In English, most plural nouns are formed by adding “-s” or “-es” to the singular form, like “book” becoming “books.” However, there are some nouns that don’t follow this pattern and have their own special rules. These are called irregular plural nouns. In this exploration, we’ll look at 30 examples of irregular plural nouns in English, which will help us understand how they’re different and why they’re interesting.
Here’s a list of 30 irregular plural nouns in English:
- Man – Men
- Woman – Women
- Child – Children
- Tooth – Teeth
- Foot – Feet
- Mouse – Mice
- Goose – Geese
- Ox – Oxen
- Leaf – Leaves
- Fish – Fish (same form for singular and plural)
- Sheep – Sheep (same form for singular and plural)
- Deer – Deer (same form for singular and plural)
- Cactus – Cacti
- Focus – Foci
- Index – Indices
- Crisis – Crises
- Datum – Data
- Appendix – Appendices
- Person – People
- Child – Children
- Louse – Lice
- Mouse – Mice
- Tooth – Teeth
- Goose – Geese
- Criterion – Criteria
- Bacterium – Bacteria
- Phenomenon – Phenomena
- Medium – Media
- Curriculum – Curricula
- Alumnus – Alumni
Studying irregular plural nouns helps us see that English can be a bit tricky, but also fun to learn. We’ve discovered that words like “man” become “men” and “fish” stay the same in both singular and plural. These special plurals show us that English has its own surprises and unique ways of forming words. By understanding irregular plurals, we can expand our vocabulary and appreciate the diversity of the English language.
