Your’s or Yours? Which Is Correct?

If you are unsure whether to write “your’s” or “yours,” the answer is simple: yours is correct.

The standard English possessive pronoun is spelled yours, without an apostrophe. Your’s is an incorrect form in standard English.

For example:

• Is this notebook yours? ✅
• Is this notebook your’s? ❌

The confusion is understandable because apostrophes are often used to show possession. We write Sarah’s book, the teacher’s desk, and the dog’s collar. However, English handles possessive pronouns differently. Words such as yours, mine, ours, hers, and theirs do not normally take an apostrophe.

Understanding this small distinction can also help you avoid several related mistakes, especially when choosing between your, yours, and you’re.

Your’s or Yours: The Quick Answer

Yours is the correct spelling.

So if you are asking whether something belongs to someone, use yours.

This phone is yours.

Not:

This phone is your’s.

Why Is “Yours” Correct?

The key is to understand the difference between possessive determiners and possessive pronouns.

Your comes before a noun

Your is used before a noun to indicate that something belongs to the person being addressed.

Examples include:

• your car
• your house
• your idea
• your computer
• your answer

Notice that a noun follows your.

For example:

I like your idea.

Here, your tells us whose idea it is.

Yours stands in place of a noun phrase

Yours is a possessive pronoun. It can stand on its own when the thing being possessed is already known or understood.

For example:

My car is old, but yours is new.

Here, yours means something like your car. We do not need to repeat the noun.

Compare these sentences:

This is your jacket.

and:

This jacket is yours.

Both sentences refer to the same ownership relationship, but the grammatical roles are different.

A useful pattern is:

your + noun

your jacket

noun + is + yours

The jacket is yours.

This is one of the easiest ways to remember when to use each form.

Why Doesn’t “Yours” Have an Apostrophe?

This is where many people become confused.

Apostrophes can show possession

With many nouns, an apostrophe helps indicate ownership:

• Emma’s notebook
• the student’s desk
• the company’s policy

Because an apostrophe can indicate possession, it may seem logical to turn your into your’s.

But yours is already the established possessive pronoun. It does not need an apostrophe.

The same pattern appears with other possessive pronouns:

• mine
• yours
• his
• hers
• ours
• theirs

We do not normally add apostrophes to these forms.

For example:

The blue car is hers. ✅

Not:

The blue car is her’s. ❌

Likewise:

The decision is theirs. ✅

Not:

The decision is their’s. ❌

So yours is not an exception that needs to be memorized in isolation. It belongs to a larger group of possessive pronouns that do not use apostrophes.

Your vs. Yours: What Is the Difference?

The difference between your and yours becomes much easier when you look at what comes after the word.

Use “your” before a noun

Use your when a noun follows it.

Examples:

Where is your phone?

I like your new shoes.

Have you finished your homework?

That is your responsibility.

In each sentence, your is attached to a noun or noun phrase.

Use “yours” when the noun does not need to be repeated

Use yours when the noun is already clear from the context.

Examples:

My phone is black, but yours is white.

Is this bag yours?

The final decision is yours.

Their house is bigger than yours.

You would not normally say:

Is this bag your? ❌

because your needs a noun after it in this use.

Instead, say:

Is this bag yours? ✅

A simple substitution test

When deciding between your and yours, try adding the noun.

If you need to name the thing, use your:

your book

your answer

your car

If the noun is already understood, use yours:

The book is yours.

The answer is yours.

The car is yours.

This simple test can prevent many common mistakes.

Yours vs. Your’s vs. Yours’: Which Form Should You Use?

Three versions can sometimes cause confusion:

yours, your’s, and yours’.

Only one is the standard possessive pronoun.

“Yours” is correct

Use yours to mean that something belongs to you.

Examples:

Is this coat yours?

The blue seat is yours.

I think this umbrella is yours.

“Your’s” is incorrect

Your’s is not the standard spelling of the possessive pronoun.

The apostrophe should not be inserted between r and s.

Incorrect:

Is this your’s?

Correct:

Is this yours?

“Yours’” is also incorrect

Adding an apostrophe after the s does not make the word possessive.

Incorrect:

The choice is yours’.

Correct:

The choice is yours.

Therefore, the safest rule is straightforward:

Yours is correct.
Your’s is incorrect.
Yours’ is incorrect.

Your, Yours, and You’re: Don’t Mix Them Up

Apostrophe confusion can become even more complicated because you’re is also a common word.

However, your, yours, and you’re have three different functions.

Your means belonging to you

Use your before a noun.

Where is your bag?

I like your idea.

Yours means belonging to you

Use yours when the noun is understood or has already been mentioned.

This bag is yours.

Which idea is yours?

You’re means “you are”

You’re is a contraction of you are.

You’re very kind.

This can be tested by replacing you’re with you are:

You’re late.
You are late.

The sentence still works, so you’re is correct.

But:

This book is you are. ❌

That does not make sense. The correct word is:

This book is yours. ✅

A quick comparison makes the difference clear:

Examples of “Yours” in Sentences

Seeing the word in different situations is one of the best ways to understand how it works.

Everyday examples

Is this jacket yours?

The black backpack is yours.

I think this seat is yours.

Which laptop is yours?

My room is smaller than yours.

That umbrella might be yours.

Examples involving comparisons

Yours is often used when comparing one person’s possession with another’s.

My car is older than yours.

Her answer was different from yours.

Our house is closer to the station than yours.

Their garden is larger than yours.

In these examples, yours replaces a longer phrase such as your car, your answer, your house, or your garden.

Examples at the end of a sentence

The choice is yours.

The responsibility is yours.

The decision is ultimately yours.

The opportunity is yours.

These sentences use yours to emphasize ownership, responsibility, or control.

Is “Yours” Used Before a Noun?

Normally, no.

This is an important distinction between your and yours.

Use:

your car ✅

Not:

yours car ❌

Use:

The car is yours. ✅

Not:

The car is your. ❌

Another example:

I like your idea. ✅

The idea is yours. ✅

The first sentence places your directly before the noun. The second uses yours independently.

Is “Yours” Singular or Plural?

Yours can refer to either a singular or plural noun. The form of the word does not change.

For one thing:

Is this book yours?

For multiple things:

Are these books yours?

The same word, yours, works in both cases.

The number is understood from the noun or context rather than from changing yours into another form.

Is “Yours Sincerely” Correct?

Yes, “Yours sincerely” is a standard formal sign-off, particularly in British and related varieties of English.

For example:

Yours sincerely,
Alex

The word is yours, without an apostrophe.

Incorrect:

Your’s sincerely

Correct:

Yours sincerely

Similarly, expressions such as “Yours faithfully” and “Yours truly” use yours, not your’s.

The exact choice of formal sign-off can depend on the style and conventions being followed, but the spelling of yours does not change.

Common Mistakes With “Yours”

Mistake 1: Writing “your’s”

Incorrect:

Is this phone your’s?

Correct:

Is this phone yours?

The apostrophe should not be added.

Mistake 2: Writing “yours’”

Incorrect:

The responsibility is yours’.

Correct:

The responsibility is yours.

The possessive pronoun already has its correct form.

Mistake 3: Using “your” by itself

Incorrect:

Is this bag your?

Correct:

Is this bag yours?

When there is no noun after the possessive form, yours is normally required.

Mistake 4: Using “yours” before a noun

Incorrect:

I like yours car.

Correct:

I like your car.

Your goes before the noun.

Mistake 5: Confusing “yours” with “you’re”

Incorrect:

The decision is you’re.

Correct:

The decision is yours.

But:

You’re responsible for the decision.

Here, you’re means you are.

A Simple Way to Remember “Your” and “Yours”

Think of your as a word that needs a noun beside it.

your + thing

For example:

your phone
your house
your opinion

Think of yours as the form that can stand alone.

The phone is yours.
The house is yours.
The opinion is yours.

You can remember the basic rule as:

Your needs a noun; yours can stand alone.

There are more grammatical details behind the distinction, but this rule works well for everyday writing.

Why Do People Write “Your’s”?

The mistake usually comes from applying a familiar apostrophe rule to a word that does not follow that pattern.

English learners often learn that apostrophes can indicate possession:

Maria’s book

the cat’s food

the student’s desk

It is therefore natural to assume that your + ’s = your’s.

However, possessive pronouns are different. English has special forms for them, including mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs.

So instead of trying to construct your’s, simply remember that the established form is yours.

Quick Comparison: Possessive Forms

The following examples show how English handles common possessive forms:

This pattern makes it easier to see why your’s is unnecessary. Yours is already the independent possessive form corresponding to your.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is “your’s” ever correct?

In standard modern English, your’s is not the correct spelling of the possessive pronoun. Use yours instead.

Which is correct: “your’s or yours”?

Yours is correct.

This pen is yours. ✅

This pen is your’s. ❌

Does “yours” need an apostrophe?

No. The correct spelling is yours, without an apostrophe.

What is the difference between “your” and “yours”?

Your normally comes before a noun:

your car

Yours can stand alone:

The car is yours.

What is the difference between “yours” and “you’re”?

Yours indicates possession:

This bag is yours.

You’re is short for you are:

You’re carrying a bag.

Is “yours’” correct?

No. Yours’ is not the standard form. Use yours.

Can “yours” refer to more than one thing?

Yes. Yours can refer to one or multiple things depending on the context.

Is this book yours?

Are these books yours?

Is “Yours sincerely” correct?

Yes. Yours sincerely is a standard formal sign-off. The word yours does not contain an apostrophe.

Can I say “yours book”?

No. Use your before a noun:

your book ✅

If the noun is already understood, use yours:

The book is yours. ✅

What is the easiest rule for remembering “your” and “yours”?

Use your before a noun and yours when the noun is understood or omitted.

Your car is outside.

The car is yours.

Conclusion

When choosing between your’s or yours, choose yours.

Yours is the correct possessive pronoun and is written without an apostrophe. Your’s and yours’ are not the standard forms.

The most useful distinction to remember is:

Your + noun: This is your book.
Yours without the noun: This book is yours.

Also keep you’re separate from both words:

Your = belonging to you
Yours = belonging to you, used independently
You’re = you are

Once you understand this pattern, the choice becomes much easier. Whether you are writing an email, an assignment, a message, or a formal letter, yours is the correct spelling when you mean “belonging to you.”

Clara Kensington

I am Charlotte Kensington, an education-focused writer who loves turning complicated ideas into simple and useful information. I write for readers who want to learn something new, improve their study habits, and develop practical skills. At Teachlora, my goal is to provide reliable and reader-friendly educational content that feels useful in real life. My books, A Better Way to Learn and The Curious Learner, explore simple approaches to learning and personal improvement.

Books:

• A Better Way to Learn
• The Curious Learner