• 2-minute read
• 24th December 2022

13 Examples of Irregular Plurals

English is notorious for having many exceptions to its grammar rules. Changing nouns to their plural forms is an example of this, due to the hundreds of irregular nouns in the language. This post will cover the different types of irregular nouns, show their plural forms, and give even more exceptions along the way.

1.   Nouns Ending in -f and -fe → -ves

Exception: Most words ending in -ff, -ief, -oof, and -eef follow standard plural rules and add -s.

2.   Nouns Ending in -o → -oes

Exceptions:

●  Words ending in -io (just add an -s)

●  Words ending in vowel + consonant + o (just add an -s)

●  Some words adopted from other languages

Examples:

3.   Nouns Ending in -y → -ies

Words ending in -y are irregular, and there are also exceptions.

Exception: If the last two letters of the noun are a vowel + y, then it does not use -ies.

4.   Nouns That Change Vowels

5.   Nouns That Use -en

6.   Nouns That Use Totally Different Words

7.   Animals That are the Same for Singular and Plural

We use collective nouns when we need to talk about a group of these animals. For example:

Latin and Greek Words

8.   Nouns Ending in -us → -i

Some exceptions:

9.   Nouns ending in -is → -es

10.    Nouns Ending in -um and -on → -a

11.    Nouns Ending in -ix and -ex → -ces and -xes, respectively

12.    Nouns Ending in -ma (Add -ta Suffix)

13.    Major Exception: Uncountable Nouns Do Not Have Plural Forms

Uncountable nouns are concepts of things that imply a vague amount. For example:

Some uncountable nouns use quantifiers if you need to specify an amount. For example:

Takeaway

Ultimately, memorizing these irregular nouns and their plural forms is the only way to learn them. However, some patterns (as shown above) can help. If you need help with grammar rules or irregular nouns in your writing, check out our common writing errors guide. Or if you’d like help from an expert, we’ll happily proofread a sample of your work for free!