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Plural
Regular Plurals of Nouns
Irregular Plurals of Nouns
Regular Plurals of Nouns

Most nouns in English have both singular and plural forms, and the plural is usually formed by adding “-s” to the singular. This page explains the basic ways of forming regular plurals in English. For information about forming irregular plurals see Irrgular Plurals of Nouns.
How to form the plural
Noun ending Forming the plural Example
s, x, ch or shAdd -esboss bosses
consonant + yChange y to i then add -esbaby babies
candy candies
curry curries
most othersAdd -scat cats
face faces
day days
Irregular Plural Nouns

Although most nouns have plurals formed according to regular rules (see Regular Plurals of Nouns), some nouns have unusual, or irregular plurals. This page will introduce the most common ones, so that you can learn them.
Types of irregular plural
There are many types of irregular plural, but these are the most common:
Noun type Forming the plural Example
Ends with -fe Change f to v then Add -s knife knives
life lives
wife wives
Ends with -f Change f to v
then
Add -es 		half halves
wolf wolves
loaf loaves
Ends with -o Add -es potato potatoes
tomato tomatoes
volcano volcanoes
ends with -us Change -us to -i cactus cacti
nucleus nuclei
focus foci
ends with -is Change -is to -es analysis analyses
crisis crises
thesis theses
ends with -on Change -on to -a phenomenon phenomena
criterion criteria
ALL KINDS Change the vowel
or
Change the word
or
Add a different ending		 man men
foot feet
child children
person people
tooth teeth
mouse mice
Unchanging Singular and plural
are the same 		sheep
deer
fish (sometimes)
Spelling Plural Nouns

Here are some general rules for spelling plural nouns.

NounsPluralExamples
Most nounsadd sbook, books; cup, cups; sprout, sprouts
Most nouns that end in ch, sh, s, x, or z add esbox, boxes; bus, buses; prize, prizes
Most nouns that end in a vowel and yadd sboy, boys; day, days; key, keys
Most nouns that end in a consonant and yy becomes iesbaby, babies; country, countries; spy, spies
Most nouns that end in f or fef or fe becomes veself, elves; loaf, loaves; thief, thieves
Most nouns that end in oadd skangaroo, kangaroos; piano, pianos; video, videos
Certain nouns that end in a consonant and o add eshero, heroes; potato, potatoes; volcano, volcanoes

Some Exceptions


Geese

Certain English nouns change a vowel sound when they become plural. These include goose, geese; man, men; mouse, mice; and tooth, teeth.

Some nouns don't change at all when they become plural. These include deer, fish, sheep, and species.

A few nouns have plural forms that are left from Old English. These include child, children and ox, oxen.


Fact Monster/Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ten Tips for Better SpellingGrammar and SpellingSpelling the “Seed” Sound

Singular and plural - Exercises and tests

singular + -s

singular plural
a car two cars
a cassette two cassettes
a lamp two lamps
a hat two hats
a cup two cups

Add -es after sibilants:

singular plural
a box two boxes
a sandwich two sandwiches
a suitcase two suitcases
a rose two roses
a garage two garages

Substitute y after consonant with -ies:

singular plural
a city two cities
a lady two ladies

Add -s after vowel + y:

singular plural
a boy two boys
a day two days

There are two forms of the plural of the word penny:
pennies -> You refer to the coins.
pence -> You refer to the price (how much sth. is).

Nouns on -f or -fe:

add -s substitute with -ves
singular plural singular plural
a roof two roofs a_ _
a cliff two cliffs a wife two wives
a sheriff two sheriffs a shelf two shelves

There are two forms possible:

scarf - scarfs/scarves
hoof - hoofs/hooves

Add -s for words ending in -ff.

Always use a dictionary if you are not sure.

Nouns on -o form the plural by adding -s or -es.

add -s substitute with -ves
singular plural singular plural
a disco two discos a tomato two tomatoes
a piano two pianos a potato two potatoes
a photo two photos a hero two heroes

Some nouns can have two plural forms:

buffalo - buffalos/buffaloes
mosquito - mosquitos/mosquitoes
tornado - tornados/tornadoes

There is no rule when to use -s or -es. We often add -s with technical words.

Irregular plural forms:

singular plural
a man two men
a woman two women
a child two children
a mouse two mice
a tooth two teeth
a goose two geese
a foot two feet
an ox two oxen