Plural of Air

What Is the Plural of Air?

The Quick Answer

"Air" is usually a mass noun with no plural form. However, in Irish traditional music, a tune is sometimes called an air, which has the plural "airs."

"Air" is a mass noun. It has no plural form.

The three major constituents of air are nitrogen, oxygen, and argon.
The pressure of air is dependent on location and weather.

However, in Irish traditional music (and in other Celtic traditions too), "air" refers to a tune, melody, or song, often a slow, expressive piece (usually instrumental). It has the plural form "airs."

She played two slow airs on the fiddle.
He recorded two reels and three airs.

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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	cat scythe	add s	cats scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z	bus dress	add es	buses dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o	mango zero tomato	add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.)	mangoes or mangos 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 () donkey	add s	storeys donkeys
Mass nouns	air rice	some nouns do not have a plural form	air rice
Nouns ending f or fe	dwarf knife	ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.)	dwarfs knives
Exceptions	goose louse	some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change	geese lice
More exceptions	salmon sheep	some nouns do not change at all	salmon sheep

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Air?

Confusion arises because "air" is a mass noun. A mass noun is a noun without a plural form. They refer to items that can't be counted (e.g., music, milk, chalk). The use of "airs" in Irish traditional music (and in other Celtic traditions) adds to the confusion.