Meaning & use
heir vs heiress
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
A comparison of two words: 'heir' means a person who will receive money or property when someone dies, and 'heiress' means a female heir, especially a rich one.
Grammar: Use 'vs' (short for versus) between two words when you are comparing them, as in a heading or a question.
Patterns
- heir vs heiress
- the difference between heir and heiress
- an heir to something
- a wealthy heiress
In the will, she is named as the sole heir, so the whole estate goes to her.
The newspapers called her an heiress because her father left her a fortune.
Many people ask about heir vs heiress, but in everyday speech 'heir' is fine for a woman too.
nouncountable
A person, especially a man, who is legally entitled to receive another person's money, title, or property after that person dies.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an heir', 'two heirs', 'the heir to the throne'. The preposition is usually 'to'.
Patterns
- heir to something
- the heir to the throne
- a legal heir
- the sole heir
As the only child, he is the heir to the family business.
The old man had no heirs, so his house was sold to pay his debts.
She discovered she was the heir to a small fortune from a great-aunt she had never met.
nouncountable
A female heir, especially one who has received or will receive a large amount of money or property.
Grammar: Countable and often used in news stories about rich women. It can sound old-fashioned or disapproving if you focus only on her money.
Patterns
- a wealthy heiress
- an heiress to something
- a hotel heiress
- marry an heiress
The heiress gave most of her fortune to charity.
In the novel, a poor young man marries a rich heiress to save his family.
Reporters followed the heiress everywhere after her father's death.
Common combinations
- heir to the throne
- The prince is first in line as heir to the throne.
- sole heir
- She was named the sole heir in her uncle's will.
- legal heir
- Without a will, the legal heirs are the person's children.
- wealthy heiress
- The wealthy heiress owned several homes in Europe.
- heir vs heiress
- The grammar guide explains heir vs heiress with clear examples.
Synonyms and how they differ
- successor
- Use 'successor' for someone who takes over a job, title, or position, not for someone who receives money after a death.
- beneficiary
- A 'beneficiary' is anyone named in a will or insurance policy to receive something; 'heir' is more specific to family law and inheritance.
- inheritor
- 'Inheritor' is a formal word for a person who receives property or money from someone who has died; it is less common than 'heir'.
Word family
- heirloom noun
- A valuable object passed down in a family from one generation to the next.
- inherit verb
- To receive money, property, or a quality from someone after they die.
- inheritance noun
- The money, property, or title that you receive from someone who has died.
- heirless adjective
- Having no heirs; often used of a family or a person who dies without children.
Commonly confused: heir vs heiress or air / err? heir vs heiress or heiress / hair?
heir vs heiress vs air / err
'Heir' sounds like 'air' in British English and like 'air' or 'err' in some American accents. Do not confuse the spelling with 'air', which is what we breathe.
heir vs heiress vs heiress / hair
'Heiress' can sound like 'hair-ess' for some speakers, but 'hair' is the stuff on your head. Keep the spelling and meaning separate.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'heir' and 'heiress' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 is correct because 'heir to the throne' is the fixed phrase for a royal successor, and 'wealthy heiress' is the common phrase for a rich female inheritor. Option 1 reverses the usual collocations. Option 2 is grammatical but does not show the contrast the question asks about. Option 3 is also grammatical but uses 'heiress' for the throne, which is not the usual fixed phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heir vs heiress”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.