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 persons serves better when referring to individuals or to a number of individuals.

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.

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 plural of person that’s most commonly used in everyday communication to simply refer to multiple humans.

People is used to talk about multiple humans or to refer to a group, and persons is used to refer to various individuals with the focus on their individuality. People is the commonly-accepted plural of “person” in general English, while persons is only used in specific, formal contexts.

Persons and people are plural nouns for “person,” although “people” is the correct word for everyday English. For formal or legal writing, use “persons.”