Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

-'s

/ɪz/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.86 in modern English

Syllables: -'s
IPA: /ɪz/

1

Scrabble Score

1

Letters

2

Syllables

1

Unique Chars

Meaning

suffix

A possessive marker, indicating that an object belongs to the noun or noun phrase bearing the marker.

suffix

In the absence of a specified object, used to indicate “the house/place/establishment of”.

suffix

Indicates a purpose or a user.

suffix

Used to indicate a quantity of something, especially of time.

suffix

Used to indicate various other kinds of relationship, such as source or origin, object of an action, subject depicted, etc.

suffix

Attached to a noun or noun phrase linked to a genitive of, forming a double genitive (Compare of mine, etc.)

suffix

Used to form the plurals of numerals, letters, some abbreviations and some nouns, usually because the omission of an apostrophe would make the meaning unclear or ambiguous.

suffix

Used to form plurals of foreign words, to clarify pronunciation, such as “banana’s” or “pasta’s”.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Jane's house is bigger than Sarah's."
"The cat bit the dog's tail. (the dog + 's)"
"The cat bit the dog with the shaggy fur's tail. (the dog with the shaggy fur + 's)"
"women's contributions to science"
"Before kick-off, a section of Chelsea's support sadly let themselves and their club down by noisily interrupting the silence held in memory of the Hillsborough disaster and for Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini, who collapsed and died after suffering a heart attack during a Serie B game on Saturday."
"We'll arrive at Jose and María's in time for dinner."

Etymology

From Middle English -s, -es, from Old English -es (“-'s”, masculine and neuter genitive singular ending), from Proto-Germanic *-as, *-is (masculine and neuter genitive singular ending). The apostrophe was added under the false belief that it was a contraction of English his, and retained to distinguish it from the plural. Cognate with Dutch -s, -es (“-'s”), German -s, -es (“-'s”), Danish -s, -es (“-'s”), Swedish -s (“-'s”), Norwegian -s (“-'s”), Icelandic -s (“-'s”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: -s, -es, *-as

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɪz/
British English: /ɪz/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

-’s (alternative) -s (alternative, nonstandard) -s- (alternative)

Phrases

greengrocer’s apostrophe

Frequently Paired Words

its it’s let’s greengrocer’s apostrophe -'d

Synonyms

of

Homonyms

-s 's

Questions

How do you pronounce -'s?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪz/.
What does -'s mean?: A possessive marker, indicating that an object belongs to the noun or noun phrase bearing the marker.
Where does -'s come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce -'s

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “-'s”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “-'s”.
Repeat and practice — Say “-'s” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.