How to Properly Pronounce Plural Nouns in English
By Author Giljonnys Dias da Silva
Learning how to pronounce plural nouns correctly in English can be tricky, especially because the ending “-s” sounds different depending on the word. The way we pronounce this plural ending depends on the final sound of the singular noun—specifically, whether that sound is voiced (made with vibration of the vocal cords) or voiceless (without vibration). This part of English pronunciation is very important and follows a few general rules that tell us when to say the plural ending as /s/, /z/, or /ɪz/. Let’s explore these rules and some examples to make things clearer.
1. It is pronounced as /s/:
If a word finishes with a voiceless sound like /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, or /θ/ (as in the “th” sound in “think”), the plural “-s” is pronounced as /s/. These voiceless sounds are made without using the vocal cords, giving them a softer and quieter quality. That’s why the plural ending sounds like /s/ in these cases.
cats /kæts/ (gatos)
ships /ʃɪps/ (navios)
boxes /ˈbɒksɪz/ (caixas)
paths /pæθs/ (caminho)
2. It is pronounced as /z/:
If a word ends with a voiced consonant—like /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, or /r/—or any sound made with vocal cord vibration, the plural “-s” is pronounced as /z/. These voiced sounds have a deeper, more resonant quality, which is why the plural ending sounds like /z/ in these situations.
dogs /dɔːɡz/ (cachorros)
boys /bɔɪz/ (garotos)
fans /fænz/ (ventiladores)
3. It is pronounced as /ɪz/ or /əz/:
Another case where the plural ending is pronounced as /ɪz/ or /əz/ is when the word ends in sounds like /s/, /z/, /ʃ/ (as in “sh”), /ʒ/ (as in “measure”), /tʃ/ (as in “ch”), or /dʒ/ (as in “j”). These sounds are more complex and have a hissing or buzzing quality, so adding the /ɪz/ sound helps make the plural form easier and smoother to pronounce.
boxes /ˈbɒksɪz/ (caixas)
churches /ˈtʃɜːrtʃɪz/ (igrejas)
dishes /ˈdɪʃɪz/ (pratas)
Plural Noun Examples
To help clarify how these rules work, here are a few examples of plural nouns with their pronunciations:
foxes /ˈfɒksɪz/ (raposas)
loaves /ləʊvz/ (pães)
ships /ʃɪps/ (navios)
schools /skuːlz/ (escolas)
doors /dɔːrz/ (portas)
babies /ˈbeɪbiːz/ (bebês)
cats /kæts/ (gatos)
When it comes to plural words in English that end with diphthongs, vowels, or semi-vowels, the plural pronunciation usually follows specific rules based on the last sound of the word. Let’s take a closer look at these situations:
1. Words ending in a diphthong
Diphthongs are combinations of a vowel and a semi-vowel in the same syllable, like /aɪ/ (in "my"), /aʊ/ (in "how"), or /ɔɪ/ (in "boy"). When these words are made plural, the sound /s/ or /z/ is added to the end, depending on the final sound of the word. Typically, the plural "-s" ending in words with diphthongs is pronounced as /z/.
boy (menino) → boys /bɔɪz/ (meninos)
cow (vaca) → cows /kaʊz/ (vacas)
lie (mentira) → lies /laɪz/ (mentiras)
2. Words ending in a vowel
When a word ends in a vowel (like /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/), the plural is typically pronounced with /z/ because vowels are voiced sounds. This means the "-s" ending usually sounds like /z/ instead of /s/.
key (chave) → keys /kiːz/ (chaves)
day (dia) → days /deɪz/ (dias)
zoo (zoológico) → zoos /zuːz/ (zoológico)
3. Words ending in a semi-vowel
Semi-vowels, such as /j/ (like the “y” in “yes”) and /w/ (like the “w” in “window”), follow the same pronunciation rule as vowels when forming plurals. In most cases, the plural ending is pronounced as /z/.
play (jogo) → plays /pleɪz/ (jogos)
toy (brinquedo) → toys /tɔɪz/ (brinquedos)
Irregular Plural Forms
While most nouns form their plural by following regular rules, there are some that don’t end in “-s” at all. These irregular plurals don’t just add /s/, /z/, or /ɪz/—instead, the word changes completely to form the plural.
Child becomes Children (Not childs)
Man becomes Men (Not mans)
Tooth becomes Teeth (Not tooths)
Foot becomes Feet (Not foots)
Some words also have irregular plural forms where the spelling changes, but the pronunciation still follows the usual sound rules. For instance, baby becomes babies—the spelling changes, yet the plural still ends with the /z/ sound.
To sum up, how plural nouns are pronounced in English mostly depends on the final sound of the singular word—whether it's voiced, voiceless, or has a hissing or buzzing sound. Voiceless endings take /s/, voiced ones take /z/, and hissing/buzzing sounds require /ɪz/. It's also worth noting that some plurals don’t follow these patterns at all and must be memorized. Understanding these rules can really help improve clear and correct pronunciation in English.
Bibliographic References
Roach, P. (2009). English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Underhill, A. (2006). Sound Foundations: Learning and Teaching Pronunciation. Macmillan Education.
Gimson, A. C., & Pam, M. (2014). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English (8th ed.). Routledge.
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin, J. M. (2010). Teaching Pronunciation: A Reference for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Thornbury, S. (2005). How to Teach Speaking. Pearson Education.
S. P. Gussmann & A. J. Olsson. (2015). The Phonology of English Plural Nouns: A Phonological Analysis of Pluralization. Journal of English Linguistics, 43(1), 23-45.
S. L. Tuttle. (2002). Phonetic Variation in English Plural Formation: A Comparative Study of British and American English. Language and Linguistics Compass, 10(3), 97-115.