Regular Plurals
The plural morpheme in English is suffixed to the end of most nouns. Regular English plurals fall into three classes, depending upon the sound that ends the singular form:
Where a singular noun ends in a sibilant sound —/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/ or /dʒ/— the plural is formed by adding /ɨz/. The spelling adds -es, or -s if the singular already ends in -e:
| kiss | kisses | /ˈkɪsɨz/ |
| phase | phases | /ˈfeɪzɨz/ |
| dish | dishes | /ˈdɪʃɨz/ |
| massage | massages | /məˈsɑːʒɨz/ or /ˈmæsɑːʒɨz/ |
| witch | witches | /ˈwɪtʃɨz/ |
| judge | judges | /ˈdʒʌdʒɨz/ |
When the singular form ends in a voiceless consonant (other than a sibilant) —/p/, /t/, /k/, /f/ or /θ/— the plural is formed by adding /s/. The spelling adds -s:
| lap | laps | /læps/ |
| cat | cats | /kæts/ |
| clock | clocks | /klɒks/ |
| cuff | cuffs | /kʌfs/ |
| death | deaths | /dɛθs/ |
For all other words (i.e. words ending in vowels or voiced non-sibilants) the regular plural adds /z/, represented orthographically by -s:
| boy | boys | /bɔɪz/ |
| girl | girls | /ɡɜrlz/ |
| chair | chairs | /tʃɛərz/ |
Phonologically, these rules are sufficient to describe most English plurals. However, certain complications arise in the spelling of certain plurals, as described below.
Read more about this topic: English Plural
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