Spelling Plural Nouns

Here are some general rules for spelling plural nouns.

Nouns	Plural	Examples
Most nouns	add s	book, books; cup, cups; sprout, sprouts
Most nouns that end in ch, sh, s, x, or z	add es	box, boxes; bus, buses; prize, prizes
Most nouns that end in a vowel and y	add s	boy, boys; day, days; key, keys
Most nouns that end in a consonant and y	y becomes ies	baby, babies; country, countries; spy, spies
Most nouns that end in f or fe	f or fe becomes ves	elf, elves; loaf, loaves; thief, thieves
Most nouns that end in o	add s	kangaroo, kangaroos; piano, pianos; video, videos
Certain nouns that end in a consonant and o	add es	hero, heroes; potato, potatoes; volcano, volcanoes

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.

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