Practice
Lots or lot's: which is correct?
The neighborhood has two empty lots. One lot's fence needs repair. The apostrophe changes the meaning, so it helps to ask whether you mean more than one lot or something connected to one lot.
Choose lots for more than one lot or for a large amount, and use lot's only when one lot owns something or is a short form of lot is or lot has.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
lots and lot's /lɑts/ and /lɑts/
The short answer
Use lots for a plural noun and in lots of. Use lot's when one lot owns something, or when it means lot is or lot has. Check whether the sentence needs a plural word or an ownership and verb relationship.
The lot's entrance is on Oak Street.
Why it works: The entrance belongs to one lot, so the possessive form lot's is correct.
5 more examples
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The city plans to sell two vacant lots this year.
Lots is plural because the sentence names two separate pieces of land.
Not this:The vacant
lot's ownerlives nearby. What changes: Lot's is possessive here. One lot has an owner. -
There are lots of chairs in the meeting room.
Lots of means a large number of chairs. It is an informal quantity phrase.
Not this:The meeting room
lot's entranceis behind the building. What changes: The entrance belongs to one parking lot, so the apostrophe is needed. -
Several lots are available for new homes.
Several tells us that lot must be plural, so use lots without an apostrophe.
Not this:The corner
lot's sizelimits the design. What changes: The size belongs to the one corner lot. -
We have lots of time before the train leaves.
Lots of means a large amount of time. It does not show ownership.
Not this:The
lot's gatecloses at six. What changes: The gate is a feature of one lot, so lot's is possessive. -
The map shows four lots beside the river.
Four requires a plural noun, so lots is the regular spelling.
Not this:This
lot's already sold. What changes: Lot's means lot is in this sentence. The word after it helps show the contraction.
Read the full guide
Start by finding the noun lot in the sentence. If there is more than one, write lots. If one lot has a gate, address, owner, or other feature, write lot's before that thing. The same apostrophe can also shorten lot is or lot has, although those uses are less common.
Use lots for a regular plural
Write lots when you mean more than one lot. Numbers and words such as several, many, and these are useful clues because they normally need a plural noun.
The builder inspected five lots before choosing one.
Five describes more than one piece of land, so lots has no apostrophe.
Complete the sentence: The plan includes three parking ___.
Use lots: The plan includes three parking lots.
Use lots of for a large amount
Lots of is an informal phrase for many or much. The s belongs to the plural word lots, not to an apostrophe. It works with countable and uncountable nouns.
She has lots of questions after the presentation.
Lots of questions means many questions. Nothing belongs to a lot in this sentence.
Choose the form for a large amount: We still have ___ work to do.
Use lots of: We still have lots of work to do.
Use lot's for one lot's possession
Use lot's when a noun belongs to one lot. The apostrophe plus s has the same job as in the house's door or the company's address. Look for the noun that follows the possessive form.
The lot's boundary follows the old stone wall.
Boundary is a thing connected to one lot, so lot's shows possession.
Choose the possessive form: The empty ___ fence fell during the storm.
Use lot's: The empty lot's fence fell during the storm.
Notice the contraction meaning
Lot's can also mean lot is or lot has. This meaning is uncommon because lot is not often used alone, but the grammar is the same as the contraction in the shop's closed. Expand the phrase in your mind to test it.
That lot's been empty since May.
Lot's means lot has here: That lot has been empty since May.
Expand the contraction: This lot's ready for construction.
This lot is ready for construction.
Check the meaning before editing
Do not choose by sound. Lots and lot's are pronounced alike, so listen for the meaning. Ask whether the sentence has a plural, a large amount, possession by one lot, or a contraction. That question gives you the spelling.
The agent showed us two lots, but one lot's price was too high.
Two lots is plural. One lot's price is possessive because the price belongs to one lot.
Which form belongs before price when the price belongs to one lot?
Use lot's before price.
Before you go
Remember this
Use lots for more than one lot and in the phrase lots of. Use lot's when one lot owns something or when it shortens lot is or lot has. A number or of points toward lots. A following owned thing often points toward lot's.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Lots or lot's: which is correct?"
Why is lots correct after a number?
A number greater than one normally needs a plural noun. When lot means a piece of land or a parking area, its regular plural is lots. An apostrophe does not make a word plural, so write two lots, four lots, or several lots.
The city plans to sell two vacant lots this year.
Does lots of always mean many?
Lots of means a large number with countable nouns and a large amount with uncountable nouns. It is common in conversation and informal writing. In a more formal sentence, many, much, or a more exact quantity may be a better choice.
The vacant lot's owner lives nearby.
How can I test whether I need lot's?
Look at the words after lot's. If a noun names something connected to one lot, the form is possessive: the lot's gate. If the next word allows lot's to expand to lot is or lot has, it is a contraction. Otherwise, check whether you mean the plural lots.
There are lots of chairs in the meeting room.
Can lot's mean lot has?
Yes. In a sentence such as That lot's been empty for years, lot's means lot has. The following past participle been makes that meaning clear. This use is grammatically possible, although plural lots and lots of are more common in everyday writing.
The meeting room lot's entrance is behind the building.
What is the plural possessive form of lot?
When something belongs to more than one lot, the plural possessive is lots' with the apostrophe after the s. For example, the lots' shared entrance belongs to several lots. Use this form only when the sentence truly needs both a plural and possession.
Several lots are available for new homes.