Skip to main content

Pronunciation of plurals

Nouns ending in /s/, /z/ and other sibilants​

After one of the sibilant sounds /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/ and /dʒ/, the plural ending -es is pronounced /ɪz/.

  • buses /ˈbʌsɪz/
  • quizzes /ˈkwɪzɪz/
  • crashes /ˈkræʃɪz/
  • garages /ˈgærɑːʒɪz/
  • watches /ˈwɒtʃɪz/
  • bridges /ˈbrɪdʒɪz/

Nouns ending in other unvoiced sounds​

After any other unvoiced sound (/p/, /f/, /θ/, /t/ or /k/), the plural ending -(e)s is pronounced /s/.

  • cups /kʌps/
  • beliefs /bɪˈliːfs/
  • cloths /klɒθs/
  • plates /pleɪts/
  • books /bʊks/

Nouns ending in other voiced sounds​

After vowels, and all voiced consonants except /z/, /ʒ/ and /dʒ/, the plural ending -(e)s is pronounced /z/.

  • days /deɪz/
  • boys /bɔɪz/
  • trees /triːz/
  • knives /naɪvz/
  • clothes /kləʊðz/
  • ends /endz/
  • hills /hɪlz/
  • legs /legz/
  • dreams /driːmz/
  • songs /sɒŋz/

Plurals with irregular pronunciation​

SingularPlural
house /haʊs/houses /ˈhaʊzɪz/
bath /bɑːθ/baths /bɑːθs/ OR /bɑːðz/
mouth /maʊθ/mouths /maʊθs/ OR /maʊðz/
path /pɑːθ/paths /pɑːθs/ OR /pɑːðz/
roof /ruːf/roofs /ruːfs/ OR /ruːvz/
truth /truːθ/truths /truːθs/ OR /truːðz/
wreath /riːθ/wreaths /riːθs/ OR /riːðz/
youth /juːθ/youths /juːθs/ OR /juːðz/

Third person singular forms (e.g. catches, wants, runs) and possessive forms (e.g. George’s, Mark’s, Joe’s) follow the same pronunciation rules as regular plurals.