The Correct Spelling Variant: bosss or boss'

The English language is filled with many peculiarities, one of which is the spelling of possessives. When it comes to the term boss, both boss’s and bosss are considered correct, but which is the most widely accepted and why?

The Widespread Use of bosss

Bosss is much more common than boss and has been for a long time. The gap has widened considerably over the past century. It is the predominant form used by most people in casual and formal writing alike. This popularity is due to its accessibility: it follows the general rule of replacing the last letter of a word ending in s with an apostrophe and s. Thus, boss’s becomes bosss.

Clarifying the Possessive Form

The confusion often arises from the issue of whether it should be boss’s or bosss. It's crucial to understand that boss’s is actually the possessive form of the singular boss. Meanwhile, bosss is a variation in meaning; it is the possessive form of the singular boss.

Bosss means that a particular object, situation, or attribute belongs to a singular boss. For instance, bosss’ house would mean the house that the boss owns. On the other hand, the plural possessive would be bosses’s, indicating a group of bosses collectively owning something.

Understanding Apostrophe Usage

The apostrophe can convey two main ideas: possession and contraction. When used before an s, the apostrophe indicates that a letter has been omitted or that the following word is the possessor. For example, boss’s emphasizes the idea of possession. However, when the word ends in s and you have a plural, the rule changes. For singular nouns ending in s, the possessive is formed by adding ’s. For example, boss’ house. For plural nouns already ending in s, the possessive is formed by simply adding an apostrophe, hence bosses’ houses.

Examples of Apostrophe Usage

Here are a few examples of how to use the apostrophe correctly:

Goose’s - Singular, doesn't end in an s, gets the s after the apostrophe. Geese’s - Plural, doesn’t end in an s, gets the s after the apostrophe. Boss’s - Singular, ends in an s, gets the s after the apostrophe. Bosses’ - Plural, ends in an s, does not get the s after the apostrophe.

So, when you're determining whether to use boss’s or bosss, keep in mind that boss’s emphasizes the individual boss's possession, while bosss helps clarify that it is belonging specifically to a singular boss rather than a larger collective.

Conclusion

Remember, the rule of thumb to remember is that the apostrophe indicates possession or a missing letter. In the case of boss, boss’s is the correct possessive form. When the intended meaning is clear and you follow these rules, both forms can be used appropriately. However, for the sake of clarity and to avoid confusion, it's often better to stick with boss’s.