Ourselves or Ourself: Which Is Correct?

Updated 2026-10-03 · Which One Is Correct editorial team

Quick answer: The correct form is almost always ourselves. You should use ourselves when referring to a group that includes the speaker. Ourself is rarely accepted in modern standard English and usually appears only in archaic or poetic contexts where it might sound natural to older readers.

The Short Answer

Ourselves is the standard and correct reflexive pronoun for the first person plural in modern English. You should use this form whenever you are talking about a group that includes yourself and others.

Confusion often arises because some singular reflexive pronouns end in self rather than selves, such as myself or yourself. Writers sometimes incorrectly assume that since myself is singular, ourself should be the singular counterpart to ourselves, but that pattern does not hold for the plural we.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Form	Status	Use it when
Ourselves	Standard	Referring to a plural group that includes the speaker
Ourself	Non-standard	Writing archaic poetry or aiming for specific dialectal effect
Myself	Standard	Referring to the singular speaker as the object of action
We	Subject	Performing an action without reflecting back on the actors

Correct Example Sentences

We taught ourselves how to code by watching online tutorials every night.
The committee prepared ourselves for the difficult questions from the audience.
Make sure we treat ourselves to a nice dinner after the exam.
Our team pushed ourselves to finish the project before the deadline.
We should not underestimate ourselves when entering the regional competition.
Please remind yourselves to bring your identification to the event.
We enjoyed ourselves greatly at the annual neighborhood summer festival.
The candidates introduced ourselves to the voters during the town hall.
We blamed ourselves for the misunderstanding that caused the delay.
We congratulated ourselves on a job well done after the launch.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

We looked at ourself in the mirror.: We looked at ourselves in the mirror.
They asked for ourself to speak.: They asked for us to speak.
My friend and ourself went to the store.: My friend and I went to the store.
We hurt ourself during the game.: We hurt ourselves during the game.
The company believes in ourself.: The company believes in us.
We did it all by ourself.: We did it all by ourselves.

A Quick Test You Can Use

Check if the subject is plural and includes you. If you are part of a group performing an action that reflects back on that same group, use ourselves. If the action does not reflect back, use us instead of any reflexive form. Ourself is generally incorrect unless you are writing in a very specific historical style.

Related Word Pairs

Yourself vs Yourselves: Use yourself for singular you and yourselves for plural you.
Themself vs Themselves: Use themselves for plural they; themself is informal and debated.
Who vs Whom: Use who as a subject and whom as an object.
Lose vs Loose: Lose means to misplace; loose means not tight.
Effect vs Affect: Affect is usually a verb; effect is usually a noun.

More Example Sentences

The entire staff treated ourselves to a team lunch after the successful audit.
We must ensure ourselves that all safety protocols are strictly followed.
The committee asked ourselves if we had considered every possible outcome.
We congratulated ourselves on maintaining a perfect attendance record this quarter.
We should remind ourselves to stay hydrated during the long conference.
The team challenged ourselves to improve our response times by ten percent.
We relied on ourselves to solve the complex puzzle without outside assistance.
We promised ourselves to work smarter rather than harder next month.
We reflected on ourselves and noted significant growth in our communication skills.
We pushed ourselves to complete the marathon despite the heavy rain.

Quick Practice

The residents organized themselves to clean up the park.

ourselves

We taught ourselves how to bake sourdough bread during the lockdown.

ourselves

The group introduced ourselves to the new board members at the meeting.

ourselves

We must be honest with ourselves about our financial situation.

ourselves

The volunteers helped ourselves to refreshments after the event ended.

ourselves

We encouraged ourselves to keep practicing until the performance was perfect.

ourselves

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ourself ever correct in modern English?

Ourself is rarely correct in standard modern English. It is mostly seen in archaic texts or poetry. In everyday writing and speech, you should always use ourselves for the plural reflexive form.

Why do people confuse ourselves with ourself?

People confuse these forms because they see patterns like myself or yourself for singular subjects. They mistakenly apply this singular ending to the plural we, not realizing that the plural reflexive always ends in selves.

Can I use ourselves as a subject?

No, you should not use ourselves as the subject of a sentence. Use we for the subject. Ourselves is a reflexive pronoun, which means it acts as the object when the action reflects back on the subject.

Is there a singular form for we?

We is inherently plural. If you need a singular reflexive pronoun for one person, use myself, yourself, himself, herself, or themselves depending on the context and number of the subject being discussed.