Herself is the standard reflexive pronoun used for one female person, while herselves is generally not standard modern English. Her self is possible when self is being used as an ordinary noun, but it is uncommon and usually needs a word such as true or whole before it. For example, “She blamed herself” is correct, while “She blamed herselves” is incorrect in standard English.
These three forms can be confusing because they look closely related. The main difference is grammatical: herself functions as a reflexive or emphatic pronoun, herselves is normally replaced by themselves in standard English and her self consists of the possessive determiner her plus the noun self. Understanding these differences will help you choose the natural form in writing and conversation.
Quick Answer: Herself vs Herselves vs Her Self
Herself is the correct standard form for one female person: “She taught herself.” Herselves is not normally used in standard modern English; use themselves for a plural subject. Her self can be grammatical when self is a noun, as in “her true self,” but it is not normally used as a replacement for herself.
Why Do People Confuse “Herself,” “Herselves” and “Her Self”?
The confusion comes from the words her, self, and selves, which are closely connected.
English reflexive pronouns include:
- myself
- yourself
- himself
- herself
- itself
- ourselves
- yourselves
- themselves
Notice that self becomes selves in the plural:
herself → themselves
English does not normally form the feminine plural reflexive by simply changing herself to herselves.
This is one of the important differences between English and some other languages where reflexive pronouns may change according to gender.
What Does “Herself” Mean?
Herself is a standard English reflexive pronoun for one female person.
It is used when the person doing the action and the person affected by the action are the same.
For example:
She hurt herself.
The subject is she, and the object is herself. They refer to the same person.
“Herself” as a Reflexive Pronoun
Use herself after a verb or preposition when the action refers back to a female subject.
Examples:
- She introduced herself.
- Maria bought herself a new phone.
- She looked at herself in the mirror.
- The girl taught herself to swim.
- Sarah blamed herself for the mistake.
“Herself” for Emphasis
Herself can also emphasize a person.
The president herself attended the meeting.
This means the president personally attended the meeting.
Another example:
She herself designed the website.
Here, herself adds emphasis rather than functioning as the direct object.
What Does “Herselves” Mean?
Herselves is generally not standard modern English.
In standard English, you should normally use themselves when referring to more than one person.
For example:
The women prepared themselves for the interview.
Not:
The women prepared herselves for the interview.
The plural reflexive pronoun themselves can refer to a group of women, a group of men, or a mixed-gender group.
Is “Herselves” Ever Used?
You may occasionally encounter herselves in dialectal, nonstandard, historical, literary, or highly specialized usage. It can also appear when someone is deliberately experimenting with language.
However, it is not the normal choice in standard contemporary English.
For schoolwork, professional writing, formal communication, and general standard English, use themselves instead.
What Does “Her Self” Mean?
Her self is different from herself because it contains two separate words:
her + self
Here, her is a possessive determiner, and self is an ordinary noun.
The phrase can be grammatical when self means a person’s identity, personality, character, or inner being.
For example:
She wanted to rediscover her true self.
The experience helped her understand her inner self.
She felt that she had finally become her own self again.
In these examples, self is being treated as a noun and is usually modified by another word.
Is “Her Self” the Same as “Herself”?
No.
Compare:
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Here, herself is a reflexive pronoun.
But:
She wanted to understand her true self.
Here, her is a possessive determiner and self is a noun.
Although the words are related, they have different grammatical functions.
Herself vs Herselves vs Her Self: Comparison Table
| Form | Standard English? | Grammatical role | Typical use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| herself | Yes | Reflexive/emphatic pronoun | One female person | She taught herself. |
| herselves | Generally no | Nonstandard/dialectal form | Rare or specialized usage | Standard English uses themselves. |
| her self | Sometimes | Possessive determiner + noun | Referring to identity or inner nature | She discovered her true self. |
The most important point is that herself and her self are not interchangeable.
When Should You Use “Herself”?
Use herself when referring back to a singular female subject.
After an action
She washed herself.
When someone does something independently
She completed the project herself.
When emphasizing a female person
She herself made the decision.
After a preposition
She was talking to herself.
In common expressions
She needs to take care of herself.
She should be proud of herself.
When Should You Use “Herselves”?
In standard modern English, you generally should not use herselves.
If the subject is plural, use themselves.
For example:
The women introduced themselves.
The girls prepared themselves for the competition.
The sisters bought themselves new clothes.
Even when every person in the group is female, standard English still uses themselves.
When Should You Use “Her Self”?
Use her self only when self is functioning as a noun.
In contemporary English, this construction is usually more natural when self has a modifier.
Common examples include:
- her true self
- her inner self
- her authentic self
- her old self
- her former self
- her better self
- her future self
- her younger self
- her own self
For example:
She finally felt comfortable being her true self.
After the illness, she slowly returned to her old self.
She wanted to become her best self.
These expressions are different from the reflexive pronoun herself.
12 Examples of Herself, Themselves and Her Self
- She taught herself Spanish.
Herself refers back to she. - She looked at herself in the mirror.
The subject and object refer to the same person. - She completed the assignment herself.
Herself adds emphasis. - Maria bought herself a new laptop.
The laptop was bought for Maria. - The women introduced themselves.
Use themselves for the plural group. - The girls prepared themselves for the exam.
Themselves refers back to the girls. - They wanted to be themselves.
A plural subject takes themselves. - She wanted to find her true self.
Here, self is a noun. - After the vacation, she felt like her old self again.
Self refers to her previous personality or condition. - She is learning to accept herself.
Herself is a reflexive object. - She herself made the final decision.
Herself emphasizes the person who made the decision. - The women themselves organized the event.
Themselves emphasizes the plural subject.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using “herselves” for a group of women
Incorrect:
The women introduced herselves.
Correct:
The women introduced themselves.
Even when the entire group is female, standard English uses themselves.
Mistake 2: Writing “her self” instead of “herself”
Incorrect:
She hurt her self.
Correct:
She hurt herself.
When self is functioning as part of the reflexive pronoun, it is written as one word.
Mistake 3: Assuming “herself” means “her self”
These forms can look similar, but they do different jobs.
She blamed herself.
This is a reflexive pronoun.
She wanted to find her true self.
This refers to her identity or inner character.
Mistake 4: Using “herselves” because “selves” is plural
It may seem logical to think:
herself → herselves
But standard English does not follow that pattern.
Instead:
herself → themselves
Mistake 5: Confusing “herself” with “her”
Sometimes learners use her when a reflexive pronoun is required.
Incorrect:
She blamed her for the mistake.
If her refers to another woman, the sentence may be correct. But if you mean that she blamed herself, say:
She blamed herself for the mistake.
What Is an Easy Memory Trick?
Remember this simple rule:
One woman → herself
More than one person → themselves
Identity or personality → her self
For example:
She hurt herself.
They hurt themselves.
She discovered her true self.
Another useful memory trick is to remember that herself is one word when it is a pronoun.
If self is being used as a separate noun, it can appear as two words after her, usually with a modifier:
her true self
her inner self
her younger self
American vs British English
There is no significant difference between American and British English in the standard use of herself and themselves.
Both varieties use:
She did it herself.
The women introduced themselves.
Both also use expressions such as:
her true self
her inner self
The form herselves is not normally part of standard American or British English. You may encounter it in dialectal or historical contexts, but it should generally be avoided in standard formal writing.
Similar Words and Forms
Understanding the other reflexive pronouns makes herself easier to remember.
Myself
Used for I:
I taught myself French.
Yourself
Used for you:
You should take care of yourself.
Himself
Used for he:
He introduced himself.
Itself
Used for it:
The machine turned itself off.
Ourselves
Used for we:
We prepared ourselves for the trip.
Yourselves
Used for plural you:
Please introduce yourselves.
Themselves
Used for they:
They organized the event themselves.
This gives you the standard reflexive pronoun pattern:
myself → yourself → himself → herself → itself → ourselves → yourselves → themselves
Can “Herself” Be Used for Emphasis?
Yes. Herself can be used as an emphatic pronoun.
For example:
The author herself answered the question.
This emphasizes that the author personally answered it.
You can also put it at the end:
She wrote the entire book herself.
Here, herself emphasizes that she did the work personally.
This use is different from reflexive use, but the same word is used.
Final Verdict: Herself, Herselves or Her Self?
For standard modern English, the choice is straightforward.
Use herself for one female person:
She taught herself.
Use themselves, not herselves, for a plural group:
The women taught themselves.
Use her self only when self is functioning as a separate noun, usually with a modifier:
She wanted to rediscover her true self.
The most important distinction is that herself is a single reflexive pronoun, while her self is a possessive determiner plus a noun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “herself” one word or two?
Herself is one word when it is used as a reflexive or emphatic pronoun.
She taught herself.
Is “herselves” a correct English word?
Herselves exists in some dialectal, historical, or nonstandard uses, but it is not normally used in standard modern English. For a plural group, use themselves.
Should I say “herself” or “her self”?
Usually, use herself when you need a reflexive pronoun.
She blamed herself.
Use her self when self is a noun, usually in a phrase such as her true self.
Is “her self” grammatically correct?
It can be grammatically correct when self is being used as a noun.
She wanted to understand her inner self.
However, her self by itself is uncommon in everyday modern English.
What is the plural of “herself”?
The standard plural counterpart is themselves, not herselves.
She prepared herself.
They prepared themselves.
Can “herself” refer to more than one woman?
No. In standard English, herself refers to one female person. For multiple people, use themselves.
What is the difference between “herself” and “themselves”?
Herself is singular and refers to one female person. Themselves is plural and refers to two or more people.
Can “herself” be used for emphasis?
Yes. For example:
She herself designed the building.
Here, herself emphasizes that she personally did it.
Remember This
- Herself = standard reflexive pronoun for one female person.
- Themselves = standard reflexive pronoun for a plural group.
- Herselves = generally not standard modern English.
- Her self = her + the noun self.
- Say “She blamed herself.”
- Say “They blamed themselves.”
- Say “She discovered her true self.”
- Do not normally replace themselves with herselves.
- Herself is one word when used as a pronoun.
Conclusion
The difference between herself, herselves, and her self becomes much clearer when you look at their grammatical roles. Herself is the standard reflexive and emphatic pronoun for one female person. For a plural group, standard English uses themselves, regardless of whether everyone in the group is female.
Her self is different because self is functioning as a noun. It is most natural in phrases such as her true self, her inner self, her younger self and her old self. Once you remember herself for one woman, themselves for a group and her self for the noun “self,” you can choose the correct form confidently.
