Have you ever wondered whether to write “their life” or “their lives”? Both expressions are grammatically correct, but choosing the right one depends on the meaning of your sentence. The confusion often arises because their can refer to one person or several people, while life and lives follow different number rules.
Understanding the difference between their life or their lives can help you write more clearly and naturally. Whether you are writing an email, creating an article, preparing an assignment, or improving your everyday English, this guide explains when to use each expression, provides practical examples, and highlights common mistakes to avoid.
Quick Answer: Their Life or Their Lives?
Both “their life” and “their lives” are correct. Use their life when referring to one shared life or the life of one person, including a singular person whose gender is unknown or unspecified. Use their lives when referring to the separate lives of two or more people.
Here is the simplest way to remember the difference:
- Their life: One person’s life or one life shared by multiple people.
- Their lives: The individual lives of multiple people.
Examples:
- The couple built their life together. (One shared life or lifestyle.)
- The couple shared stories about their lives before they met. (Each person’s individual life.)
- Everyone should enjoy their life. (Each person is considered individually.)
- The children lived their lives differently. (Multiple individual lives.)
The key is not simply whether their refers to one person or several. You must also consider whether life represents one shared experience or multiple individual experiences.
What Does “Their Life” Mean?
“Their life” refers to one life associated with a person or a group. It can describe an individual’s existence, lifestyle, experiences, or circumstances. It can also describe a life that multiple people share.
The word their is a possessive determiner. It indicates that something belongs to, relates to, or is associated with someone. The noun life is singular, so it generally refers to one life.
When to Use “Their Life”
Use “their life” in these situations.
1. When referring to one person
Singular they is commonly used when a person’s gender is unknown, irrelevant, or when that person uses they/them pronouns.
Examples:
- Every student deserves to enjoy their life.
- Someone left their phone behind while going about their life.
- Alex wants to make their life more meaningful.
- Everyone should have the freedom to choose how they live their life.
In these examples, the sentence refers to one person’s life at a time.
2. When describing a shared life
Use “their life” when two or more people share one life in a collective sense, such as a common household, partnership, or lifestyle.
Examples:
- The newlyweds began their life together in a small apartment.
- The couple built their life around family and friendship.
- The business partners devoted their life to a common mission.
In the third example, “their life” presents the mission as a shared commitment. However, “their lives” would also be appropriate if the writer wanted to emphasize the partners’ separate personal lives.
3. When discussing someone’s lifestyle or circumstances
Examples:
- She wants to simplify their life. (Appropriate if their refers to a specific person whose pronouns are they/them, or to a shared life.)
- A good routine can improve someone’s life.
- The organization helps people make their life more comfortable.
The last sentence can be understood as referring to each person’s life individually. In formal writing, however, “helps people improve their lives” is often more natural because it emphasizes multiple individuals.
What Does “Their Lives” Mean?
“Their lives” is the plural form of the expression. It generally refers to the separate lives, experiences, choices, or circumstances of two or more people.
The noun lives is the plural of life. Although the spelling changes, the meaning is straightforward: one life becomes two or more lives.
When to Use “Their Lives”
1. When referring to multiple people’s individual lives
Examples:
- The brothers have very different lives.
- The students shared stories about their lives.
- My friends are happy with their lives.
- The employees balance their lives and careers.
Each person has an individual life, so the plural noun lives is appropriate.
2. When describing different experiences
Examples:
- The travelers returned home and continued their lives.
- The two sisters led completely different lives.
- Their decisions changed their lives forever.
- The volunteers dedicated their lives to helping others.
These sentences refer to the individual experiences or circumstances of multiple people.
3. When describing the impact on several people
Examples:
- Doctors save lives every day.
- Education can transform their lives.
- The new policy improved the lives of thousands of families.
- The natural disaster changed many people’s lives.
Notice that “the lives of thousands of families” refers to the lives of the individual people within those families, rather than one shared life for each family.
Their Life vs. Their Lives: Comparison Table
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
| Their life | One person’s life | Everyone should enjoy their life. |
| Their life | One shared life | They built their life together. |
| Their lives | Separate lives of multiple people | They lived their lives differently. |
| Their lives | Experiences of several individuals | The program changed their lives. |
| Their life together | A shared lifestyle or existence | They began their life together. |
| Their lives together | Usually emphasizes the individual lives of multiple people living together | They balanced their lives together as a family. |
The most important distinction is whether you mean one life or multiple individual lives. Context determines which form sounds most natural.
Why Is the Plural of “Life” Spelled “Lives”?
English has several irregular plural nouns, and life is one of them. Unlike regular nouns that form their plurals by adding -s or -es, life changes its ending.
- One life → two lives
- One wife → two wives
- One knife → two knives
- One leaf → two leaves
This spelling pattern is common among certain nouns ending in -f or -fe, although not every such noun follows the same rule.
For example, roof becomes roofs, not rooves, in standard modern English. Therefore, it is better to learn common plural forms individually rather than assume every word ending in -f follows the same pattern.
Remember that “lifes” is generally incorrect when you mean the plural of life. The correct spelling is lives.
Common Mistakes When Using “Their Life” and “Their Lives”
Even fluent English speakers sometimes struggle with these expressions. Most mistakes happen when the writer focuses only on the word their rather than considering the meaning of the whole sentence.
Mistake 1: Using “Lifes” Instead of “Lives”
Incorrect: They have beautiful lifes.
Correct: They have beautiful lives.
Why? Life has an irregular plural form. When referring to multiple lives, use lives.
Mistake 2: Assuming “Their” Always Requires a Plural Noun
Incorrect reasoning: Because their refers to several people, the noun must always be plural.
Correct examples:
- They built their life together.
- They each lived their own lives.
Why? A plural possessive determiner does not automatically require a plural noun. The noun depends on what you are describing.
Mistake 3: Using “Their Life” When You Mean Separate Experiences
Less natural: The three friends discussed their life.
More natural: The three friends discussed their lives.
Why? If the friends are discussing their separate personal histories and experiences, the plural lives expresses the intended meaning more clearly.
However, “their life” can be correct if the sentence refers to one shared experience or lifestyle.
Mistake 4: Confusing Singular “They” With Plural “They”
Examples:
- Jordan enjoys their life.
- Jordan and Taylor enjoy their lives.
In the first sentence, their refers to one person, Jordan. In the second, it refers to two people who each have a life.
The pronoun alone does not determine whether the noun should be singular or plural.
Mistake 5: Forgetting the Difference Between Shared and Individual Life
Compare these sentences:
- The couple built their life together.
- The couple shared stories about their lives.
The first emphasizes a shared life. The second emphasizes the individual experiences each person had.
Both are correct because the intended meanings differ.
American English vs. British English: Is There a Difference?
There is no meaningful difference between American English and British English in the use of “their life” and “their lives.” Both varieties follow the same standard grammatical rules.
| Feature | American English | British English |
| Singular form | Their life | Their life |
| Plural form | Their lives | Their lives |
| Singular they | Widely used | Widely used |
| Plural of life | Lives | Lives |
| “Lifes” as a standard plural | Incorrect in ordinary usage | Incorrect in ordinary usage |
For example, an American writer might say, “The couple built their life together,” and a British writer could use exactly the same sentence.
Likewise, “Their lives changed after moving abroad” is correct in both varieties.
You do not need to memorize separate American and British rules for this expression. Focus on whether you are referring to one life or several individual lives.
More Example Sentences Using “Their Life” and “Their Lives”
The following examples show how context changes the choice between singular and plural.
Examples of “Their Life”
- Everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy their life.
- The couple started their life together after graduation.
- Jordan wants to make their life more organized.
- They decided to change their life by adopting healthier habits. (Their shared lifestyle or one person’s life, depending on context.)
- Each person should be allowed to live their life according to their values.
- The family built their life around honesty, kindness, and respect.
Examples of “Their Lives”
- The siblings followed different paths in their lives.
- The teachers have dedicated their lives to education.
- Their lives changed dramatically after the move.
- The friends shared memories from their childhood lives.
- The new opportunities transformed their lives.
- The volunteers risked their lives to rescue others.
Examples That Show the Difference
Consider these pairs carefully:
- They built their life together. This emphasizes a shared existence.
- They built their lives independently. This emphasizes separate experiences.
Another pair:
- The students discussed their life together at university. This may describe their shared experience as a group, though the wording could be clearer.
- The students discussed their lives before university. This refers to the separate experiences of individual students.
When you are unsure, ask yourself whether the noun represents one shared life or the individual lives of several people.
FAQs
1. Is “their life” grammatically correct?
Yes. “Their life” is correct when referring to one person’s life using singular they, or when describing one life shared by multiple people. The surrounding sentence determines the intended meaning.
2. Is “their lives” grammatically correct?
Yes. “Their lives” is correct when referring to the individual lives of two or more people. For example, “The children enjoyed their lives in the countryside.”
3. Should I write “everyone should enjoy their life” or “everyone should enjoy their lives”?
“Everyone should enjoy their life” is a clear and natural choice because everyone is grammatically singular. “Everyone should enjoy their lives” is also used in contemporary English, especially when the writer is thinking distributively about the many individuals within the group. For the simplest standard construction, choose “everyone should enjoy their life.”
4. Is “their lifes” ever correct?
In ordinary modern English, no. The standard plural of life is lives. The spelling lifes is generally a mistake when referring to more than one life.
5. Why do we say “their lives” instead of “their lifes”?
Life is one of the English nouns that forms its plural by changing -fe to -ves. Therefore, one life becomes two lives, just as one wife becomes two wives.
6. Which is correct: “They changed their life” or “They changed their lives”?
Both can be correct. “They changed their life” may describe one person’s life, using singular they, or a shared lifestyle. “They changed their lives” generally describes changes experienced by multiple people individually.
7. Should I use “their life together” or “their lives together”?
Use “their life together” when emphasizing a shared existence or partnership. Use “their lives together” when emphasizing the individual people and their experiences within that relationship. The first expression is often more natural when discussing a couple’s shared future.
8. Is there a difference between “their life” and “their lives” in formal writing?
The grammatical distinction is the same in formal and informal writing. Choose the singular form for one life and the plural form for multiple individual lives. In formal writing, clarity and context matter more than the level of formality.
Summary: Their Life or Their Lives?
The difference between their life or their lives comes down to meaning. “Their life” refers to one person’s life or one shared life, while “their lives” generally refers to the individual lives of multiple people. Both forms are grammatically correct, and neither is universally better than the other. The right choice depends on the sentence you want to write.
To improve your English grammar, pay attention to the noun rather than relying only on the possessive word their. Remember that life becomes lives in the plural, and avoid writing lifes in ordinary English. With regular practice, you will find it easier to choose the correct expression in conversations, professional writing, and academic work.
Actionable takeaway: Before choosing between “their life” and “their lives,” ask yourself one question: Am I describing one person’s life or a shared life, or am I talking about several people’s individual lives? That simple check will help you make the right choice.
