several other (others)

Writers often trip over three similar phrases: several, several other, and several others. The choice depends on whether you name a member of the group, add to a named set, or omit the noun and use a pronoun.

Quick answer: which form to use

Use several for a count (several books). Use several other + noun when you add to a named item (Sam and several other guests). Use several others as a pronoun when you omit the noun (Several others arrived).

Several + noun = a number of items (several students).
Several other + noun = additional items relative to a named one (Anna and several other students).
Several others = a pronoun replacing the noun (Several others disagreed).

Core grammar and when other is redundant

Several is a quantifier: it tells how many. Other modifies a noun to mean "additional" or "different." Others is a pronoun that stands for "other people/things."

If you haven't named a member of the set, other is usually redundant. If you've named someone or something and want to point to the rest of that group, several other + noun is correct.

Redundant: There are several other students here. → There are several students here.
Correct: I invited Mark, several other colleagues, and two managers. (several other colleagues refers back to Mark)
Pronoun: Several others stayed behind. (no noun repeated)

Real usage and tone: work, school, casual

In formal writing, favor concise forms; in conversation, pronouns and redundant words appear more often. Below are practical wrong/right pairs from workplace, classroom, and casual contexts.

Work - Wrong: There are several other reports to review before the meeting.
Work - Right: There are several reports to review before the meeting.
Work - Wrong: After Sara left, several others were assigned the task.
Work - Right: After Sara left, several people were assigned the task.
School - Wrong: There are several other students who didn't finish the assignment.
School - Right: There are several students who didn't finish the assignment.
School - Wrong: Several other wanted to join the lab group.
School - Right: Several others wanted to join the lab group.
Casual - Wrong: I invited several other to the barbecue.
Casual - Right: I invited several others to the barbecue.
Casual - Wrong: She has several other hobbies, like painting and hiking.
Casual - Right: She has several hobbies, like painting and hiking.

Common wrong/right patterns

Ask whether you named a specific item. If not, drop other. If you named one and mean "in addition to that one," keep other. If you omitted the noun entirely, use others.

Wrong: There are several other students attending the seminar. →
Right: There are several students attending the seminar.
Wrong: I still have several other drafts to edit. →
Right: I still have several drafts to edit.
Wrong: Several other expressed concerns at the town hall. →
Right: Several others expressed concerns at the town hall.
Wrong: We hired several other consultants last year. →
Right: We hired several consultants last year.
Wrong: She and several other friends attended the conference (no prior mention). →
Right: She and several friends attended the conference.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence in context: does naming or omitting change the meaning? If you want a quick check, paste the sentence into a grammar tool or run the two tests below.

Rewrite help: quick fixes and live rewrites

Two-step fix: (1) Did you name at least one member of the group? (2) Are you repeating the noun or omitting it? Use the answers to pick several, several other + noun, or several others.

If removing other preserves meaning → drop other.
If removing other changes the relation to a named item → keep other.
If the noun is omitted and you need a pronoun → use several others.

Rewrite 1: Wrong: There are several other students in the lecture hall. →
Right: There are several students in the lecture hall.
Rewrite 2: Wrong: I invited Sam, several others friends, and my manager. →
Right: I invited Sam, several other friends, and my manager.
Rewrite 3: Wrong: Several other signed up for the workshop. →
Right: Several others signed up for the workshop.

Checklist and practice fixes

Run these three checks in order and apply the matching fix.

1) Did you already name an item/person from the group? → If yes, several other + noun is OK.
2) If no named item → use several + noun.
3) If you omitted the noun and need a pronoun → use several others.

Practice 1 - Wrong: There are several other candidates in the pool. → Fix: There are several candidates in the pool.
Practice 2 - Wrong: Tom and several other decided not to attend. → Fix: Tom and several others decided not to attend.
Practice 3 - Wrong: We found several other issues during testing (no prior issue named). → Fix: We found several issues during testing.

Memory tricks and quick tests

Memory aid: several = some; other = additional to a named one; others = stands in for the noun. Two quick tests:

Remove other - does the sentence keep its meaning? If yes, drop other.
Replace other/others with people/things - does the meaning change? If it does, keep other; if not, drop it.

Test: "I bought several other books." → Remove other: "I bought several books." (meaning same → drop other)
Test: "I gave Anna the tickets and several other people too." → Remove other: "I gave Anna the tickets and several people too." (meaning changes → keep other)

Hyphenation, punctuation, spacing, and similar mistakes

No hyphenation is needed: write several other students, never several-other-students. Watch comma placement when the phrase sits inside a list or clause.

No hyphen: several other students.
Comma use: John, several other students, and the teacher arrived. Use commas to separate items or parenthetical phrases.
Similar confusions: several vs many; others vs the others; other people vs others; accidental repetition (several other students students).

Wrong: We spoke with several other other team members. →
Right: We spoke with several other team members.
Usage note: the others refers to a specific remaining group (We invited the family and the others stayed home).

FAQ

Can I say "several other people"?

Yes - but only if you've already mentioned at least one person from that group. If you haven't named any of them, prefer "several people."

Is "several others" correct?

Yes. Use several others when you omit the noun and need a pronoun: "Several others disagreed."

Why is "several other students" marked wrong in some examples?

It's flagged wrong when no specific student has been mentioned earlier. There, other is redundant. If you name a student first and then add more from the same group, several other students is fine.

Should I remove "other" to be safe?

As a shortcut, remove other if meaning stays the same. If removing it changes the relation to a named item, keep it.

How can I check my sentence quickly?

Use the two quick tests above or paste the sentence into a grammar checker to flag redundancies and suggest concise rewrites.

Quick pre-send check

A final glance often catches extra words like other that don't change meaning. Tightening these small redundancies makes your writing clearer and more direct.