Neopronouns, also known as noun-self pronouns or gender-neutral pronouns, are words to use in place of a language’s gender-specific pronouns. These new (neo) pronouns are typically third-person pronouns. In English and many Indo-European languages, most third-person pronouns, particularly singular ones, are specific to gender. Neopronouns, such as “ze” and “xe” avoid this specificity and refer to people who do not identify with a particular gender or prefer not to state their gender identity. 

In the English language, when speaking in the third person, there are two primary sets of pronouns for people: he/him/his/himself and she/her/hers/herself. The plural third-person pronoun is they/them/theirs/themselves. “They” can also refer to a person who identifies as nonbinary or who otherwise wishes not to specify their gender. This usage of an already-official pronoun is not strictly a neopronoun. 

There are a wide array of neopronouns currently in use, though some are much more common than others. Some neopronoun sets include: 

- Xe/xem/xyrs/xemself
- Xy/xyr/xyrs/xyrself
- Hi/hir/hirs/hirself
- Ze/zir/zirs/zirself
- Ey/em/eirs/emself
- Ne/nem/nems/nemself
- Fae/faer/faers/faerself 
- Ae/aer/aers/aerself
- Thon/thon/thon/thonself
- Per/per/pers/perself
- Ve/ver/vers/verself
- Zee/zed/zeta/zetas/zedself
Nonbinary people, transgender people, gender non-conforming people, or those who otherwise wish not to use the standard gendered language might use neopronouns. Take a look at the following examples:

- __I asked to borrow thons car__. This sentence replaces a conventional pronoun such as “his,” “her,” or “their” with the neopronoun “thons.”
- __Ze is going on a trip to the South of France__. Here, the neopronoun “ze” takes the place of a traditional pronoun like “he” or “she.” Sometimes, the spelling of “ze” is “zie.”
- __Co is going to write the manual coself__. In this example, the speaker is using the “co” third-person pronoun and the “coself” reflexive pronoun, rather than writing “He/she/they is/are going to write the manual himself/herself/themselves.”
- __We decided to throw zir a party__.  There are many subtle variations in the spelling of neopronouns.  Here, “zir” could also be spelled “zer” or “zyr.”
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There are a variety of neopronouns, or new pronouns, you may use in place of common gender-specific pronouns.

There are a variety of neopronouns, or new pronouns, you may use in place of common gender-specific pronouns.

Guide to Neopronouns: How to Use Neopronouns

Neopronouns, also known as noun-self pronouns or gender-neutral pronouns, are words to use in place of a language’s gender-specific pronouns. These new (neo) pronouns are typically third-person pronouns. In English and many Indo-European languages, most third-person pronouns, particularly singular ones, are specific to gender. Neopronouns, such as “ze” and “xe” avoid this specificity and refer to people who do not identify with a particular gender or prefer not to state their gender identity. In the English language, when speaking in the third person, there are two primary sets of pronouns for people: he/him/his/himself and she/her/hers/herself. The plural third-person pronoun is they/them/theirs/themselves. “They” can also refer to a person who identifies as nonbinary or who otherwise wishes not to specify their gender. This usage of an already-official pronoun is not strictly a neopronoun.

What Are Neopronouns?

There are a wide array of neopronouns currently in use, though some are much more common than others. Some neopronoun sets include: <ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Xe/xem/xyrs/xemself </li><li class="">Xy/xyr/xyrs/xyrself </li><li class="">Hi/hir/hirs/hirself </li><li class="">Ze/zir/zirs/zirself </li><li class="">Ey/em/eirs/emself </li><li class="">Ne/nem/nems/nemself </li><li class="">Fae/faer/faers/faerself </li><li class="">Ae/aer/aers/aerself </li><li class="">Thon/thon/thon/thonself </li><li class="">Per/per/pers/perself </li><li class="">Ve/ver/vers/verself </li><li class="">Zee/zed/zeta/zetas/zedself </li></ul>

Examples of Neopronouns 

Nonbinary people, transgender people, gender non-conforming people, or those who otherwise wish not to use the standard gendered language might use neopronouns. Take a look at the following examples:<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">I asked to borrow thons car. This sentence replaces a conventional pronoun such as “his,” “her,” or “their” with the neopronoun “thons.” </li><li class="">Ze is going on a trip to the South of France. Here, the neopronoun “ze” takes the place of a traditional pronoun like “he” or “she.” Sometimes, the spelling of “ze” is “zie.” </li><li class="">Co is going to write the manual coself. In this example, the speaker is using the “co” third-person pronoun and the “coself” reflexive pronoun, rather than writing “He/she/they is/are going to write the manual himself/herself/themselves.” </li><li class="">We decided to throw zir a party. There are many subtle variations in the spelling of neopronouns. Here, “zir” could also be spelled “zer” or “zyr.” </li></ul>

How to Use Neopronouns 

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There are a variety of neopronouns, or new pronouns, you may use in place of common gender-specific pronouns.

There are a variety of neopronouns, or new pronouns, you may use in place of common gender-specific pronouns.
