s/he
Inclusive singular pronoun
S/he is a written pronoun combining "she" and "he" to refer to a person of unspecified gender: The student should bring s/he own materials.
Popular in academic and bureaucratic writing from the 1970s through 1990s as an alternative to generic "he" or awkward "he or she." Now largely supplanted by singular "they," which works in speech.
S/he remains unpronounceable—a limitation that hastened its decline.
Not we, but
- themThird-person plural object
- personHuman individual
- individualOne separate human being
- someoneUnnamed individual
one · anybody · whoever · everybody · anyone · subject · gender-neutral · singular
Gender outside two categories
- inclusiveCovering all members
- neutralNot favoring any side
- unspecifiedNot explicitly named
- eitherOne of two
both · ze · preferred · respectful · universal · ungendered
Agreed standard of behavior
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
- clunkyAwkward and cumbersome
- slashAngled line or swipe
- typographicOf printed letter design
workaround · formal · legal · academic · policy · documentation · handbook · guidelines
they
Not we, but
- themThird-person plural object
- personHuman individual
- individualOne separate human being
someone · one · anybody · whoever · everybody · anyone · subject · gender-neutral · singular · referent
non-binary
Gender outside two categories
- inclusiveCovering all members
- neutralNot favoring any side
- unspecifiedNot explicitly named
either · both · ze · preferred · respectful · universal · ungendered
convention
Agreed standard of behavior
typographic · workaround · formal · legal · academic · policy · documentation · handbook · guidelines · contract