Yours or *Your’s | Correct Spelling, Use & Examples
Yours is the correct spelling for the second-person possessive pronoun. Your’s—with an apostrophe—is a misspelling of yours and is always incorrect.
Possession is usually indicated by adding ‘s to a word, but possessive pronouns are the exception to this rule. This is why some people get confused when choosing your’s or yours.
- I have my ticket, but I don’t have yours.
- I have my ticket, but I don’t have your’s.
- Are these pajamas yours?
- Are these pajamas your’s?
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will make sure you always use yours and never your’s.
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Yours or your’s
Yours is a possessive pronoun, along with “mine,” “hers,” “his,” “ours,” and “theirs.” Possessive pronouns show ownership of something by someone, and they replace the noun they refer to (e.g., “Is this your jacket?” becomes “Is this yours?”).
“Your” is a possessive adjective, and it must accompany the noun it modifies (e.g., “your favorite color”). Yours, on the other hand, can only be used on its own.
Your’s is always incorrect. Even as a contraction, “your is” does not make sense.
- My favorite flavor of ice cream is pistachio. What’s yours?
- My favorite flavor of ice cream is pistachio. What’s your?
- My favorite flavor of ice cream is pistachio. What’s your’s?
- Is Matthias a friend of yours?
- Is Matthias a friend of your?
- Is Matthias a friend of your’s?
- I saw your fiancé at the mall yesterday.
- I saw yours fiancé at the mall yesterday.
- I saw your’s fiancé at the mall yesterday.
Apart from being a possessive pronoun, yours has a few common meanings worth reviewing:
- It can refer to “your friends and family” (e.g., “Best wishes to you and yours”).
- It can mean “your house,” especially in British English (e.g., “Let’s go to yours later”).
- It’s commonly used to end an email or letter (e.g., “Yours truly”).
- “Your” is the possessive adjective (e.g., “your new backpack”).
- “You’re” is a contraction of “you are” (e.g., “you’re leaving soon”).
If you still have doubts, try asking QuillBot’s AI Chat for some extra help practicing these.
Frequently asked questions about yours or your’s
- Is it your’s truly or yours truly?
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It’s “yours truly,” with no apostrophe. This is a common way to end an email or letter.
People sometimes mix up yours and your’s. “Yours” is the possessive pronoun and is the correct spelling. “Your’s” is always incorrect.
Use QuillBot’s Grammar Checker to make sure you avoid this common mistake and others like it.
