What Is the Plural of Bus?
The Quick Answer
The plural of "bus" is "buses." ("Busses" is an archaic plural now considered a spelling mistake.)- Business opportunities are like buses, there's always another one coming. (Richard Branson)
- People who want to understand democracy should spend less time in the library and more time on the buses. (Simeon Strunsky)
Are You Good at Plurals?
Here's a quick test.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 | ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z | ![]() ![]() |
add es | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [consonant] o | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.) |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [vowel] o | ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [consonant] y | ![]() ![]() |
change the y to an i and add es | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [vowel] y | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending f or fe | ![]() ![]() |
ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.) |
![]() ![]() |
Exceptions | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change | ![]() ![]() |
More exceptions | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns do not change at all | ![]() ![]() |
Buses or Busses?
"Busses" has not been widely accepted as the plural of "bus" since the 1900s. In modern-day English, "buses" is the accepted plural of "bus."Confusion arises not only because of the historical plural "busses" but also because "buses" could feasibly be pronounced "booses" and so some writers, knowing how "buses" should be pronounced, opt for "busses."
Of note, "busses" is the plural of "buss" (a North American term for a kiss).
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Unusual pluralsPlural forming table
Quirks with forming plurals
Forming the plurals of abbreviations
Forming the plurals of compound nouns
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