Plurals in English: one cat, two cats (rules and chart)
By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026
One thing is singular: a cat. Two or more things are plural: two cats. For most words you just add -s. A few patterns change that, and a short list of words do their own thing. The colour shows the plural part.
| Rule | One | More than one |
|---|---|---|
| : -s | | |
| s, x, ch, sh: -es | | |
| consonant + y: -ies | | |
| -f / -fe: -ves | | |
| irregular | | |
|
Quick check
Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.
Spot the mistake
0/3Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.
One and more than one: add -s
This is the big rule. Most words just add -s.
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| |
|
.(more than one sister)Ben .(three, so -s)
One apple. More than one: add -s.
Use the plural after any number more than one, and after many and some:
A word for one thing usually needs a or an: a book. A plural does not: books (not a books).
Add -es after s, x, ch and sh
These words end in a hissing sound. Only -s is hard to say, so we add -es. It makes a new beat: bus, bus-es.
| Ends in | One | More than one |
|---|---|---|
| s | | |
| ss | | |
| x | | |
| ch | | |
| sh | |
.(bus-es: two beats)
Some words in -o add -es too: ,
. But many add only -s: ,
. There is no rule here: learn them one by one.
Consonant + y becomes -ies
Look at the letter before the y. A consonant (b, d, t and so on)? Take away the y and add -ies.
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| |
|
A vowel (a, e, i, o, u) before the y? Just add -s.
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| |
|
.(o before y: just -s).(t before y: -ies)
Two boies is a common spelling mistake with plurals.
Some words in -f or -fe change to -ves
Some words that end in -f or -fe change the ending to -ves.
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
But not all of them. Some just add -s: ,
. Learn the -ves words as a list. If you do not know
a word, -s is a safe guess.
Irregular plurals: man, men; child, children
A small group of very common words have their own plural. There is no rule: learn them by heart. The colour shows what changes.
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
,
.(2 + 3 people)Ana .(not childs).(both feet)
Women sounds like "wimmin": the first part of the word changes too, not just the end. Children and people are already plural, so never add -s: not childrens, not peoples.
Words that do not change: sheep, fish
A few words are the same for one and more than one.
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| deer | deer |
The verb tells you how many:
.(one sheep).(more than one)
Fishes exists, but it is less common. Most people say fish for any number: Ben has three fish. (three, no -s)
Saying the -s: three sounds
The plural -s is written one way but said three ways. Listen to the last sound of the word.
| Last sound | Say | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| p, t, k, f, th | /s/ | |
| /z/ | | |
| s, z, ch, sh, j | /ɪz/ | |
The third group adds a beat. Bus is one beat; buses is two. Horse,
house and page do this too, though they end in e:
(HOR-siz), (PAY-jiz).
Do not worry too much about /s/ and /z/: people will understand you. The extra beat in buses matters more. It is the same idea as the -ed beat in wanted (-ed endings).
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| two childs | two children | Irregular plural. |
| two boies | two boys | Vowel + y: -s. |
| three babys | three babies | Consonant + y: -ies. |
| The people is nice. | The people are nice. | plural. |
| some informations | some information | plural. |
| some advices | some advice | plural. |
| a books | a book / books | plural. |
Information and advice have no plural in English, because you cannot count them: some information, a piece of advice. See countable and uncountable nouns.
What to do next
- Look around you and count: two chairs, three books, one window.
- Do the drills below. Next: there is and there are, where plurals are everywhere: There are two cats.