Persons vs People | Differences, Examples & Contexts
Both persons and people can be correctly used as the plural form of the noun “person.”
People is used to talk about multiple humans or to refer to a group, and persons is used to refer to various individuals with the focus on their individuality.
People is the commonly-accepted plural of “person” in general English, while persons is only used in specific, formal contexts.
Persons or people
People means:
- Human beings considered generally or collectively
- A group of multiple individuals
- The members of a specific nation, community, or ethnic group
People is the plural form of “person” that you will most commonly find in modern English. Some style guides, like APA, mention that they consider this the preferred plural.
Although the word people talks about humans collectively, it is not a collective noun. It is a plural noun, and therefore must take plural verbs.
Fifteen people have already signed up for the event next week.
How many American people watch the Super Bowl on average?
Persons means “individuals.” It’s more formal and is used in legal, official, or technical contexts. These contexts prefer persons because of its focus on the individual. For example, the law prosecutes individuals, not groups.
Some common legal or political terms reflect this preference, like “persons of interest,” “missing persons,” or “displaced persons.”
Throughout history, these guidelines haven’t always been so clear. So if you read older texts, you may find examples where the word persons was used with the present-day meaning of people.
This elevator has an occupancy of 4 persons.
The organization is working to provide resources to displaced persons who recently arrived from other countries.
“What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy.” —Voltaire
Note the last example. In modern-day English, we would say “What most people consider as virtue…” because we’re speaking about humans in general. But Voltaire lived from 1694 to 1778, and the language was different then.
Using the QuillBot Grammar Checker will help you check that you’re using persons or people appropriately in your writing.
Person comes from “persona,” which first meant “mask” or “character.” With time, the Latin “persona” came to mean “an individual.” This is why the plural persons means “various individuals.”
People comes from the Latin “populus,” meaning “populace,” or “community.” The modern usage of people reflects this original Latin meaning.
People vs peoples
When you want to talk about one specific nationality, ethnic group, tribe, etc., use people. You should also use people when you want to talk about the global population since you are talking about them collectively, as one group.
If you want to distinguish between various groups that overlap in a geographical or cultural context, use peoples. Using peoples helps to highlight the diversity of cultures and identities that exist among humans.
Note that the possessive forms of these words are different:
- People’s talks about something that belongs to one group.
- Peoples’ talks about something that belongs to various groups.
| People in a sentence | Peoples in a sentence |
|---|---|
| The American people will vote for their next president in an election this November. | The Navajo and Apache peoples both originate from the Southwestern United States. |
| The Spanish people’s first language is Spanish. | Many South American peoples’ first language is Spanish. |
| The pandemic affected the many people of the world. | The United Nations promotes peace and cooperation among the many peoples of the world. |
Frequently asked questions about persons vs people
- What are some “people” synonyms?
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Some synonyms for the noun “people” include:
- Persons*
- Humans
- Human beings
- Folks
- Population
- Public
- Populace
- Community
- Nation
*When choosing between persons or people, consider that “persons” means “various individuals” while “people” means “a group of humans.”
The QuillBot Paraphraser can help you choose the best synonym for “people.”
- Is peoples’ correct?
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The possessive noun peoples’ is correct when you want to talk about something that belongs to more than one cultural or ethnic group.
If you want to talk about something that belongs to one specific cultural or ethnic group, you would use the form people’s.
For example, “the Spanish people’s opinions” refers to the opinions of just the Spanish. But, “the French and Spanish peoples’ opinions” refers to the opinions of both groups.
If you are writing in a legal, official, or technical context, it may be better to use persons’ as the possessive plural. This is because “persons” is preferred to “people” as the plural of “person” in these contexts.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can show you whether to use persons or people and if you’re using peoples’ and people’s correctly.
- Why does people vs persons exist in the English language?
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We can use persons or people in English to mean slightly different things.
“Persons” means “several individuals,” while “people” means “a group of humans.”
The slight difference in the meanings of these words comes from their Latin origins.
“Persons” comes from the Latin “persona,” meaning “mask,” or “character.” “Persona” evolved to mean “individual,” and that meaning is preserved in the English words “person” and “persons.”
“People” comes from the Latin “populus,” which means “population,” or “group of humans.” This is why the English “people” has its group-focused meaning.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using persons or people correctly.
- What is the plural of person?
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The plural noun of “person” can be persons or people, depending on the context.
“People” is the more common plural of “person” in general English. It means “human beings,” especially as a group (e.g., “Ten people came to my party,” or “English people love tea”).
“Persons” is found in formal, legal, technical, and official contexts. It means “various individuals” (e.g. “The court will try these four persons for their crimes,” or “Police are working to find the missing persons”).
If you’re not sure which word is the best choice in your writing, use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to check.
