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Plural of Cliff

by Craig Shrives

The Quick Answer

The plural of "cliff" is "cliffs."

The Plural of Cliff

The plural of "cliff" is "cliffs."

Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, in escarpments, and along rivers.
Some of the largest cliffs on Earth are found underwater.

The noun "cliff" adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below).

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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	lamp scythe	add s	lamps scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z	bus dress	add es	buses dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o	hero zero tomato	add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.)	heroes 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
Nouns ending f or fe	leaf safe	ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.)	leaves safes
Nouns ending ff or ffe	giraffe cliff	add s	giraffes cliffs
Exceptions	man louse	some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change	men lice
More exceptions	salmon sheep	some nouns do not change at all	salmon sheep

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Cliff?

All nouns ending "ff" or "ffe" (e.g., cliff, giraffe) just add an "s." Some writers confuse these nouns with nouns ending "f" or "fe" (e.g., wolf, knife), whose rules for forming the plurals are not straightforward.

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Suitable for: Teachers, advanced students, and business writers.

Description: Published by London's Octopus Publishing, "Smashing Grammar" is the third, and most comprehensive, grammar reference book written by Craig Shrives (the founder of the Grammar-Monster.com). It is divided into three sections: