'themself'

Short verdict: In standard written English, use themselves. Themself is nonstandard in formal contexts; it appears in informal speech, social media, and some identity-focused uses. Prefer themselves or rewrite for clarity in professional or academic writing.

Quick answer - is 'themself' correct?

Generally no for formal writing. Use themselves for plural they and for singular they in edited prose. Themself appears by analogy and is common in casual or quoted speech, but most style guides and readers expect themselves.

Plural they (multiple people) → themselves. Example: They blamed themselves.
Singular they (gender-neutral) → in standard usage, themselves or a rewrite: Someone left their umbrella; they should reclaim it → They should reclaim their umbrella or The owner should reclaim their umbrella.
Themself is acceptable only to preserve a speaker's exact voice or when an individual explicitly prefers that form.

How reflexive pronouns work (core rule)

Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) refer back to the subject. Match person and number: I → myself; you → yourself; he → himself; she → herself; we → ourselves; they (plural) → themselves. For singular they, standard edited English also uses themselves.

Match number: plural subject → plural reflexive (they → themselves).
Use themselves for singular they in formal writing; if that sounds awkward, reword to avoid the reflexive.
If a sentence is unclear with themselves, change the subject (use a name or noun) or remove the reflexive.

Why people write 'themself' (and where you see it)

Themself arises by analogy: some speakers map they → them → themself the way he → him → himself. It also shows up in dialects, tweets, personal blogs, and some identity-affirming contexts.

Analogy drives it: speakers creating a singular reflexive to match singular they.
Common registers: social media, informal writing, quotes, and character dialogue.
Most editorial and professional style guides recommend themselves as the standard form.

When to preserve 'themself' (dialogue, identity, and voice)

Keep themself only when preserving exact speech or when a person explicitly requests that form. Marking nonstandard usage as deliberate (quotes or a note) helps readers. Avoid it in business, academic, or technical writing.

Acceptable: direct quotes, fiction dialogue, or an individual's stated preference.
Not acceptable: reports, academic papers, professional emails.
If someone asks to be referred to with a specific pronoun/reflexive, follow their preference and note it where helpful.

Real usage: corrected work, school, and casual examples

Below are real-world sentences showing nonstandard themself, the standard correction, and a cleaner rewrite you can use in professional or academic contexts.

Work - Wrong: The committee gave themself extra time to review the report. /
Right: The committee gave themselves extra time to review the report. / Cleaner: The committee extended its review period.
Work - Wrong: If any employee needs to update themself, contact HR. /
Right: If any employee needs to update themselves, contact HR. / Cleaner: Employees who need to update their records should contact HR.
Work - Wrong: They submitted themself on the project timeline. /
Right: They submitted themselves on the project timeline. / Cleaner: They met the project deadline.
School - Wrong: Each student should hand themself the consent form. /
Right: Each student should hand themselves the consent form. / Cleaner: Each student should hand in their consent form.
School - Wrong: If a student is absent, they should tell themself to catch up. /
Right: If a student is absent, they should tell themselves to catch up. / Cleaner: Absent students should contact the instructor to catch up.
School - Wrong: The group blamed themself for the error. /
Right: The group blamed themselves for the error. / Cleaner: Group members accepted responsibility for the error.
Casual - Wrong: Jamie told themself they deserved a break. /
Right: Jamie told themselves they deserved a break. / Cleaner: Jamie gave themselves a break.
Casual - Wrong: They convinced themself it was okay. /
Right: They convinced themselves it was okay. / Cleaner: They reassured themselves.
Casual - Wrong: The new parent finally allowed themself a nap. /
Right: The new parent finally allowed themselves a nap. / Cleaner: The new parent finally took a nap.

Examples: common wrong → right pairs you can paste

Use the right-hand sentence for a safe, standard fix. The "Cleaner" options remove reflexives when that improves clarity.

Wrong: They enjoyed themself at the party. /
Right: They enjoyed themselves at the party.
Wrong: John and Lisa did the work themself. /
Right: John and Lisa did the work themselves.
Wrong: Anyone who signs up should bring themself a notebook. /
Right: Anyone who signs up should bring themselves a notebook.
Wrong: The committee defended themself publicly. /
Right: The committee defended themselves publicly. / Better: The committee defended its decision publicly.
Wrong: If a student forgets, remind themself later. /
Right: If a student forgets, remind them later. / Better: Remind the student later.
Wrong: Someone will hurt themself if they climb without gear. /
Right: Someone will hurt themselves if they climb without gear.
Wrong: Each member made themself clear on tasks. /
Right: Each member made themselves clear on tasks. / Better: Each member clarified their tasks.
Wrong: The patient told themself to stay calm. /
Right: The patient told themselves to stay calm. / Better: The patient tried to stay calm.
Wrong: Someone left their laptop; theirself should check lost-and-found. /
Right: Someone left their laptop; they should check lost-and-found. / Better: The owner should check the lost-and-found.
Wrong: The team congratulated themself. /
Right: The team congratulated itself (if acting as a unit) or The team members congratulated themselves (if individuals).
Wrong: They gave themself extra time to finish the exam. /
Right: They gave themselves extra time to finish the exam. / Better: The instructor extended the deadline for them.
Wrong: Anyone who applies should prepare themself for the interview. /
Right: Anyone who applies should prepare themselves for the interview. / Better: Applicants should prepare for the interview.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence rather than the isolated word: context usually makes the right choice clear.

Fix your sentence: step-by-step rewrites (6 live examples)

Editing checklist: 1) Identify whether the subject is singular or plural. 2) If plural → use themselves. 3) If singular they → use themselves or reword. 4) If awkward → change the subject or remove the reflexive.

Quick fix: replace themself with themselves in most cases.
Prefer concrete nouns or names for clarity: replace "anyone" with "applicants" or a name when possible.
For formal writing, rephrase instead of preserving dialectal forms.

Original: If anyone can't make it, they should notify themself. / Corrected: If anyone can't make it, they should notify themselves. / Cleaner: If anyone can't make it, they should notify the organizer.
Original: Each member sent themself a copy. / Corrected: Each member sent themselves a copy. / Cleaner: Members emailed themselves a copy. or Each member received a copy via email.
Original: The driver told themself they were okay. / Corrected: The driver told themselves they were okay. / Cleaner: The driver reassured themselves (but prefer revising to The driver reassured the passengers).
Original: If a student is late, they should blame themself. / Corrected: If a student is late, they should blame themselves. / Cleaner: If a student is late, they should accept responsibility.
Original: Someone will hurt themself if they try that stunt. / Corrected: Someone will hurt themselves if they try that stunt. / Cleaner: Attempting that stunt could injure a person.
Original: The participant told themself to relax. / Corrected: The participant told themselves to relax. / Cleaner: The participant tried to relax.

Memory tricks, hyphenation, and spacing

Mnemonic: they → them → themselves. If the subject is plural, the reflexive ends with -selves. Themself breaks that chain and is nonstandard in edited prose.

Think: they / them / themselves - that three-step match helps you pick the right form.
Never write "them self" or "them-self" - reflexive pronouns are single words.
If uncertain, reword to a noun or name to avoid the reflexive entirely.

Similar mistakes to avoid

Common related errors include theirself, splitting reflexives, and collective-noun agreement. Fixes follow the same logic: decide the intended number, use the standard reflexive, or rewrite.

'Theirself' and 'themself' are nonstandard in formal writing; use themselves.
Collective nouns: The committee issued its report (unit) vs. The committee members voiced their opinions (individuals).
Avoid clunky constructions like Each of the players blamed themselves; prefer a clearer rewrite when possible.

Final checklist and next steps

Checklist: 1) Identify subject number. 2) If plural → use themselves. 3) If singular they → prefer themselves or reword. 4) Preserve themself only for quotes, character voice, or explicit preference.

For a quick second opinion, paste your sentence into a grammar checker that flags nonstandard pronoun usage and suggests audience-appropriate rewrites.

Quick fix: replace themself with themselves or rephrase the sentence.
Keep themself only when it's intentional and clearly signaled to readers.
In professional writing, default to the standard form themselves.

FAQ

Is 'themself' ever correct?

Themself appears in dialects, informal writing, and quoted speech. In standard edited English, use themselves. Preserve themself only to reflect voice or when someone requests it.

Which style guides allow 'themself'?

Most major style guides prefer themselves in formal writing. Themself is generally not endorsed for edited prose.

How do I rewrite a sentence that uses 'themself'?

Options: 1) Replace themself with themselves. 2) Make the subject clearly singular or plural (use a name or noun). 3) Remove the reflexive and rephrase (for example, They blamed themselves → They accepted responsibility).

Can I use 'themself' in dialogue or creative writing?

Yes. Use it deliberately for character voice or to reflect a speaker's idiolect. Be consistent and clear about the intent; avoid it in noncreative contexts.

What's the difference between 'theirself' and 'themself'?

Both are nonstandard in formal writing. The standard reflexive for plural they is themselves. For singular they in standard usage, themselves remains the preferred form, or reword for clarity.