Plural of Giraffe

What Is the Plural of Giraffe?

The Quick Answer

The plural of "giraffe" is "giraffes."

Male giraffes use their necks as weapons in combat, a behaviour known as necking.
Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs, grasslands, and open woodlands.

The noun "giraffe" 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 giraffe	add s	giraffes giraffes
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 Giraffe?

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., leaf, wife), whose rules for forming the plurals are not straightforward.