Spelling Plural Nouns
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
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.
