English plurals: meaning, spelling and final sound
Use a plural when a countable sense refers to more than one item. Written and spoken endings need separate attention.
Use the pattern in context
Most regular plurals add s, while forms such as box/boxes and city/cities use spelling changes. Common irregulars include person/people and child/children. Spoken regular endings have three common forms: /s/ in cats, /z/ in dogs and /ɪz/ in horses. The preceding sound selects the ending; the final written letter alone is not enough.
Examples to compare
- Regular: one book, two books.
- Spelling: one city, two cities.
- Irregular: one person, three people.
Limits and useful distinctions
An apostrophe does not make an ordinary plural. Some words have unchanged or alternative plural forms, and uncountable senses do not normally take a regular plural. Use a dictionary for an unfamiliar word. The final-s guide explains the sound rule in more detail.
Check your understanding
Should three city’s be used for the ordinary plural?
Reveal the answer and reason
No. Write three cities.
The y changes to ies after the consonant; no possessive apostrophe is needed. Read the guide
Try a new example with the same purpose. Check that your version keeps the intended meaning and grammatical pattern.