Today’s or Todays: The Grammar Rule Every Writer Should Know

Have you ever stopped while writing and wondered whether today’s or todays is correct? It is a common question because one version has an apostrophe, while the other does not.

Many people type todays by mistake or think both spellings are acceptable. The truth is much simpler than it seems.

In standard English, today’s is the correct form when you want to show that something belongs to or relates to today. Todays without an apostrophe is almost always incorrect.

This guide explains the meaning, grammar, history, examples, and common mistakes behind these words. By the end, you will know exactly when to use today’s and avoid this common writing error.


Today’s or Todays – Quick Answer

If you need a quick answer, here it is:

  • Today’s ✅ is the correct spelling in standard English.
  • Todays ❌ is incorrect in almost every situation because it is missing the apostrophe.

The apostrophe in today’s shows possession. It means belonging to today or related to today.

Examples:

  • Today’s meeting starts at 10 a.m.
  • Today’s weather is sunny.
  • Today’s lesson is about punctuation.

Writing todays meeting or todays weather is considered a grammar mistake because the possessive apostrophe has been omitted.

Correct Example

  • Today’s news is full of exciting updates.
  • Today’s schedule has changed.
  • I enjoyed today’s class.
  • Today’s activity will begin after lunch.
  • Today’s date is July 2.

Incorrect Example

  • Todays news is full of exciting updates.
  • Todays schedule has changed.
  • I enjoyed todays class.
  • Todays activity will begin after lunch.
  • Todays date is July 2.

What Does Today’s or Todays Mean?

Many people search for today’s or todays meaning because they are unsure whether both words exist. In reality, only one of them has a proper grammatical meaning.

Common Meanings

Today’s means:

  • Belonging to today
  • Happening today
  • Connected with the current day

Examples include:

  • today’s meeting
  • today’s lesson
  • today’s weather
  • today’s news
  • today’s menu
  • today’s schedule
  • today’s special
  • today’s assignment

The word todays has no accepted meaning in standard English because it leaves out the apostrophe that forms the possessive.

Simple Usage Examples

Here are simple examples showing the correct way to use today’s.

SentenceCorrect
Today’s meeting starts at 9:00.
Today’s weather looks perfect.
Today’s homework is easy.
Today’s activity is fun.
Today’s class begins early.

Now compare them with incorrect versions.

SentenceCorrect
Todays meeting starts at 9:00.
Todays weather looks perfect.
Todays homework is easy.
Todays activity is fun.
Todays class begins early.

A simple trick is to ask yourself:

Does this mean “of today” or “belonging to today”?

If the answer is yes, use today’s.

Examples:

  • today’s report
  • today’s lunch
  • today’s game
  • today’s event
  • today’s interview

The Origin of Today’s or Todays

Understanding the history of the word makes the grammar rule much easier to remember.

Word History

The word today comes from Old English. It originally combined words meaning “on this day.” Over time, English speakers began using apostrophes to show possession.

Just like these examples:

  • yesterday’s weather
  • tomorrow’s meeting
  • Monday’s report
  • Friday’s event

the word today follows the same grammar rule.

That is why today’s became the accepted possessive form.

Modern dictionaries, newspapers, schools, and style guides all use today’s when referring to something connected to the current day.

Why the Confusion Happens

Several reasons explain why people search for today’s or todays grammar.

Typing habits

Many people type quickly on phones or computers. Apostrophes are often skipped by accident.

Autocorrect issues

Some devices fail to insert apostrophes automatically, especially in informal messages.

Lack of grammar knowledge

Some writers believe adding an apostrophe is optional. In fact, it changes the grammar of the sentence.

Social media writing

Short posts and text messages often ignore punctuation, causing incorrect spellings like todays to spread online.

Although you may see todays on social media, it is still considered incorrect in professional writing, academic work, emails, news articles, and business communication.

Remember this simple rule:

If something belongs to today or happens today, write today’s, not todays.

This easy habit will help you avoid one of the most common punctuation mistakes in English.


British English vs American English

Many people wonder whether today’s or todays changes between British English and American English. The answer is simple: it does not.

Both English varieties follow the same grammar rule. The possessive form today’s is correct, while todays without an apostrophe is considered incorrect.

Whether you are writing for readers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or India, the spelling rule remains the same.

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Words like today’s meeting, today’s news, and today’s date all require the apostrophe because they describe something that belongs to or relates to today.

Comparison Table

FeatureAmerican EnglishBritish English
Correct spellingToday’sToday’s
Incorrect spellingTodaysTodays
Uses apostropheYesYes
Formal writingToday’sToday’s
Business writingToday’sToday’s
Academic writingToday’sToday’s
NewspapersToday’sToday’s
Everyday communicationToday’sToday’s

Key takeaway: There is no British or American spelling difference. Both follow the same punctuation rule.


Today’s or Todays vs Other Variations

People searching for today’s or todays often confuse these words with similar expressions. Understanding the differences will help you write with confidence.

Spelling Comparison Table

SpellingCorrect?UsageRegion
Today’s✅ YesSomething belonging to or related to todayWorldwide
Todays❌ NoMissing the possessive apostropheNone
Today✅ YesRefers to the current dayWorldwide
Today’s✅ YesPossessive adjective before a nounWorldwide

Here are the differences in simple language.

Today

Use today when you are simply talking about the current day.

Examples:

  • Today is Friday.
  • I feel happy today.
  • We will travel today.
  • The weather is warm today.

Today’s

Use today’s before a noun when something belongs to or happens on the current day.

Examples:

  • Today’s meeting starts at noon.
  • Today’s weather is cloudy.
  • Today’s activity is painting.
  • Today’s class has been canceled.
  • Today’s date is July 2.

Todays

This spelling is almost always incorrect because English grammar requires the apostrophe in the possessive form.


Which Spelling Should You Use?

The correct choice depends on what you want to say, but todays is never the right option in standard English.

US Audience

American English always uses today’s before nouns.

Examples:

  • Today’s weather looks great.
  • Today’s game begins at seven.
  • Today’s schedule has changed.

Writing todays weather or todays game is considered a punctuation mistake.


UK Audience

British English follows exactly the same rule.

Examples:

  • Today’s lesson is interesting.
  • Today’s newspaper has exciting stories.
  • Today’s train is delayed.

There is no accepted British spelling without the apostrophe.


International Writing

English learners around the world should also use today’s.

Whether your readers are in:

  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • India

the spelling remains identical.

International style guides, dictionaries, schools, and publishers all recommend today’s.


Academic Writing

In essays, research papers, assignments, and examinations, always write today’s when referring to something connected with the current day.

Correct examples include:

  • Today’s research focuses on climate change.
  • Today’s lecture explains grammar.
  • Today’s experiment was successful.

Incorrect academic writing:

  • Todays research
  • Todays lecture
  • Todays experiment

Even a small punctuation mistake can lower writing quality.


Social Media Usage

Social media is full of spelling shortcuts.

People sometimes write:

  • todays mood
  • todays vibe
  • todays workout
  • todays goal

Although these phrases are common online, they are still grammatically incorrect.

The proper forms are:

  • Today’s mood
  • Today’s vibe
  • Today’s workout
  • Today’s goal

Using correct punctuation makes posts look more professional and easier to read.


Common Mistakes with Today’s or Todays

Small punctuation errors can completely change how professional your writing looks. The missing apostrophe in todays is one of the most common grammar mistakes made by students, writers, and even native English speakers.

Fortunately, it is also one of the easiest mistakes to fix.

Frequent Errors

Below are mistakes people make every day.

❌ Todays meeting starts at ten.

✅ Today’s meeting starts at ten.

❌ Todays class is canceled.

✅ Today’s class is canceled.

❌ Todays weather is beautiful.

✅ Today’s weather is beautiful.

❌ Todays activity was exciting.

✅ Today’s activity was exciting.

❌ Todays special is chicken soup.

✅ Today’s special is chicken soup.

❌ Todays homework is easy.

✅ Today’s homework is easy.

❌ Todays report is complete.

✅ Today’s report is complete.

❌ Todays menu includes pasta.

✅ Today’s menu includes pasta.


Corrected Examples

Let’s compare correct and incorrect sentences side by side.

Incorrect SentenceCorrect Sentence
Todays meeting begins soon.Today’s meeting begins soon.
Todays weather is hot.Today’s weather is hot.
Todays assignment is difficult.Today’s assignment is difficult.
Todays lesson covers punctuation.Today’s lesson covers punctuation.
Todays schedule changed.Today’s schedule changed.
Todays game starts tonight.Today’s game starts tonight.
Todays news is surprising.Today’s news is surprising.
Todays date is July 2.Today’s date is July 2.
Todays interview lasted one hour.Today’s interview lasted one hour.
Todays presentation went well.Today’s presentation went well.

A Simple Memory Trick

If you can replace the phrase with “of today,” you almost always need today’s.

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Examples:

  • Today’s weather → Weather of today ✅
  • Today’s meeting → Meeting of today ✅
  • Today’s lesson → Lesson of today ✅
  • Today’s activity → Activity of today ✅

If that replacement sounds natural, the apostrophe belongs there.

Proofreading Tip

Before submitting an email, report, assignment, or social media post, quickly scan for words ending in s.

Ask yourself:

  • Is this showing possession?
  • Does it describe something related to today?

If yes, use today’s.

This one-second check can prevent a very common grammar mistake and make your writing look polished and professional.


Today’s or Todays in Everyday Examples

Knowing the grammar rule is helpful, but seeing today’s in real-life situations makes it even easier to remember.

You will find this word in emails, social media posts, news articles, classrooms, offices, and business reports every day.

The key rule never changes:

  • Today’s ✅ Correct
  • Todays ❌ Incorrect

Below are practical examples you can use in everyday writing.

Emails

Professional emails should always use today’s when referring to something happening on the current day.

Correct examples

  • Today’s meeting has been moved to 3:00 p.m.
  • Please review today’s report before noon.
  • Today’s agenda is attached.
  • Today’s training session starts at 9:30.
  • Today’s deadline cannot be extended.
  • Thank you for attending today’s workshop.
  • Today’s presentation was excellent.
  • Please complete today’s task before leaving.

Incorrect examples

  • Todays meeting has been moved.
  • Todays report is attached.
  • Todays agenda is ready.

Business emails look much more professional when punctuation is correct.


Social Media

Social media users often leave out apostrophes because they type quickly. While this is common, it is still considered incorrect English.

Correct captions

  • Today’s workout was amazing.
  • Today’s mood: Stay positive.
  • Today’s coffee tastes perfect.
  • Today’s adventure begins now.
  • Today’s goal is to finish my project.
  • Today’s sunset is beautiful.
  • Today’s memories will last forever.
  • Today’s win feels incredible.

Incorrect captions

  • Todays workout
  • Todays mood
  • Todays goal
  • Todays adventure

Adding one apostrophe instantly improves the quality of your writing.


News Writing

Journalists use today’s every day because news stories describe current events.

Examples include:

  • Today’s headlines focus on the economy.
  • Today’s weather forecast predicts rain.
  • Today’s sports update includes exciting results.
  • Today’s top story is about education.
  • Today’s market report shows steady growth.
  • Today’s interview will air tonight.
  • Today’s breaking news shocked many people.
  • Today’s newspaper features a special report.

Professional news organizations never publish todays headlines because it is grammatically incorrect.


School Writing

Students often write about classroom activities, homework, and lessons. Using today’s correctly can improve grades and writing accuracy.

Examples:

  • Today’s lesson was interesting.
  • Today’s homework is easy.
  • Today’s science experiment was successful.
  • Today’s activity helped us learn teamwork.
  • Today’s class ended early.
  • Today’s quiz covered grammar rules.
  • Today’s reading assignment was enjoyable.
  • Today’s project requires creativity.

Incorrect school writing:

  • Todays lesson
  • Todays homework
  • Todays activity
  • Todays class

Teachers usually mark these as punctuation errors.


Business Writing

Clear communication is essential in business. A missing apostrophe can make reports and documents appear careless.

Examples:

  • Today’s sales exceeded expectations.
  • Today’s financial report looks positive.
  • Today’s customer feedback was helpful.
  • Today’s schedule has changed.
  • Today’s conference starts at ten.
  • Today’s performance exceeded our goals.
  • Today’s budget meeting lasted two hours.
  • Today’s production numbers increased.

Business documents should always follow standard English grammar.


Google Trends & Usage Data

People search today’s or todays because they want to know which spelling is correct. Search interest increases during school terms, exam seasons, and throughout the workweek when people write emails, reports, and assignments.

The keyword is popular because it solves a simple but common grammar problem.

Most users are looking for:

  • the correct spelling
  • apostrophe rules
  • grammar explanations
  • sentence examples
  • writing tips
  • proofreading help

These searches show that many English learners and native speakers still confuse the possessive form of today.

Popular Countries

The keyword receives searches from many English-speaking countries.

CountryWhy People Search
United StatesSchool, business writing, and grammar learning
United KingdomPunctuation and possessive grammar questions
CanadaEveryday writing and education
AustraliaEnglish grammar and proofreading
IndiaCompetitive exams, schoolwork, and professional communication

Although search volume differs by country, the correct answer remains the same everywhere.

Today’s is correct.

Todays is incorrect.


Why People Search This Keyword

There are several reasons why this grammar question appears so often in search engines.

Missing apostrophes

People accidentally type todays while using phones or keyboards.

Grammar confusion

Many writers know apostrophes are important but are unsure when to use them.

School assignments

Students often search before submitting homework or essays.

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Professional writing

Employees want error-free emails, presentations, and reports.

English learners

People learning English want clear grammar explanations with examples.

Search engine verification

Even experienced writers sometimes search to double-check their spelling before publishing content.

Because punctuation mistakes are easy to miss, grammar questions like today’s or todays continue to attract thousands of searches.


Related Grammar Rules

Once you understand today’s, many other grammar rules become easier to learn. English uses apostrophes in the same way with many words that refer to time.

Similar Spelling Mistakes

These mistakes follow exactly the same grammar pattern.

CorrectIncorrect
Yesterday’sYesterdays
Tomorrow’sTomorrows
Monday’sMondays (when possession is intended)
Tuesday’sTuesdays (when possession is intended)
Friday’sFridays (when possession is intended)
Week’sWeeks (when possession is intended)
Month’sMonths (when possession is intended)
Year’sYears (when possession is intended)

Examples:

  • Yesterday’s game was exciting.
  • Tomorrow’s meeting starts early.
  • Monday’s report is complete.
  • Friday’s event was successful.
  • This week’s schedule is full.
  • Last month’s sales increased.
  • Next year’s budget is ready.

The apostrophe always shows possession or association.


Helpful Grammar Tips

Use these simple tips whenever you write.

Tip 1: Look for the noun

If today comes before a noun, you probably need today’s.

Examples:

  • Today’s meeting
  • Today’s class
  • Today’s weather
  • Today’s activity
  • Today’s report

Tip 2: Think “of today”

If you can replace the phrase with of today, use today’s.

Examples:

  • Today’s news = News of today.
  • Today’s homework = Homework of today.
  • Today’s menu = Menu of today.

Tip 3: Never remove the apostrophe

Many grammar mistakes happen because writers think punctuation is optional.

It is not.

Removing the apostrophe changes the spelling from correct to incorrect.


Tip 4: Proofread before publishing

Whether you are writing:

  • an email
  • a school assignment
  • a business report
  • a blog post
  • a social media caption

always spend a few seconds checking for missing apostrophes.

This small habit improves clarity and makes your writing appear more polished.


Tip 5: Practice with common phrases

The fastest way to remember the rule is to practice frequently used expressions.

Examples include:

  • Today’s meeting
  • Today’s weather
  • Today’s news
  • Today’s date
  • Today’s activity
  • Today’s class
  • Today’s lesson
  • Today’s homework
  • Today’s report
  • Today’s schedule
  • Today’s interview
  • Today’s menu
  • Today’s special
  • Today’s presentation
  • Today’s event

After using these phrases regularly, the correct spelling becomes automatic.


FAQs

1. Is today’s or todays correct?

Today’s is correct because it is the possessive form of today. It means something belongs to or is related to the current day. Todays without an apostrophe is incorrect in standard English.

2. Why does today’s have an apostrophe?

The apostrophe shows possession. In today’s meeting, the meeting belongs to or happens on today.

3. Is todays ever correct?

No. In modern standard English, todays without an apostrophe is considered a spelling and punctuation mistake.

4. What does today’s mean?

Today’s means of today, belonging to today, or happening today.

5. What is the difference between today’s and todays?

Today’s is the correct possessive form. Todays is an incorrect spelling because it omits the required apostrophe.

6. How do you use today’s in a sentence?

Example:

  • Today’s weather is sunny.
  • Today’s class starts at 8 a.m.
  • Today’s report has been completed.

7. Is today’s meeting grammatically correct?

Yes. Today’s meeting is the correct phrase because the meeting is associated with the current day.

8. Should I write today’s date or today date?

Today’s date is correct because the date belongs to today.

9. Is today’s class correct?

Yes. Today’s class is the correct expression when referring to the class scheduled for the current day.

10. Is today’s activity correct?

Yes. Today’s activity is grammatically correct because the activity relates to today.

11. Is today’s homework correct?

Yes. You should write today’s homework, not todays homework.

12. Is today’s lesson correct?

Yes. Today’s lesson follows the standard possessive grammar rule.

13. Is today’s weather correct?

Yes. Today’s weather is the proper way to describe the weather for the current day.

14. Is today’s news correct?

Yes. Newspapers and news websites commonly use today’s news and today’s headlines.

15. Can today’s be used in formal writing?

Yes. Today’s is appropriate in academic papers, business reports, professional emails, and formal documents.

16. Is today’s acceptable in business emails?

Absolutely. It is the correct spelling for phrases like today’s meeting, today’s report, and today’s agenda.

17. Is today’s used in British English?

Yes. Both British English and American English use today’s with an apostrophe.

18. Is today’s used in American English?

Yes. American English follows the same grammar rule as British English.

19. Why do people write todays?

Many people accidentally omit the apostrophe while typing quickly on phones or keyboards. Others are simply unaware of the grammar rule.

20. Is today’s a possessive word?

Yes. Today’s is the possessive form of today.

21. How can I remember the correct spelling?

Think of the phrase “of today.” If that meaning fits, use today’s.

22. Does autocorrect always fix todays?

No. Some devices fail to correct punctuation mistakes, so proofreading is still important.

23. Is today’s required in academic writing?

Yes. Schools, colleges, and universities expect the correct possessive form in assignments and exams.

24. Can I omit the apostrophe in informal writing?

Even in casual writing, using today’s is recommended because it follows correct English grammar.

25. What is the easiest rule to remember?

If something belongs to or happens on the current day, always write today’s with an apostrophe.


Conclusion

Choosing between today’s or todays is simple once you know the grammar rule. Today’s is the correct spelling because it is the possessive form of today, meaning something belongs to or relates to the current day.

Whether you write today’s meeting, today’s class, today’s activity, today’s date, or today’s weather, the apostrophe is always required.

On the other hand, todays without an apostrophe is a common spelling mistake and should be avoided in academic, professional, and everyday writing.

If you remember one rule, make it this: if you can replace the phrase with “of today,” use today’s. Following this simple tip will help you write more accurately and confidently every time.


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