Apostrophe after Z

Forming the Possessive of a Noun Ending Z

Use 's to show the possessive form of a singular noun ending z. For example:

• Gomez' attitude
• Gomez's attitude

If you're talking about the "Gomezes," show the possessive form by adding just '. For example:

• The Gomezes' house

Surnames Ending "-ez"

When writing the possessive from a surname ending ez, add 's. For example:

• Gomez's ball
• Hernandez's dog
• Lopez's way
• Perez's garden

(NB: With Hispanic surname, the suffix -ez means "descendant of.")

More Examples with an Apostrophe after Z

Here are some more examples of nouns ending z in the possessive case:

• These are Dr. Sanchez's patients.
• The questions are full of unpronounceable words because the quiz's real purpose is to embarrass the host.

Why Is There Confusion over Z's and Z'?

Confusion arises because the possessive form of singular nouns that end s (e.g., Moses, series, Wales) can be shown by adding 's or just '.

The general rule for those nouns is write their possessive forms how you would pronounce them. For example:

• Jones' report is terrible.
(This is for those people who pronounce it Jones.)
• Jones's report is terrible.
(This is for those people who pronounce it Jonesiz.)

With the possessive form of a noun that ends in z, there is no choice. It will have the ziz sound at the end. Therefore, the -z's ending is needed to tell readers how to pronounce it. Read more about the possessive forms of singular nouns ending s.

The Possessive Form of a Plural Noun Ending Z

The plural of a noun ending z is formed by adding es. Sometimes, the z is doubled before the es is added. This is standard. For example:

• quiz becomes quizzes
• topaz becomes topazes
• Mr. Lopez is the father of the Lopezes

The possessive form of such plurals is formed by adding just an apostrophe to the end. This too is standard. For example:

• The quizzes' origins are well documented.
(This relates to "the origins of several quizzes" (i.e., quizzes is plural).)
• The Lopezes' dog has been found.
(This relates to "the dog of the Lopez family" (i.e., Lopezes is plural).)

The History of the Possessive Apostrophe

The main function of the apostrophe is to replace a missing letter (e.g., aren't, don't). You might not have realized it, but this is related to the possessive apostrophe. (e.g., Sarah's house, the robbers' haul)

In old English, possession was shown by adding "es" to the noun regardless of whether it was singular or plural. For example:

• doges dinner
• dogses dinner
• childrenes dinner
• Sanchezes dinner

Over time, the e was replaced by an apostrophe, and, if that left an ending of -s's, then the second s was removed.

If you use this process today, you will be right every time. There are no exceptions. Read more about using apostrophes.

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