Plural of Goose

The Quick Answer

The plural of "goose" is "geese."

The Plural of Goose

The plural of "goose" is "geese."
  • For "The Gift of Stones", I spent an afternoon chasing a flock of Canadian geese. (Jim Crace) correct tick
  • Geese are waterfowl belonging to the Anatidae family. correct tick
Certain plurals do not add a letter to the end, but instead change the word itself. The noun "goose" is an example of this. There is no ruling for these types of plurals. You just have to know.

Table of Contents

  • Are You Good at Plurals?
  • The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals
  • Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Goose?
  • Ready for the Test?
plural of goose

Are You Good at Plurals?

Here's a quick test.
Getting ready...

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 (small British flag)
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
Read more about English spelling rules.

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Goose?

There is confusion because some nouns become different words when they're made plural (usually due to a letter change). There are no easy ways to remember these plurals, so they generally have to be memorized.
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This page was written by Craig Shrives.