In short, “somebody’s” (with an apostrophe) is almost always the form you want — it’s the possessive or contracted form of “somebody,” while “somebodies” (an attempted plural) is nonstandard, since “somebody” is not normally pluralized in standard English.
Why “Somebody” Resists Pluralization
“Somebody” is an indefinite pronoun referring to an unspecified single person — like “someone” or “anybody,” it functions grammatically as singular and doesn’t take a standard plural form the way countable nouns do.
When to Use “Somebody’s”
Use “somebody’s” to show possession (“that’s somebody’s coat”) or as a contraction of “somebody is” (“somebody’s at the door”) — both are standard, correct uses.
When You Might See “Somebodies”
“Somebodies” occasionally appears informally to mean “people who are somebody” (i.e., people of importance — “they think they’re somebodies”), which is a different, more colloquial usage than trying to pluralize the pronoun.
The Simple Rule
If you’re showing possession or forming a contraction, use “somebody’s.” If you’re trying to talk about multiple unspecified people, use “some people” or “several people” instead of “somebodies.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “somebodies” ever grammatically correct? Only in the informal, idiomatic sense of “people of importance” — not as a literal plural of the pronoun “somebody.”
What should I use instead of “somebodies” for multiple people? Use “some people,” “several people,” or “a few people.”
