Non-countable (Noncount) Nouns

What Are Non-countable (Noncount) Nouns? (with Examples)

A non-countable noun (or mass noun as it's also known) is a noun without a plural form.

Non-countable nouns refer to things that cannot be counted.

Examples of Non-Countable Nouns

Here are some examples of non-countable nouns:

Non-countable Noun	An Attempt At Making It Plural
music	five musics
furniture	five furnitures
tennis	five tennises
mercury	five mercuries

Non-countable nouns are singular.

Examples of Non-countable (Noncount) Nouns

Non-countable nouns usually fall into one of the following categories:

Category	Example
Concept	bravery, honesty, information, intelligence, patience
Activity	homework, playing, reading, sleeping
Food	bread, butter, cheese, fish, milk
Gas	air, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, smoke
Liquid	coffee, petrol, water, wine, beer
Material	chalk, cloth, concrete, lumber, wood, metal
Item Category	clothing, furniture, luggage, mail, money, software
Natural Phenomenon	gravity, heat, humidity, rain, snow, sunshine, thunder
Particles	dust, flour, rice, salt, sugar

Non-countable Nouns Contrast with Countable Nouns

Non-countable nouns contrast with countable nouns, which can be pluralized. Here are some examples of countable nouns:

• apple, bear, cup, dog, ear, flower, giant, house, island
(Note that these all have plural forms, e.g., "apples," "bears," "cups.")

Read more about the term "plural."
Read more about forming plurals.

Some Nouns Can Be Countable or Non-countable

Generally, non-countable nouns cannot be pluralized. However, some can be pluralized when talking about categories of that noun. This is most common with non-countable nouns in the food and liquid categories. For example:

• France is famous for its cheeses.
(Categories of cheese)
• There are many fine wines from Chile.
(Categories of wine)

Why Non-countable (Noncount) Nouns Are Important

Here are two noteworthy issues associated with non-countable nouns.

(Issue 1) Making Non-countable Nouns Plural

There are two methods to pluralize a concept expressed by a non-countable noun:

Method 1: Precede it with a [countable noun] + "of."

For example:

• five loaves of bread
("Loaves" is the countable noun.)
• five blocks of cheese
("Blocks" is the countable noun.)

Method 2: Make the non-countable noun an adjective to a countable noun.

For example:

• five bread loaves
• five cheese blocks

(Issue 2) Using the Right Quantifier with a Non-Countable Noun

Use "amount of" with a non-countable noun. The terms "quantity of" and "number of" are used with countable nouns. For example:

• Amount of sunshine
• Quantity of wood

Read more about using "amount of," "quantity of," and "number of." Read more issues associated with countable and non-countable nouns on the countable nouns page.

Key Point

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