hers replaces a longer phrase like her seat, her decision, her phone, or her dog.
Instead of saying:
That seat is her seat.
You can say:
That seat is hers.
The word hers helps avoid repeating the noun.
Is Her’s a Word?
Her’s is not the correct spelling in standard English.
The apostrophe is unnecessary because hers is already possessive.
Incorrect:
The bag is her’s.
Correct:
The bag is hers.
Incorrect:
That idea was her’s.
Correct:
That idea was hers.
This mistake is common because many possessive nouns use apostrophes.
Examples:
Sarah’s book
Mom’s car
the teacher’s desk
But possessive pronouns do not use apostrophes.
Hers vs Her’s: The Main Difference
The difference is simple:
Hers = correct possessive pronoun
Her’s = incorrect spelling
Examples:
Correct: The choice was hers.
Incorrect: The choice was her’s.
Correct: The house at the end of the street is hers.
Incorrect: The house at the end of the street is her’s.
Correct: My coat is black, and hers is green.
Incorrect: My coat is black, and her’s is green.
If the word stands alone and means “belonging to her,” the correct form is hers.
Why Hers Does Not Need an Apostrophe
Apostrophes are often used with nouns to show ownership.
Examples:
the girl’s shoes
Maria’s backpack
the dog’s toy
But hers is not a regular noun. It is a possessive pronoun.
Other possessive pronouns also do not use apostrophes:
mine
yours
his
hers
ours
theirs
Examples:
This pen is mine.
That seat is yours.
The idea was his.
The red car is hers.
The house is ours.
The choice is theirs.
None of these words need apostrophes.
Her vs Hers
Her and hers are related, but they are used differently.
Use her before a noun.
Use hers when the noun is not repeated.
Examples:
That is her jacket.
That jacket is hers.
This is her phone.
This phone is hers.
I borrowed her pencil.
The pencil is hers.
A simple rule:
Her comes before the thing.
Hers replaces the thing.
Examples With Hers
Here are more examples using hers correctly:
The final decision is hers.
That bedroom is hers.
The handwriting looks like hers.
My lunch is on the table, and hers is in the fridge.
The larger suitcase is hers.
The responsibility was hers alone.
The last cookie is hers.
In every example, hers means something belongs to her.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is adding an apostrophe to hers.
Incorrect:
This notebook is her’s.
Correct:
This notebook is hers.
Incorrect:
The red bike is her’s.
Correct:
The red bike is hers.
Incorrect:
The victory was her’s.
Correct:
The victory was hers.
Another mistake is using her when the pronoun should stand alone.
Incorrect:
That jacket is her.
Correct:
That jacket is hers.
Correct:
That is her jacket.
Use her before a noun. Use hers by itself.
Hers vs She’s
Do not confuse hers with she’s.
Hers means belonging to her.
She’s means she is or she has.
Examples:
The bag is hers.
She’s carrying a bag.
The first sentence shows ownership. The second sentence is a contraction.
More examples:
Correct: The idea was hers.
Correct: She’s proud of the idea.
Correct: The dog is hers.
Correct: She’s walking the dog.
If you can replace the word with she is or she has, use she’s. If you mean ownership, use hers.
Hers vs Theirs and Yours
Hers, theirs, and yours follow the same rule. They are possessive pronouns, so they do not use apostrophes.
Correct:
This book is hers.
That house is theirs.
Is this seat yours?
Incorrect:
This book is her’s.
That house is their’s.
Is this seat your’s?
Even though these words show possession, they are already possessive. Do not add an apostrophe.
Why People Write Her’s
People often write her’s because they know apostrophes can show possession.
For example:
the woman’s coat
the student’s desk
the singer’s song
So it may seem logical to write her’s. But pronouns follow a different rule.
With pronouns, the possessive form is already built into the word.
Correct:
her book
hers
their house
theirs
your seat
yours
No apostrophe is needed.
Memory Trick
Here is an easy way to remember the correct spelling:
Hers works like his.
You would not write:
hi’s
So do not write:
her’s
Correct:
his
hers
Another memory trick:
Possessive pronouns do not need apostrophes.
Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs are already possessive.
Quick Test
Choose the correct word:
The pink backpack is ___.
Answer: hers
That is ___ backpack.
Answer: her
The decision was ___ alone.
Answer: hers
This seat is not mine. It is ___.
Answer: hers
The spelling ___ is incorrect.
Answer: her’s
Final Answer
Hers is correct.
Her’s is incorrect.
Use hers when something belongs to her.
Correct: The book is hers.
Correct: That seat is hers.
Incorrect: The book is her’s.
The easiest way to remember it is that hers is like his. You do not write hi’s, so you should not write her’s.
