IRREGULAR PLURALS LIST

Study these groups of words to learn how they change to plural. Each group of words has similar changes.

US -> I SINGULAR alumnus cactus focus fungus nucleus radius stimulus IS -> ES SINGULAR axis analysis basis crisis diagnosis ellipsis hypothesis oasis paralysis parenthesis synthesis synopsis thesis IX -> ICES SINGULAR appendix index matrix PLURAL Appendices indeces/indexes matrices/matrixes Axes Analyses Bases Crises Diagnoses Ellipses Hypotheses Oases Paralyses Parentheses Syntheses Synopses Theses PLURAL alumni cacti foci/focuses fungi/funguses Nuclei Radii stimuli PLURAL

EAU -> EAUX SINGULAR beau bureau tableau *** -> EN SINGULAR child man ox woman *** -> A SINGULAR bacterium corpus criterion curriculum datum genus medium memorandum phenomenon stratum NO CHANGE SINGULAR deer fish means offspring series sheep species OO -> EE SINGULAR PLURAL Deer Fish Means offspring Series Sheep Species PLURAL PLURAL Bacteria Corpora Criteria Curricula Data Genera Media memoranda phenomena Strata Men Oxen Women PLURAL Children Beaux bureaus/bureaux tableaux/tableaus PLURAL

foot goose tooth A -> AE SINGULAR antenna formula nebula vertebra vita OUSE -> ICE SINGULAR louse mouse

Feet Geese Teeth

PLURAL antennae/antennas formulae/formulas nebulae vertebrae Vitae

PLURAL Lice Mice

The Rules of Regular and Irregular Plurals

For most nouns, just add -s
Singular hand rabbit key clock football door Plural hands rabbits keys clocks footballs doors

For nouns ending in s, x, z, ch or sh, add -es

Singular box pitch wish boss buzz glass Plural boxes pitches wishes bosses buzzes glasses

For some words ending in o, add -es

Singular potato tomato hero echo banjo Plural potatoes tomatoes heroes echoes banjoes

However, for some words ending in o, just add -s

Singular cello disco hairdo logo patio photo Plural cellos discos hairdos logos patios photos pianos radios

The plural of many words ending in o can be spelt with -s or -es.

piano radio

For some words ending in f, change the f to a v and add -es

Singular half loaf elf leaf self shelf thief wolf Plural halves loaves elves leaves selves shelves thieves wolves

However, for some words ending in f, just add -s

Singular chef cliff ref roof Plural chefs cliffs refs roofs

The plural of some nouns ending in f can be spelt using either variation.

For some nouns ending in ife, change the f to a v and then add -s
Singular wife Plural wives

For common nouns that end with consonant + y, change the y to an i and then add -es
Singular poppy Plural poppies

life knife

lives knives

fly penny spy nappy sty

flies pennies spies nappies sties

Some nouns are the same in both singular and plural from
Singular fish sheep deer tuna salmon trout Plural fish sheep deer tuna salmon trout

For some nouns, change other letters or just change the word completely!
Singular person child ox foot tooth goose mouse louse man Plural people children oxen feet teeth geese mice lice men Last updated: 30th September 2006