Saturdays vs. Saturday’s – Which is Correct?

“Saturdays” and “Saturday’s” are both correct, but they serve different grammatical purposes. “Saturdays” is the plural of Saturday, meaning more than one Saturday. “Saturday’s” is the possessive form, meaning something belongs to Saturday, or a contraction of “Saturday is” or “Saturday has.” Choose according to meaning, sentence structure, punctuation, and context carefully.

Saturdays or Saturday’s – Which is Correct?

“Saturdays” and “Saturday’s” are both correct forms, but they cannot usually be substituted for one another. Use “Saturdays” when you mean two or more Saturdays. Use “Saturday’s” when showing possession or when shortening “Saturday is” or “Saturday has.”

The apostrophe is the key difference. In “We visit the market on Saturdays,” the word refers to repeated Saturdays. In “Saturday’s forecast looks sunny,” the apostrophe shows that the forecast is associated with Saturday. In “Saturday’s been busy,” the apostrophe forms a contraction of “Saturday has.”

The Best Trick to Remember the Difference

Use the “more than one” test for Saturdays. If you could replace the word with “multiple Saturdays,” do not use an apostrophe.

Use the “belongs to” or “is/has” test for Saturday’s. If something belongs to Saturday, or if you can expand the word to “Saturday is” or “Saturday has,” the apostrophe is correct.

Word	Part of Speech	Meaning	Example
Saturdays	Plural noun	More than one Saturday	The shop is busiest on Saturdays.
Saturday’s	Possessive noun or contraction	Belonging to Saturday; “Saturday is”; or “Saturday has”	Saturday’s game was postponed.

How to Use Saturdays

“Saturdays” is the regular plural form of Saturday. Use it to refer to multiple Saturdays, recurring Saturday activities, or Saturdays in general. It commonly appears after prepositions such as on and in expressions describing habits or schedules.

The word is suitable in both casual and formal writing. It often suggests a repeated activity rather than one specific date. For example, “The library closes early on Saturdays” describes a regular weekly policy.

Example 1: We usually go hiking on Saturdays.

Example 2: The farmers’ market attracts large crowds on Saturdays.

Example 3: She works Saturdays during the summer.

Etymology of the word Saturdays

Saturday comes from Old English Sæternesdæg, meaning “Saturn’s day.” The name refers to the Roman god Saturn and is related to the Latin expression dies Saturni. The plural is formed regularly by adding -s, producing Saturdays.

How to Use Saturday’s

“Saturday’s” has two main uses. First, it is the singular possessive form of Saturday, indicating that something belongs to, occurs on, or is associated with Saturday. For example, “Saturday’s concert” means the concert scheduled for or connected with Saturday.

Second, “Saturday’s” can be a contraction. It may shorten “Saturday is”, as in “Saturday’s the deadline,” or “Saturday has,” as in “Saturday’s been unusually warm.” The surrounding sentence determines which meaning applies.

In formal writing, contractions are sometimes avoided, so writers may prefer “Saturday is” or “Saturday has.” The possessive form, however, remains standard in all types of writing.

Example 1: Saturday’s schedule includes a morning workshop.

Example 2: Saturday’s forecast calls for light rain.

Example 3: Saturday’s been the busiest day of the week so far.

What are the different forms of Saturday’s?

Saturday’s is not a separate dictionary word with a single meaning; it is an inflected or contracted form of Saturday. As a possessive, it follows the standard singular possessive pattern: add an apostrophe and s, as in Saturday’s event.

When it is a contraction, the apostrophe represents omitted letters. Saturday’s can mean Saturday is or Saturday has. If you mean more than one Saturday, use Saturdays, not Saturday’s. The plural possessive form is Saturdays’, as in “The Saturdays’ schedules were different.”

Etymology of the word Saturday’s

The base word Saturday has the same Old English and Latin origins associated with Saturn’s day. The apostrophe-s ending developed in English as the standard marker of singular possession. In contractions, the apostrophe indicates letters omitted from is or has.

Related Concepts

Understanding plurals, possessives, and contractions makes the difference between Saturdays and Saturday’s easy to identify.

• Plural nouns: A plural noun refers to more than one person, place, thing, or time. The regular plural of Saturday is Saturdays, formed by adding -s without an apostrophe.
• Possessive nouns: A possessive noun shows ownership, association, or connection. The singular possessive form of Saturday is Saturday’s.
• Contractions: A contraction combines words and replaces omitted letters with an apostrophe. Saturday’s may represent Saturday is or Saturday has.
• Plural possessives: A plural possessive shows that something belongs to multiple Saturdays. The form is Saturdays’, with the apostrophe placed after the plural s.

Examples from Media and Literature

Titles, headlines, schedules, and fictional dialogue use these forms in different ways. The following examples illustrate the distinction:

• Saturday Night Live: The television program uses the singular Saturday as a descriptive modifier for “night”; neither Saturdays nor Saturday’s is needed.
• The Saturday Evening Post: This publication title uses Saturday to describe the edition or post associated with that day.
• Saturday’s Child: The title of the poem commonly associated with Langston Hughes uses the possessive form to mean a child of or connected with Saturday.
• Saturday by Ian McEwan: The novel’s title refers to one particular Saturday, so the singular form is appropriate.
• News scheduling: A report might state, “Saturday’s match was canceled, but matches will resume on Saturdays next month.” The first form refers to one specific match, while the second refers to repeated days.

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence: Saturdays or Saturday’s.

1. The museum offers free admission on ______.
2. ______ performance received excellent reviews.
3. We have been meeting for coffee most ______.
4. ______ been a surprisingly productive day.
5. The restaurant is closed on ______ during the winter.

Answer Key

1. Saturdays — The sentence refers to multiple Saturdays.
2. Saturday’s — The performance is associated with one specific Saturday.
3. Saturdays — The sentence describes a repeated activity.
4. Saturday’s — The word expands to “Saturday has.”
5. Saturdays — The restaurant is closed on multiple Saturdays.

Saturdays Synonyms

Synonym	Definition
Weekend days	Saturdays considered as recurring days within the weekend.
Weekly Saturdays	Saturdays understood as a recurring weekly event or period.
Each Saturday	Every individual Saturday in a series.
Saturday dates	Multiple calendar dates that fall on a Saturday.

Saturday’s Synonyms

Synonym	Definition
Of Saturday	Belonging to or associated with a particular Saturday.
Belonging to Saturday	Describes something connected with that specific day.
Saturday is	The expanded form of the contraction in sentences such as “Saturday’s the deadline.”
Saturday has	The expanded form of the contraction in sentences such as “Saturday’s been busy.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Is “Saturdays” or “Saturday’s” correct?
Both are correct, but they have different meanings. Use Saturdays for the plural and Saturday’s for singular possession or the contractions “Saturday is” and “Saturday has.”

Question 2: Should I write “every Saturdays” or “every Saturday”?
Write “every Saturday.” The word every is followed by a singular noun, even when it refers to a recurring event.

Question 3: Is “Saturdays’” also correct?
Yes. Saturdays’ is the plural possessive form. Use it when something belongs to or is associated with multiple Saturdays, as in “The Saturdays’ events were advertised together.”

Conclusion

Use Saturdays when referring to more than one Saturday or to a recurring Saturday habit. Use Saturday’s for singular possession or as a contraction of Saturday is or Saturday has. Remember: no apostrophe means plural, while the apostrophe signals possession or omitted letters. Pro Tip: Correct apostrophe usage strengthens your professional reputation by making your writing look polished and precise.