Many usage guides over the years have suggested that there is a clear distinction between these two words; people is used when referring to a collective group or indeterminate number, and …

The word people is the most common and de facto plural form, but persons is also grammatically correct, just used less frequently and in more specific contexts. I’ll go a little deeper for you. …

Most of the time, people is the correct word to choose as a plural for person. Persons is archaic, and it is safe to avoid using it, except in legal writing, which has its own traditional language. …

Persons (plural) is a very formal word. We only use it in rather legalistic contexts: [notice in a lift] Any person or persons found in possession of illegal substances will be prosecuted. To refer to …

Oct 11, 2021 · Both persons and people can be used as plural forms of person. Persons is often used in formal, legal contexts to emphasize individuals as opposed to a group. People is the …

Most people don’t use persons, but the sticklers say there are times when we should. “When we say persons,” says Wilson Follett’s Modern American Usage, “we are thinking, or ought to be, …

Jun 6, 2022 · Is persons a word? Shouldn’t it be people? The terms people and persons are both plural forms of the word person, but they’re not used in the same situations. People is …

Mar 26, 2022 · Yes, it is correct to say “persons” if you use it in the right context. “Persons” is one of the plural forms of “person,” but we only use it when writing legal documents, in law …

Jun 17, 2025 · If you’re here, you may be asking yourself, “is persons grammatically correct?” The answer is that technically speaking, it’s not wrong. But people has become the more common …

Both "3 people" and "3 persons" are grammatically correct, but "3 people" is more common in informal settings, while "3 persons" might be preferred in formal contexts. The context …