Personal is an adjective, describing things that affect or relate to a person, as in “personal goals” or “personal financial gain.” Personnel is a noun that refers to a collection of people, as in “the company is asking all of its personnel to review the new social media guidelines.”

“Personal” pertains to an individual’s private life, while “Personnel” refers to a group of employees working in an organization. “Personal” is used to describe the emotions or characteristics of a person, while “Personnel” is used in the context of staffing and workforce management.

"Personal" and "personnel" are easy to confuse because they both relate to people and sound similar. "Personal" means "private" or "individual." She sent you a personal message. "Personnel" means "staff" or "workforce." How many personnel are on the boat?