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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 |
Some Exceptions
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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