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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
Plural of Bus
The Quick Answer
The plural of bus is buses.Busses is an archaic plural now considered a spelling mistake.
The Plural of Bus
The plural of bus is buses.- 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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