Plural of Child

The Quick Answer

The plural of "child" is "children."

The Plural of Child

The plural of "child" is "children."
  • It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. correct tick
  • Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. correct tick
Some words do not form their plurals by adding 's' to the end but by changing their forms (e.g., man becomes men, foot becomes feet, mouse becomes mice).

Table of Contents

  • Are You Good at Plurals?
  • The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals
  • Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Child?
  • Ready for the Test?
plural of child

Are You Good at Plurals?

Here's a quick test.
Getting ready...

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 cat
scythe
add s cats
scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z bus
dress
add es buses
dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o childgo
zero
tomato
add either s or es
(There are no rules for this - you have to know.)
childgoes or childgos
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 storey (small British flag)
donkey
add s storeys
donkeys
Nouns ending f or fe dwarf
knife
ves and/or s
(There are no rules - you have to know.)
dwarfs
knives
Exceptions child
louse
some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change children
lice
More exceptions salmon
sheep
some nouns do not change at all salmon
sheep
Read more about English spelling rules.

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Child?

Confusion rarely arises over the plural of "child" for native speakers. It's less straight forward for English learners because its plural form ("children") derives from German so non-native speakers are drawn to "childs," which would adhere to the standard ruling for forming plurals.

author logo

This page was written by Craig Shrives.