If you are unsure whether the correct spelling is attornies or attorneys, you are not alone. The two forms look similar, but only one is the standard plural spelling of attorney. The correct spelling is attorneys.

Attorney refers to a lawyer or a person authorized to practice law. Cornell’s Legal Information Institute defines an attorney as someone authorized to practice law, while Cambridge lists attorney as another word for a lawyer. 

Attornies or Attorneys: Which Is Correct?

The correct spelling is attorneys.

• ✅ attorney — singular
• ✅ attorneys — plural
• ❌ attornies — incorrect standard spelling

The plural is formed by adding -s to attorney, rather than changing the final y to -ies. Cambridge’s legal dictionary also gives attorneys-at-law as the plural of attorney-at-law. 

Why Attornies Is Incorrect

The spelling attornies may seem logical because many English nouns ending in consonant + y change y to i before adding -es, such as company → companies. However, attorney does not follow that spelling pattern.

In attorney, the final y follows a vowel, e, so the regular plural is made by adding -s:

attorney → attorneys

Therefore, when referring to multiple lawyers, use attorneys, not attornies.

Is It Attorneys or Attornies?

Attorneys is the correct spelling when you mean more than one attorney.

For example:

• The attorneys discussed the case.
• Several attorneys attended the hearing.
• The company hired two attorneys.
• The attorneys reviewed the contract.
• Both attorneys presented their arguments.

The word attorney generally means a lawyer or someone authorized to practice law. Cornell’s Wex explains that an attorney is someone authorized to practice law and notes that the term can also have a less common agency-related meaning. 

Attorneys vs. Attornies in a Sentence

Here are examples showing the difference:

Correct:

The attorneys prepared the legal documents.

Incorrect:

The attornies prepared the legal documents.

Correct:

We spoke with several attorneys about the case.

Incorrect:

We spoke with several attornies about the case.

Only attorneys should be used in standard modern English when referring to multiple attorneys.

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Attorneys or Attornies Spelling Rule

One reason people misspell attorneys is confusion about English pluralization rules.

Generally, nouns ending in consonant + y often change y to -ies:

• city → cities
• party → parties
• company → companies

But nouns ending in vowel + y usually add -s:

• boy → boys
• day → days
• key → keys
• attorney → attorneys

Since attorney ends in -ey, its standard plural is attorneys.

10 Quick Facts About Attorneys

• Attorney is the singular form.
• Attorneys is the standard plural form.
• Attornies is not the standard plural spelling.
• An attorney can be a lawyer.
• Attorneys-at-law is the plural of attorney-at-law. 
• The word is commonly used in American legal English.
• Attorney and lawyer are closely related terms. 
• The plural attorneys ends in -eys, not -ies.
• Attorneys can refer to several lawyers.
• Attorney General has a different plural construction: attorneys general. 

What Does Attorney Mean?

An attorney is generally a person authorized to practice law. In the United States, legal definitions can specify authorization to practice law and membership in good standing of the relevant bar. 

The word is often used interchangeably with lawyer, although particular legal systems and contexts can give legal titles more specific meanings.

Common Types of Attorneys

The word attorney can appear with a variety of legal specialties or roles, including:

• criminal defense attorney
• civil attorney
• family law attorney
• personal injury attorney
• corporate attorney
• immigration attorney
• tax attorney
• employment attorney
• real estate attorney
• intellectual property attorney
• bankruptcy attorney
• estate planning attorney
• trial attorney
• prosecuting attorney
• defense attorney

The exact title used depends on the attorney’s area of legal practice and jurisdiction.

Attorney vs. Attorneys

The main difference is singular versus plural.

Form	Meaning	Example
attorney	One lawyer	She is an attorney.
attorneys	More than one lawyer	They are attorneys.
attornies	Nonstandard/misspelled form	Avoid this spelling.

The same distinction applies in ordinary sentences:

One attorney reviewed the agreement.

Three attorneys reviewed the agreement.

The spelling changes only by adding s.

Attorney, Attorneys, and Attorney-at-Law

These related expressions can sometimes cause confusion.

Attorney is the shorter term commonly used for a lawyer. Cornell’s Wex describes an attorney as someone authorized to practice law. 

Attorney-at-law is a formal term for a lawyer. Cambridge gives its plural as attorneys-at-law. 

Examples:

• one attorney
• two attorneys
• one attorney-at-law
• two attorneys-at-law

The plural is applied to attorney, not to the word law.

Attorney General or Attorneys General?

A related spelling question is attorney general.

The plural is normally:

attorney general → attorneys general

Not:

❌ attorney generals

Cambridge lists attorneys general as the plural, and Cornell’s Wex also identifies attorneys general as the plural form. 

This is different from ordinary attorney, whose plural is simply attorneys.

Examples

• The attorney general issued a statement.
• Several attorneys general joined the case.
• The state attorney general addressed the matter.
• State attorneys general may have different responsibilities depending on their jurisdiction.

Common Mistakes With Attorneys

Because the word looks similar to other nouns ending in -y, several mistakes appear frequently.

1. Attornies

❌ The attornies met yesterday.

✅ The attorneys met yesterday.

2. Attorney’s for a plural

❌ The attorney’s discussed the case.

If you mean multiple attorneys, use:

✅ The attorneys discussed the case.

The apostrophe in attorney’s normally indicates possession or a contraction, not an ordinary plural.

3. Attorney Generals

❌ Several attorney generals attended.

✅ Several attorneys general attended.

This follows the special plural pattern for the compound title. 

4. Confusing Attorney With Lawyer

Attorney and lawyer are often used as synonyms in American English, but specific legal terminology can vary by jurisdiction. Cornell’s Wex explicitly describes a lawyer as an individual authorized to practice law and notes that a lawyer is also called an attorney or attorney-at-law. 

How to Remember the Correct Spelling

A simple way to remember the spelling is:

Attorney + s = Attorneys

Think of the final y as staying exactly where it is:

attorne + y + s = attorneys

Do not change y into i.

A quick memory sentence is:

One attorney, two attorneys.

This makes the plural form easy to recall whenever you are writing an email, essay, legal article, or professional document.

Conclusion

The answer to attornies or attorneys? is straightforward: attorneys is the correct standard spelling. Use attorney when referring to one person and attorneys when referring to more than one.

Remember the simple pattern: one attorney → two attorneys. If you are writing about a government title, however, use the separate plural form attorneys general, not attorney generals.