23 words and phrases with odd plural forms

The rules of English spelling can be baffling.

Writers and editors see it daily. I recently had to check the spelling of “prerogative” because it couldn’t possibly be spelled “prerogative” (it is).

One area of spelling that is particularly challenging: finding correct plural forms. They can trip writers up, because they’re difficult to spell and difficult to pronounce.

Below are 23 tricky plurals:

  1. antennae
  2. asterisks
  3. attorneys general
  4. axes (plural of axis)
  5. bases (plural of basis)
  6. courts-martial
  7. culs-de-sac
  8. diagnoses
  9. dos and don’ts
  10. emphases
  11. hippopotami
  12. memos
  13. mongooses
  14. mothers-in-law
  15. mottoes (plural of motto)
  16. neuroses
  17. oases (plural of oasis)
  18. octopuses
  19. parentheses
  20. sheaves (plural of sheaf)
  21. staves (plural of staff)
  22. sylabi
  23. yeses and nos

What others can you think of, PR Daily readers?

This post was first published on Ragan Communication’s PR Daily.

 

 

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