Missing possessive: Todays (today's) meeting

Leaving out the apostrophe in a possessive changes meaning and looks unpolished: Todays meeting → today's meeting. Fixing it is usually a one-step change: add 's for most singular nouns; add only ' after plural nouns that already end in s.

Quick answer: Use today's with an apostrophe

Add 's to a singular noun to show possession (today → today's). For plurals that already end in s, add just the apostrophe after the s (students → students'). Never put a space before the apostrophe.

Singular possessive: noun + 's → today's, Jessica's, company's.
Plural possessive (ends in s): noun + ' → teachers'.
No spaces: write today's, not today 's or todays .

Core explanation: the grammar you need

Most singular nouns form the possessive with 's to show ownership or association: today's meeting, the book's cover, Jessica's phone. Plurals that end in s take only an apostrophe after the s: the teachers' lounge. Irregular plurals add 's: the children's playground.

Singular → add 's (today → today's).
Plural ending in s → add apostrophe after s (students → students').
Irregular plural → add 's (children → children's).

Punctuation, hyphenation, and spacing

Never insert a space before the apostrophe. Hyphens don't replace apostrophes; for awkward hyphenated possessives, prefer a rewrite.

No spaces: today's (correct) vs today 's (incorrect).
Hyphen ≠ apostrophe: editor-in-chief's (correct) not editor-in-chief s.
If the possessive feels clumsy, rephrase: the decision of the editor-in-chief.

Wrong: today 's schedule is on the board.
Right: today's schedule is on the board.
Wrong: the editor-in-chiefs note was missing.
Right: the editor-in-chief's note was missing.
Wrong: today's-longer-term plan is ready.
Right: today's long-term plan / the long-term plan for today.

Common wrong/right examples (copy these)

Direct pairs you can paste into your draft. These cover days, names, possessions, companies, and contractions.

Wrong: Todays meeting starts at 9.
Right: Today's meeting starts at 9.
Wrong: Tomorrows forecast calls for rain.
Right: Tomorrow's forecast calls for rain.
Wrong: Jessicas notes were helpful.
Right: Jessica's notes were helpful.
Wrong: My brothers car is blue.
Right: My brother's car is blue.
Wrong: The companys policy changed.
Right: The company's policy changed.
Wrong: The books cover is torn.
Right: The book's cover is torn.
Wrong: The teachers lounge is closed.
Right: The teachers' lounge is closed.
Wrong: Its time for todays update.
Right: It's time for today's update. (Or: Its time for today's update if referring to possession of "time.")
Wrong: James book is on the table.
Right: James's book is on the table. (or James' book, if your style prefers)
Wrong: The childrens playground was empty.
Right: The children's playground was empty.
Wrong: The managers decision is final.
Right: The manager's decision is final.
Wrong: Todays-longterm-plan is ready.
Right: Today's long-term plan is ready / the long-term plan for today is ready.

Examples you can use: work, school, and casual

Work

Please attach tomorrow's agenda to the report before distribution.
HR needs today's payroll figures by noon to finalize salaries.
Confirm the client's request in tomorrow's update to avoid confusion.

School

Submit tomorrow's assignment before class begins.
Today's lecture covered Chapter 5 and the study guide.
Check the teacher's rubric for formatting requirements.

Casual

Is tomorrow's party still on?
I left my roommate's hoodie at the cafe.
Today's coffee hit different - highly recommend this shop!

Rewrite help: fix your sentence in three practical ways

Checklist: (1) Identify the owner word (today, Jessica, manager). (2) If singular, add 's; if plural ending in s, add only '. (3) If it still reads oddly, rewrite with of or reorder the sentence.

Quick check: replace the phrase with "the X of Y." If "the meeting of today" works, use today's meeting.
When in doubt, rewrite: the manager's decision → the decision of the manager (clearer in formal writing).

Rewrite:
Wrong: I cant make tomorrows meeting. → I can't make tomorrow's meeting.
Rewrite:
Wrong: We discussed todays sales numbers. → We discussed today's sales numbers.
Rewrite:
Wrong: Janes-book was on the table. → Jane's book was on the table.
Rewrite:
Wrong: todays-longterm-plan → Today's long-term plan / the long-term plan for today.

Real usage and a simple memory trick

Today's can act as a contraction (today is) or a possessive. Use context to tell them apart: "Today's the day" expands to "Today is the day"; "today's schedule" shows possession.

Memory trick: "'s = owns or 'is." If you can read the phrase as "X of Y" (the schedule of today) or expand it to "today is" and the sentence still works, the apostrophe belongs.

Replace with of: the meeting of today → today's meeting (possession).
Contraction test: Today's the day → Today is the day (contraction).
When tone matters (work, school, published posts), always use the correct apostrophe.

Similar mistakes to watch for

Common confusions: its vs it's, plurals vs possessives, names ending in s, and compound nouns. Pick a style and stay consistent on forms like James's vs James'.

its vs it's: its (possessive) vs it's (contraction of it is/it has).
Plural vs possessive: books (plural) vs book's (singular possessive) vs books' (plural possessive).
Names ending in s: James's or James'-both appear in style guides; be consistent.

Wrong: Its going to rain tomorrows forecast says.
Right: It's going to rain, tomorrow's forecast says.
Wrong: The childrens book was missing.
Right: The children's book was missing.

FAQ

Is it todays or today's?

Use today's with an apostrophe for possession or contraction. Todays without an apostrophe is incorrect in standard writing.

When should I use tomorrow's vs tomorrows?

Use tomorrow's for possession (tomorrow's schedule) or as a contraction (tomorrow's going to be busy). Tomorrows without an apostrophe is almost always wrong.

Do I put a space before an apostrophe?

No. Never put a space before an apostrophe. Write today's, not today 's.

How do I decide between 's and s'?

If the noun is singular, add 's. If the noun is plural and ends in s, add only the apostrophe after the s. Irregular plurals take 's (children's).

Can I rewrite the sentence to avoid an apostrophe?

Yes. Use of (the meeting of tomorrow → tomorrow's meeting) or reorder the sentence. Rewrites are fine in formal writing when they improve clarity.

Want to check a sentence quickly?

Paste your sentence into a grammar checker or test it with the "of" and contraction tricks above before you send or submit. A quick check prevents common mistakes like todays/today's from slipping into emails, assignments, and posts.