Singular = exactly one
Plural = more than one
Plural nouns in English follow several consistent patterns. Let's learn them!
1) Basic Rule: Add –s
The most common way to form plurals is simply to add -s to the end of the noun.
cat
→cats
book
→books
car
→cars
dog
→dogs
apple
→apples
banana
→bananas
animal
→animals
present
→presents
2) Add –es for Nouns Ending in s, x, z, ch, sh
Use -es for words ending in hissing sounds like s, x, z, ch, and sh.
bus
→buses
box
→boxes
quiz
→quizzes
Double the "z"
church
→churches
dish
→dishes
watch
→watches
3) Irregular Plurals
Some plural forms are irregular and do not follow a clear pattern.
man
→men
woman
→women
child
→children
person
→people
foot
→feet
tooth
→teeth
goose
→geese
mouse
→mice
ox
→oxen
crisis
→crises
thesis
→theses
criterion
→criteria
phenomenon
→phenomena
stimulus
→stimuli
cactus
→cacti
focus
→foci
nucleus
→nuclei
fungus
→fungi
syllabus
→syllabi
alumnus
→alumni
octopus
→octopi
louse
→lice
datum
→data
curriculum
→curricula
appendix
→appendices
4) Change –f or –fe to –ves
For nouns ending in -f or -fe, change the ending to -ves.
knife
→knives
leaf
→leaves
life
→lives
loaf
→loaves
thief
→thieves
scarf
→scarves
shelf
→shelves
wife
→wives
calf
→calves
elf
→elves
half
→halves
self
→selves
Exceptions
Some nouns ending in -f simply add -s.
chief
→chiefs
roof
→roofs
belief
→beliefs
chef
→chefs
cliff
→cliffs
5) Nouns Ending in -o
Consonant + o → add -es
tomato
→tomatoes
potato
→potatoes
hero
→heroes
echo
→echoes
torpedo
→torpedoes
tornado
→tornadoes
domino
→dominoes
mango
→mangoesor mangos
cargo
→cargoesor cargos
mosquito
→mosquitoesor mosquitos
volcano
→volcanoesor volcanos
buffalo
→buffaloesor buffalos
*Note: For the dual options above, adding -es is more common, but -s is also acceptable.
Vowel + o → add -s
zoo
→zoos
radio
→radios
studio
→studios
video
→videos
kangaroo
→kangaroos
portfolio
→portfolios
bamboo
→bamboos
Exceptions (Consonant + o → add -s)
piano
→pianos
photo
→photos
memo
→memos
casino
→casinos
piccolo
→piccolos
Either -s or -es (both correct, -s more common)
zero
→zerosor zeroes
avocado
→avocadosor avocadoes
6) Nouns Ending in –y
Consonant + y → change y to -ies
baby
→babies
city
→cities
story
→stories
country
→countries
spy
→spies
army
→armies
puppy
→puppies
butterfly
→butterflies
cherry
→cherries
Vowel + y → add -s
toy
→toys
key
→keys
boy
→boys
day
→days
birthday
→birthdays
monkey
→monkeys
guy
→guys
7) Unchanging Plural Nouns (Invariable Nouns)
Some nouns have the exact same form in both singular and plural.
aircraft
→aircraft
sheep
→sheep
deer
→deer
salmon
→salmon
tuna
→tuna
fish
→fish
(but "fishes" when referring to different species)
species
→species
series
→series
trout
→trout
moose
→moose
bison
→bison
swine
→swine
cod
→cod
reindeer
→reindeer
offspring
→offspring
headquarters
→headquarters
8) Plural-Only Nouns
Some nouns exist only in the plural form, even when referring to a single item.
trousers
jeans
shorts
scissors
glasses
