Tricky Plurals You Always Spell Wrong

Monday, December 22 min read

If a word is plural, just add an “s” at the end. But wait. Not all English words are so straightforward. In fact, there’s a whole list of them that don’t follow the “add an 's'” convention. Why? Some English words have different origins and the root language can often impact the usage.

Embrace the Irregularity

There’s a whole class of irregular nouns just waiting for someone to mess them up.

If a noun ends in a single “f,” there’s a strong possibility that, instead of adding an “s,” you drop the “f” and add "-ves." "Wolf" becomes "wolves." "Calf" becomes "calves." "Loaf" becomes "loaves." The exception to this exception is if the word ends in a double “f” — that’s a plural "s." "Cliffs," "cuffs," and "mastiffs" are all regular plural nouns.

It’s near impossible to create an exhaustive list that includes all irregular plural nouns, but there are some examples that show just how irregular the nouns can get.

Mouse → Mice

Goose → Geese

Fungus → Fungi

Appendix → Appendices

Ox → Oxen

Deer → Deer (Zero plural nouns are spelled the same in plural and singular forms.)

Where do these irregular plurals come from? Blame their "parents." Words like "fungus" and "appendix" come from Latin, and "goose" and "ox" have Germanic origins. These words retain the plural rules from their original languages. English borrows so much from other languages that it’s no surprise it has so many irregularities.

Sometimes there isn’t just one way to spell a plural. That can work in two ways — either it makes tricky plurals harder to grasp, or it makes them more flexible.

Sometimes the plural form of a word is outdated. Take "roof." Under the "f" rule explained earlier, the plural should be "rooves." That actually was a commonly accepted use in English, and it's technically not wrong. It’s just not what most people use in modern English. Instead, it's "roofs." This word becomes irregular by following the regular plural convention.

Animals are especially common in the world of irregular plural choices. Take your pick between "fish" and "fishes," "shrimp" and "shrimps." Spellcheck might pick one version over the other, but both are technically correct.

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