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Plural nouns

In English, plural nouns are essential for talking about more than one person, place, or thing, and they follow a range of important spelling rules. While many nouns simply take ‑s, others require ‑es, spelling changes like ‑y to ‑ies, or have irregular forms. This guide explains how plural nouns are formed in English, covering regular rules, pronunciation-based changes, and common exceptions.

How to form

Rule 1: Just add -s

For most nouns simply add ‑s. This is the most common and straightforward rule.

  • book → books
  • car → cars
  • house → houses
Rule 2: Ending in ‑s, ‑ss, ‑sh, ‑ch, ‑x, ‑z

When a noun ends with these sounds, we add ‑es to make pronunciation easier.

  • bus → buses
  • kiss → kisses
  • dish → dishes
  • watch → watches
  • box → boxes
  • waltz → waltzes
Exception 1: With nouns that end in ‑z sometimes we add an extra ‑z before ‑es to the plural form of the word. We do this to preserve the pronunciation of short vowels and adhere to the standard spelling rules of the English language.
  • quiz → quizzes
  • fez → fezzes
Exception 2: For words ending in ‑ch that are pronounced with a /k/ sound, just add ‑s. We do this because when ‑ch sounds like /k/, it creates a 'hard' ending. Since the sound /ks/ is very easy to pronounce, we follow the standard rule and simply add ‑s.
  • stomach → stomachs
  • monarch → monarchs
Rule 3: Ending in ‑y

If a noun ends with a consonant + ‑y, change ‑y to ‑i and then add ‑es.

  • baby → babies
  • city → cities
  • dictionary → dictionaries
Rule 4: Ending in ‑f or ‑fe

Many, but not all, nouns ending in ‑f or ‑fe change the ending to ‑ves.

  • knife → knives
  • wife → wives
  • leaf → leaves
Important: Some nouns follow a different rule and you simply add ‑s.
  • roof → roofs
  • chef → chefs
Rule 5: Ending in ‑o

This is one of the trickiest rules, as it has two patterns. The best approach is to memorize common examples. In the first case for many nouns ending in ‑o add ‑es.

  • tomato → tomatoes
  • potato → potatoes
  • hero → heroes
In the second case for nouns, especially those related to music or technology, just add ‑s.
  • piano → pianos
  • photo → photos
  • radio → radios
Rule 6: Irregular plurals

Some common English nouns have completely irregular plural forms. These do not follow any spelling rule and must be memorized.

  • man → men
  • woman → women
  • child → children
  • person → people
  • foot → feet
  • tooth → teeth
  • mouse → mice
Rule 7: Nouns that are the same in singular and plural

Some nouns do not change at all. These often refer to animals or collective groups.

  • sheep
  • fish
  • deer
  • series
  • species
Rule 8: Nouns used only in the plural

Some nouns in English only exist in the plural form and have no singular version.

  • scissors
  • jeans
  • shorts

Exercises for practice

Superlative adjectives | English A2 grammar exercisesSuperlative adjectivesgrammar A2Plural nouns | English A2 grammar exercisesPlural nounsgrammar A2Subordinating Conjunctions | English B1 grammar exercisesSubordinating Conjunctionsgrammar B1