Plural of Axis

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The Quick Answer
The plural of axis is axes.

The Plural of Axis

The plural of axis is axes.
  • The point where the axes meet is called the origin.
  • The axes of a two-dimensional Cartesian system divide the plane into four infinite regions, called quadrants.
The noun axis has a Greek root, which is the derivation of the plural axes. There is no alternative English plural form. The noun axis adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below).

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The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals

The table below shows the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English.
Type Example of Type Forming the Plural Plural
Most Nouns lamp
scythe		 add s lamps
scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z box
dress		 add es boxes
dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o zero
tomato		 add either s or es
(There are no rules for this - you have to know.)		 zeros
tomatoes
Nouns ending [vowel] o patio
ratio 		add s patios
ratios
Nouns ending [consonant] y story
penny		 change the y to an i and add es stories
pennies
Nouns ending [vowel] y donkey
chimney 		add s donkeys
chimneys
Nouns ending f or fe dwarf
hoof 		ves and/or s
(There are no rules - you have to know.)		 dwarfs
hooves or hoofs
Nouns ending is axis
thesis 		change the is to es axes
theses
Exceptions man
louse 		some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change men
lice
More exceptions salmon
sheep 		some nouns do not change at all salmon
sheep
Foreign rulings fungus
medium 		some nouns adopt foreign rulings fungi
media

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Axis?

Axes is the only way to make the noun axis plural.

Confusion arises because some mistakenly believe that all nouns ending in s should form a plural that adds es to the end of the word. When a noun ends with is, you need to replace the is with an es to form the plural. This is because its plural form derives from Greek.

Of note, the plural axes is also the plural form of the noun axe.
Another Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from another exercise on plurals, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

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See Also

Unusual pluralsPlural forming table Quirks with forming plurals Forming the plurals of abbreviations Forming the plurals of compound nouns