Dennis’ or Dennis’s?

Dennis’s is a singular possessive for the name “Dennis”. This style is recommended by the Chicago manual of style. Dennis’ is also another correct singular possessive form. This style is endorsed by the AP stylebook.

In a nutshell both Dennis’ and Dennis’s are correct singular forms for the name Dennis. However, when you choose to follow one style, remember to maintain consistency in the document you are editing.

Let’s take a look at the chart below that shows the different forms of Dennis.

Form	Example
Singular	Dennis
Plural	Dennises (less common)
Singular possessive	Dennis’ or dennis’s
Plural possessive	Dennises’

Singular possessive: I borrowed Dennis’s laptop for the presentation.

Singular possessive option: We’re going to Dennis’ house for dinner.

Plural possessive: I’m attending the Dennises’ anniversary party.

You can see how the singular and plural possessives are formed. 

Dennises is the correct plural for Dennis. It is simply formed by adding  ‘es’ at the end. 

You use Dennises when you are talking about more than one individual named Dennis.

Example, 

“As a thank you to the Dennises, the community center was named after them. They gave a lot of time and effort to make it better.”

Now making a mistake when using possessive forms of dennis is something that you don’t want to do.

 So I have explained further and given more examples on how to use every form in each context. Continue reading for more.

Dennis’ 

Dennis’ is the correct singular possessive form for “Dennis. You  use it when you are talking about something that belongs to one person named Dennis.  

This style is recommended by the AP stylebook. It’s less commonly used but used more when the  next word starts with an ‘s’.

You can use this form when you choose too, but ensure that you don’t mix up the two possessive forms in one piece of document. Here are some of the examples:

“Dennis’s special sauce recipe is the best.”

“Dennis’s guitar music filled the night.”

“People liked Dennis’s old music records.”

“Dennis’s magic trick was the coolest at the party.”

Dennis’s

This is the most common singular possessive form for Dennis. You will use this form when you are referring to something that belongs to an individual named Dennis. 

This form is recommended by the chicago manual of style and it is formed by adding and apostrophe and an ‘s’ at the end of  “Dennis.

Here are a few examples sentence using this form:

“Dennis’s dog is always excited to go for a walk.”

“I appreciate Dennis’s help with my homework.”

“The success of the project is due to Dennis’s leadership.”

“Dennis’s favorite book is on the top shelf of the bookcase.”

Dennises’

Dennises’ is the plural possessive for Dennis. It is typically used when you are talking about something that belongs to a group individuals named “Dennis”

“Dennises’ is formed by adding es’ at the end of  Dennis. Here are a few examples of sentences using  it

“The Dennises’ bikes are parked in the garage.”

“At the picnic, the Dennises’ sandwiches were a hit.”

“The Dennises’ backyard has a cozy fire pit.”

“During the holidays, the Dennises’ decorations lit up the street.”