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Plural of Dictionary

by Craig Shrives

The Quick Answer

The plural of "dictionary" is "dictionaries."

The Plural of Dictionary

The plural of "dictionary" is "dictionaries."

Spellings are made by people. Dictionaries - eventually - reflect popular choices.
People are under the impression that dictionaries legislate language. What a dictionary does is keep track of usages over time.

The noun "dictionary" 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	dictionary penny	change the y to an i and add es	dictionaries pennies
Nouns ending [vowel] y	journey donkey	add s	journeys donkeys
Nouns ending f or fe	dwarf hoof	ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.)	dwarfs hooves or hoofs
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 Dictionary?

"Dictionaries" is the only way to make the noun "dictionary" plural.

Confusion arises because people mistakenly believe that only an "s" needs to be added (like with "donkeys"). However, when a noun ends with [consonant] + y, you need to change the "y" to an "i" and add "es" to form the plural.

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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: