Rules for Irregular Plural Formation

of Nouns
The majority of nouns in English spell their plural by simply adding a final -s. Nouns that
are noncount or abstract (e.g., cheese, sugar, honesty, intelligence) generally take a
singular verb, but in some instances can be plural, in which case they follow the rules for
plural based on their spelling. Also, there are some categories of words which are only
plural, even though their spelling does not reflect this. They are included in a list at the
end of this page. For irregular count nouns and nouns that have been borrowed from other
languages, the rules are as follows:

Variations of the final -s rule:

• Nouns that end with -s, -z, -x, -sh, -ch

Add -es

glass/glasses, buzz/buzzes, box/boxes, bush/bushes, switch/switches

• Nouns that end in -o

Add -es

potato/potatoes, echo/echoes, hero/heroes

exceptions: studio/studios, piano/pianos, kangaroo/kangaroos, zoo/zoos

either: buffalo/buffalo(e)s, cargo/cargo(e)s, motto/motto(e)s,

volcano/volcano(e)s

• Nouns that end in a consonant + -y

Change -y to -i and add -es

baby/babies, spy/spies, poppy/poppies

• Nouns that end in -f, or -fe

Change the -f to -v and add -es

 shelf/shelves, wolf/wolves, knife/knives, wife/wives

Nouns adopted from other languages:

• Singular ends in -is

Plural ends in -es

analysis/analyses, basis/bases

• Singular ends in -um

Plural ends in -a

datum/data, curriculum/curricula

• Singular ends in -on

Plural ends in -a

criterion/criteria, phenomenon/phenomena

• Singular ends in -a

Plural ends in -ae

formula/formulae, antenna/antennae

• Singular ends in -ex or -ix

Plural ends in -ices

appendix/appendices, index/indices

• Singular ends in -us

Plural ends in -i

focus/foci, stimulus/stimuli
 • Singular ends in -us

Plural ends in -a

corpus/corpora, genus/genera

• Singular ends in -eau

Plural ends in -eaux

bureau/bureaux, beau/beaux

Nouns that have only a plural form and so take a plural verb

• Things that come in pairs

Tools: glasses, scissors, binoculars, forceps, tongs, tweezers

Clothes: jeans, pants, pajamas, shorts, trousers

• Nouns that end in -s but have no singular (aggregate nouns)

accommodations, amends, archives, arms (weapons), bowels, intestines,

brains (intellect), clothes, communications, congratulations, contents,

stairs, thanks, goods

• Nouns that are plural but do not end in -s

people, police, cattle, people

Irregular Plural Nouns - List One

Some nouns that end in -f or -fe are changed to -ves in the plural:

-f or -fe becomes -ves

calf calves
 elf elves
half halves
hoof hooves
knife knives
leaf leaves
life lives
loaf loaves
scarf scarfs/scarves
self selves
sheaf sheaves
shelf shelves
thief thieves
wife wives
wolf wolves
Back to Table of Contents
Irregular Plural Nouns - List Two
Some nouns change the vowel sound in becoming plural:

singular plural
fireman firemen
foot feet
goose geese
louse lice
man men
mouse mice
tooth teeth
woman women
Some Old English plurals are still in use:

singular plural
child children
ox oxen
 Back to Table of Contents
Irregular Plural Nouns - List Three
Some nouns ending in -o take -s as the plural, while others take -es.

-o becomes -os -o becomes -oes

auto autos echo echoes
kangaroo kangaroos embargo embargoes
kilo kilos hero heroes
memo memos potato potatoes
photo photos tomato tomatoes
piano pianos torpedo torpedoes
pimento pimentos veto vetoes
pro pros
solo solos
soprano sopranos
studio studios
tattoo tattoos
video videos
zoo zoos
Some nouns ending in -o take either -s or -es:

singular plural
buffalo buffalos/buffaloes
cargo cargos/cargoes
halo halos/haloes
mosquito mosquitos/mosquitoes
motto mottos/mottoes
no nos/noes
tornado tornados/tornadoes
volcano volcanos/volcanoes
zero zeros/zeroes
Back to Table of Contents
 Irregular Plural Nouns - List Four
Some nouns do not change at all:

singular plural
cod* cod*
deer deer
fish* fish*
offspring offspring
perch* perch*
sheep sheep
trout* trout*
*Notice that these are names of fish. Many (but not all!) fish have irregular
plural forms. Salmon, pike, halibut and tuna are further examples, but one
shark becomes two sharks.

These include nouns that are traditionally plural, but are also used for singular
forms:

singular plural
barracks barracks
crossroads crossroads
dice/die dice
gallows gallows
headquarters headquarters
means means
series series
species species
Back to Table of Contents
Irregular Plural Nouns - List Five
Other nouns retain foreign plurals. Note that some of these have adapted a
regular English plural form as well.
 singular foreign plural English plural in use
alga algae
amoeba amoebae amoebas
antenna antennae antennas
formula formulae formulas
larva larvae
nebula nebulae nebulas
vertebra vertebrae
Nouns ending in -us with plural -a (only in technical use):

singular plural
corpus corpora
genus genera
Nouns ending in -us with plural -i:

singular foreign plural English plural in use

alumnus alumni
bacillus bacilli
cactus cacti cactuses
focus foci
fungus fungi funguses
nucleus nuclei
octopus octopi octopuses
radius radii
stimulus stimuli
syllabus syllabi syllabuses
terminus termini
Nouns ending in -um with plural -a:

singular Foreign plural English plural in use

addendum addenda
bacterium bacteria
curriculum curricula curriculums
datum data
 erratum errata
medium media
memorandum memoranda memorandums
ovum ova
stratum strata
symposium symposia symposiums
Nouns ending in -ex, -ix becoming plural -ices:

singular Foreign plural English plural in use

apex apices apexes
appendix appendices appendixes
cervix cervices cervixes
index indices indexes
matrix matrices matrixes
vortex vortices
Nouns ending in -is becoming -es in plural:

singular plural
analysis analyses
axis axes
basis bases
crisis crises
diagnosis diagnoses
emphasis emphases
hypothesis hypotheses
neurosis neuroses
oasis oases
parenthesis parentheses
synopsis synopses
thesis theses
Nouns ending in -on becoming -a:

singular plural
criterion criteria
 phenomenon phenomena
automaton automata
Other irregular plurals, retained from different languages:

singular plural
libretto libretti
Italian tempo tempi
virtuoso virtuosi
cherub cherubim
Hebrew
seraph seraphim
Greek schema schemata

DRUGI NACIN

Types of irregular plural

There are many types of irregular plural, but these are the most common:
 Noun type Forming the plural Examples
Change f to v knife - knives
Ends with -fe then life - lives
wife - wives
Add -s
Change f to v half - halves
Ends with -f then wolf - wolves
loaf - loaves
Add -es
potato - potatoes
Ends with -o Add -es tomato - tomatoes
volcano - volcanoes

cactus - cacti
ends with -us Change -us to -i nucleus - nuclei
focus - foci

analysis - analyses
ends with -is Change -is to -es crisis - crises
thesis - theses

phenomenon - phenomena
ends with -on Change -on to -a criterion - criteria

Change the vowel man - men

or foot - feet
child - children
ALL KINDS Change the word person - people
or tooth - teeth
mouse - mice
Add a different ending
Singular and plural sheep
Unchanging deer
are the same fish (sometimes)