# Words that are commonly (and incorrectly) pluralized or "apostrophed" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 14, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251 "2021-06-14T16:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/21 "2021-06-14T17:53:30Z")
Nitpick, it’s JCPenn **e** y. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/22 "2021-06-14T17:57:27Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > The department store chain is correctly pronounced/spelled **J.C. Penny** (Actually they appear to have stylized it as **JCPenny** now). It’s not “Penny’s” or “Pennies”. It’s also not “Penny”. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/23 "2021-06-14T17:59:08Z")
California Real ID license states “Driver License” (maybe a license for drivers?) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/24 "2021-06-14T18:13:27Z")
I googled to see what Utah has because mine expired years ago. It looks like **driver** license. Interestingly, I found a story from the local news about progress on testing a secure digital license and the head of the division says “driver’s license.” > [@](#): > > Utah’s Driver License Division is set to start a pilot with Mobile Driver’s Licenses and IDs. > > (snip) > > “ I don’t see it in the near future changing the actual cost of renewing your driver’s license, but if you choose to go with the application there is a small additional fee for that," said Caras. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/25 "2021-06-14T18:26:52Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > So it appears to be an arbitrary choice whether a business owner names his business with a possessive apostrophe – many do, many don’t. > > When the possessive apostrophe in included, it appears to be an elliptical form. Thus, e.g., “McDonald’s” is short for “McDonald’s restaurant”, etc. I know we did this recently in the context of some other linguistic pet peeves marathon thread. I’m not now remembering a magic word I can use to find my post there to find the thread for us to re-enjoy. Anyhow, back in the late 19th & early 20th century, the vast majority of retail stores were Mom & Pop one-offs. Very often named for the owner / founder / proprietor / only employee. “Smith’s Dry Goods” being an achetypical example. Often shortened by customers as in “I’m going to go buy stuff at Smith’s” Which makes sense. Where it falls apart is for stuff named for a corporation, not a person. “I’m going to go buy stuff at 7-11’s” is a nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/26 "2021-06-14T18:31:02Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > It’s also not “Penny”. Sometimes it [is](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(supermarket)). ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/27 "2021-06-14T18:47:59Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > > [@SCAdian](#): > > > > It’s also not “Penny”. > > Sometimes it [is](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(supermarket)). Which of course, has nothing to do with what we’re talking about. Which has in the past used “Penneys”. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/28 "2021-06-14T18:58:07Z")
Something that I often see with an apostrophe is how to correctly reference a decade in writing, as in **1960s** or **1960’s**. I wrote for a newspaper for a time, and was told that it was properly 1960s, without an apostrophe, and that’s how I have written it ever since. Yet from what I gather, either is now acceptable, which makes no sense to me. It’s a plural, not a possessive. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/29 "2021-06-14T21:07:21Z")
One that I particularly like is: a pair of Levi’s. I like it because, while it looks (and feels) wrong, it’s correct. [Levi Strauss & Co. - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss_%26_Co). j ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/30 "2021-06-15T00:03:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You can pry “anyways” from my cold dead hands. 😛 Nobody has the right to prevent you from sounding like an ignorant hick. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/31 "2021-06-15T01:07:31Z")
Here in St. Louis, just to be contrary. when the Schnuck and Dierberg families grew their local grocery stores to become the dominant supermarkets in the area, they became Schnucks and Dierbergs - no apostrophe. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/32 "2021-06-15T01:08:29Z")
Anyhoo, i tend to think that kroger owns a grocery store, hence it kroger’s grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/33 "2021-06-15T01:14:49Z")
Lyme’s disease is actually Lyme disease. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/34 "2021-06-15T01:16:46Z")
I work for Winco and I’m constantly having to have people rewrite checks that they’ve made out to “Winco’s”, as if the company was founded by a guy named Steve Winco or something. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/35 "2021-06-15T01:24:14Z")
I just shake my head when I drive by a house where the name on the mailbox or on the house says The Smith’s or The Clinton’s or The Whatever’s. And in Kansas it’s Driver’s License. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/36 "2021-06-15T01:42:38Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You can pry “anyways” from my cold dead hands. 😛 I have no issue with it, except perhaps in formal correspondence. How I write on a MB or FB has no comparison to how I write a Business Compliance manual, for example. That turns into legalese and boilerplate. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/37 "2021-06-15T01:51:48Z")
the Smith’s house. the house belonging to the Smith family. as opposed to the plural members of that that family the Smiths. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/38 "2021-06-15T01:51:53Z")
Not far from us is “Two Cousin’s Beauty Supply.” I have to stare as I drive past, as at a bad accident. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/39 "2021-06-15T01:56:52Z")
ok i seem to be a minority on this. If two cousins own a beauty supply store why isn’t it Two Cousin’s Beauty Supply. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/40 "2021-06-15T01:59:56Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > the Smith’s house Doubtful if The Smith’s on the mailbox refers to the Smith’s mailbox, however. Also, Home of the Smith’s is not uncommon, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251.md?page=3)