Plural of genus

What Is the Plural of Genus?

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The Quick Answer

The plural of "genus" is "genera."

The plural of "genus" is "genera."

The noun genus has a Latin root, which is the derivation of the plural genera.

The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups.
However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each.

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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
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
Foreign rulings	genus medium	some nouns adopt foreign rulings	genera media

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Genus?

"Genera" is the only way to make the noun "genus" plural.

Confusion arises over the plural of genus because its plural form (genera) derives from Latin and native English speakers are drawn to genuses, which would adhere to the standard ruling for forming plurals.