Louis’s is a more popular single possessive for Louis. It’s also the form that is stipulated by the Chicago Manual of Styles. E.g.,” Louis’s car is reliable” Furthermore, Louis’ is another singular possessive form for Louis. You should use Louis’ when you are following the AP style. E.g.,””Louis’ favorite vacation spot is on the coast.””
You have seen that the term Louis has two singular possessive forms; Louis’s, which you form by adding an apostrophe and Louis’s which you make by adding an apostrophe and an ‘s’ at the end.
The following chart gives us an overview of each form of Louis and examples for each.
| Form | Example |
| Singular | Louis |
| Plural | Louises |
| Singular possessive | Louis’s/ Lous’ |
| Plural Possessive | Louses’ |
Let’s look at the examples of each of the above forms in context.
Singular: Did you see Louis presenting in the conference?
Plural: I appreciate the Louises for their contributions to the community.
Singular possessive: I’m not sure about Louis’ availability for the webinar.
Singular possessives: Can you update me on Louis’s progress with the project?
Plural Possessive: The Louises’ collaborative efforts are noteworthy.
According to Google Ngram, the singular possessive form Louis’s is more common in modern English. This form is also endorsed by the Chicago Manual of Style. However, if you are following the AP style, you should use Louis’.
That said, the term “Louises” is not so common. But when Louis is the last name and you are referring to multiple members of the family with that name, you should use the Louises.
- The Louises in our office have diverse skill sets.
However, if you are talking about something that belongs to the Louises, that’s where you should use the plural possessive Louises’.
- I’m looking forward to the Louises’ upcoming gallery exhibition.
You have read about the basics of the possessives forms for Louis. However, if you are still doubting when and how to use the possessive forms, please continue reading the article to avoid making a mistake in the future.
Louis’s
Louis’s is the singular possessive form for Louis. It indicates that something belongs to a person named Louis (tangible or intangible).
- Can you schedule a meeting to discuss Louis’s proposed marketing strategy?
- Louis’s cat is well-known in the neighborhood for its playful nature.
It is a more popular possessive form of the two. Use this form when you are following the Chicago Manual of Style.
Be sure to maintain consistency in your writing. That means avoid including both terms in your work.
Sometimes you may notice that the ‘s’ at the end is omitted when the following word starts with ‘s’. That is also acceptable in many writing styles. Here are some examples:
- Louis‘ recent project, due tomorrow, still needed some finishing touches.
- Louis’ sunglasses are missing.
As you can see, it’s clearer and easier to pronounce. Which takes us to the second singular possessive form.
Louis’
The term Louis’ is a singular possessive form for Louis. Use this form if you are following the AP style.
- The team relies on Louis’ expertise in financial analysis.
Louis has become less popular in modern English since the 1980s in both the USA and in the UK.
Although Louis’s is more popular, Louis’ is clearer and easier to pronounce when the next word starts with an ‘s’.
