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Plurals of Nouns
A. Regular Plurals

1. Most nouns ending in a consonant or a silent e form regular plurals by adding
s. See below for exceptions.

Singular Plural
bed beds
cent cents
cheetah cheetahs
clue clues
cuff cuffs
horse horses
path paths
prize prizes
topic topics
truck trucks
window windows

2. Words that end in sibilants such as ch (when not pronounced as /k/), ce, dge, ge, s,
tch, x, or z add es. The es is pronounced as a separate syllable.

Singular Plural
age ages
atlas atlases
box boxes
bus buses/busses
church churches
class classes
dish dishes
ditch ditches
edge edges
fox foxes
gas gases
hoax hoaxes
inch inches
mass masses
peach peaches
quiz quizzes
topaz topazes
waltz waltzes
watch watches
wish wishes



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2a. Words that end in ch when the ch is pronounced as /k/ add only s.

Singular Plural
Czech Czechs
epoch epochs
loch lochs
matriarch matriarchs
oligarch oligarchs
patriarch patriarchs
stomach stomachs
tach tachs
tech techs

3. Words ending in y.

3a. Words ending in a vowel plus y add s to form the plural.

Singular Plural
boy boys
day days
donkey donkeys
guy guys
hallway hallways
toy toys
Exceptions:

Singular Plural
colloquy colloquies
money moneys/monies
soliloquy soliloquies

3b. Words ending in a consonant plus y change the y to i and add es.


Singular
Plural
artery arteries
biopsy biopsies
body bodies
country countries
story stories










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4. Nouns ending in f, -ff, or fe.

4a. Many of these nouns just add s.

Singular Plural
belief beliefs
chief chiefs
cliff cliffs
cuff cuffs
handkerchief handkerchiefs
proof proofs
reef reefs
roof roofs
sheriff sheriffs

4b. Others change the f to v and add es.

Singular Plural
calf calves
elf elves
half halves
knife knives
leaf leaves
life lives
scarf scarves
self selves
thief thieves
wife wives
wolf wolves

4c. A few have both forms.

Singular Plural
dwarf *dwarfs/dwarves
hoof hoofs/*hooves
loaf loafs/*loaves
wharf wharfs/*wharves

*Preferred form










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5. Nouns ending in a vowel (except silent e).

5a. Singular nouns ending in i usually add s.

Singular Plural
alibi alibis
rabbi rabbis
salami salamis
ski skis
taxi taxis

5b. Words ending in a vowel plus o add s.

Singular Plural
bamboo bamboos
cameo cameos
cuckoo cuckoos
folio folios
kangaroo kangaroos
patio patios
radio radios
ratio ratios
shampoo shampoos
stereo stereos
studio studios
tattoo tattoos
zoo zoos

5c. Many words ending in a consonant plus o add s.

Singular Plural
avocado avocados
concerto concertos
condo condos
demo demos
ego egos
embryo embryos
hairdo hairdos
kilo kilos
photo photos
piano pianos
solo solos
soprano sopranos
tango tangos




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5d. Some words ending in a consonant plus o add es.

Singular Plural
echo echoes
embargo embargoes
hero heroes
mosquito mosquitoes
potato potatoes
tomato tomatoes
torpedo torpedoes
veto vetoes
volcano volcanoes

5e. Some words ending in o add either s or es.

Singular Plural
banjo banjos*/banjoes
cargo cargos/cargoes*
commando commando*/commandoes
halo halos*/haloes
motto mottos/mottoes*
tornado tornados/tornadoes*
zero zeros*/zeroes

*Preferred Form

5f. Nouns that end in a, ee, ie, and u add s.

Singular Plural
arena arenas
bee bees
coma comas
cookie cookies
guinea guineas
guru gurus
hernia hernias
knee knees
menu menus
movie movies
nominee nominees
tea teas








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B. Irregular Plurals

1. Plurals formed by adding (r)en.

Singular Plural
brother brothers/brethren*
child children
ox oxen

*Used only in a religious sense nowadays.

2. Plurals formed by a change of the medial vowel.

Singular Plural
foot feet
goose geese
louse lice
man men
mouse mice
tooth teeth
woman women

3. Nouns which retain the singular form in the plural (zero plural).

Singular Plural
deer deer
moose moose
salmon salmon
sheep sheep
trout trout

4. Nouns which have the regular plural and zero plural.

Singular Plural
antelope antelopes/antelope
crab crabs/crab
duck ducks (farm)/duck (wild)
elk elks/elk
flounder flounders/flounder
herring herrings/herring
reindeer reindeers/reindeer







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C. Foreign Plurals

1. Many Latin nouns that end in us form their plurals by adding the regular
English plural ending es.

Singular Plural
bonus bonuses
campus campuses
chorus choruses
circus circuses
prospectus prospectuses
virus viruses

2. Other Latin nouns that end in us have two forms: a regular English plural
and the Latin plural.

Singular English Plural Latin Plural
apparatus apparatuses apparatus
cactus cactus cacti
(preferred)
corpus corpuses corpora
focus focuses foci
fungus funguses fungi
(preferred)
nucleus nucleuses nuclei
radius radiuses radii
stylus styluses styli
syllabus syllabuses syllabi
terminus terminuses termini

3. Other nouns derived from Latin that end in us form their plurals by adding
i or ra.

Singular Latin Plural
bacillus bacilli
coccus cocci
genus genera
locus loci
opus opera
pneumococcus pneumococci
staphylococcus staphylococci
stimulus stimuli
streptococcus streptococci





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4. Latin nouns ending in a usually add es to form the plural.

Singular Plural
area areas
arena arenas
dilemma dilemmas
diploma diplomas
drama dramas
encyclopedia encyclopedias
era eras
idea ideas
panorama panoramas
quota quotas
retina retinas
sofa sofas
sonata sonatas
umbrella umbrellas
villa villas

5. Some Latin nouns ending in a have both the English and Latin plural.

Singular English Plural Latin Plural
antenna antennas
(radio & TV)
antennae
(biology)
formula formulas
(preferred)
formulae
nebula nebulas nebulae
vertebra vertebras vertebrae
(preferred)

6. A few Latin nouns ending in a have only the Latin Plural.

Singular Plural
alga algae
larva larvae

7. To refer to a person who has graduated from college, a form of the word
alumnus is often used.

One male graduate: alumnus
Two or more male graduates: alumni
One female graduate: alumna
Two or more female graduates: alumnae

Note: One can avoid confusing these forms by using the word graduate(s)
instead.


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8. Latin nouns ending in ex and ix usually have two plural forms: one regular
English plural and a Latin plural formed by changing ex or ix to ices.

Singular English Plural Latin Plural
apex apexes apices
appendix appendixes (anatomy) appendices (books)
codex codices
index indexes indices (mathematics)
matrix matrixes matrices
vertex vertexes vertices
vortex vortexes vortices

9. Many nouns of Latin origin ending in um have a regular English plural and
a Latin plural ending in a. Others in this group have only the English plural,
and still others have only the Latin plural.

Singular English Plural Latin Plural
aquarium aquariums aquaria
curriculum curriculums curricula
medium mediums (spiritualist) media (radio, TV, etc.)
memorandum memorandums memoranda
moratorium moratoriums moratoria
stadium stadiums (sports) stadia (Roman measurement)
stratum stratums strata (preferred)
symposium symposiums symposia

Singular English Plural
album albums
asylum asylums
chrysanthemum chrysanthemums
forum forums
museum museums
ultimatum ultimatums

Singular Latin Plural
addendum addenda
bacterium bacteria
corrigendum corrigenda
datum data*
desideratum desiderata
erratum errata
ovum ova
stratum strata

*Data is often used as a singular noun instead of datum.


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10. Nouns derived from the Greek ending in is change is to es (pronounced
/iz/) to form the plural.

Singular Greek Plural
analysis analyses
axis axes
basis bases
crisis crises
diagnosis diagnoses
ellipsis ellipses
hypothesis hypotheses
oasis oases
parenthesis parentheses
synopsis synopses
thesis theses

Note: Metropolis has a regular English plural metropolises.
Note: The plural of basis is pronounced /:beI siz/, but the plural of base is
pronounced /:beI sIz/.

11. Many Greek nouns ending in on form regular English plurals by adding s.
Others change the on to a. A few have both forms.

Singular Plural
demon demons
electron electrons
neutron neutrons
proton protons

Singular Greek Plural
criterion criteria
phenomenon phenomena

Singular English Plural Greek Plural
automaton automatons automata
ganglion ganglions ganglia

12. Greek nouns ending in ma have a regular English plural and a Greek plural
ending in mata.

Singular English Plural Greek Plural
dogma *dogmas dogmata**
schema schemas *schemata
stigma stigmas stigmata
stoma stomas *stomata

*Preferred form
**Rare
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13. Nouns of French origin ending in eau have a regular plural ending in s and
a French plural ending in eaux. Both plurals are pronounced /z/.

Singular English Plural French Plural
adieu adieus* adieux
bureau bureaus* bureaux
plateau plateaus* plateaux
tableau tableaus tableaux*
trousseau trousseaus trousseaux*

*Preferred form

14. Some nouns derived from French ending in s or x have the same form in
both singular and plural; however, in speech the ending is pronounced /z/ in
the plural.

Singular Plural
chamois chamois
chassis chassis
corps corps
faux pas faux pas
patois patois

15. Some nouns of Italian origin ending in o have an Italian plural ending in i.

Singular English Plural Italian Plural
graffito (archeology) -- graffiti
libretto *librettos libretti
solo *solos soli**
soprano sopranos --
tempo *tempos tempi
virtuoso *virtuosos virtuosi

*Preferred form
**Rare

16. Some nouns of Hebrew origin have a regular English plural and a Hebrew
plural ending in im; others have only the Hebrew plural.

Singular English Plural Hebrew Plural
cherub cherubs cherubim
seraph seraphs seraphim
teraph teraphim*
kibbutz kibbutzim

*Usually used in the plural


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C. Proper Nouns

Most proper nouns have regular plurals, even nouns ending in consonant + y .

Singular Plural
Brady the Bradys
Germany the two Germanys
Kennedy the Kennedys

Exceptions:

Singular Plural
Allegheny Mountains Alleghenies
Rocky Mountains Rockies

D. Compounds

Compound nouns usually form their plural by pluralizing the most important word.

1. Compound nouns which pluralize the first word.

Singular Plural
attorney general attorneys general
brother-in-law brothers-in-law
commander-in-chief commanders-in-chief
consul general consuls general
court-martial courts-martial
father-in-law fathers-in-law
hanger-on hangers-on
lady-in-waiting ladies-in-waiting
maid of honor maids of honor
man-at-arms men-at-arms
man-of-war men-of-war
mother-in-law mothers-in-law
notary public notaries public
passer-by passers-by
poet laureate poets laureate
sister-in-law sisters-in-law

2. Examples of the types of compound nouns which pluralize the last word.

Singular Plural
apple tree apple trees
close-up close-ups
fountain pen fountain pens
shut-in shut-ins
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3. Compounds written as one word add the plural to the end of the word.

Singular Plural
bucketful bucketfuls
cupful cupfuls
journeyman journeymen
spoonful spoonfuls
stepchild stepchildren
stowaway stowaways
toothpick toothpicks

3. Compound nouns which pluralize both words.

Singular Plural
gentleman farmer gentlemen farmers
manservant menservants
woman doctor women doctors

E. Numbers, Letters, Words, and Symbols

1. The plural of numbers and abbreviations is formed by adding s (traditional)
or only s (recent trend).

in the 1930s or 1930s
to count by 10s or 10s
to know your ABCs or ABCs
two MPs or MPs

2. The plural of letters, symbols, and words used as examples is formed by
adding s.

Cross your ts and dot your is.
The border consisted of a series of s.
There are too many ands in this sentence.
There were two large Xs on the map.

Note: Do not add an apostrophe to a number that is written out.

The gymnast scored three tens in the competition.


If you are not sure about a plural or its meaning, consult a good dictionary.





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Bibliography

Curme, George O. English Grammar. 1947. College Outline Series 61. New York:
Barnes & Noble, 1964.
Davies, Peter, ed. Success with Words. Pleasantville: Reader's Digest, 1983.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1999.
Perrin, Porter G., and George H. Smith. Handbook of Current English. Chicago: Scott,
Foresman, 1955.
Quirk, Randolph, et al. A Grammar of Contemporary English. London: Longman, 1974.
Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. CD-ROM. Vers. 3.0. Random, 1999.