Plural of Larva

by Craig Shrives

The Quick Answer

The plural of larva is larvae.

The Plural of Larva

The plural of larva is larvae.

Larvae are constantly feeding since maturation requires a huge amount of energy and food.
Moisture is essential for the survival of flea larvae.

The noun larva has a Latin root, which is the derivation of the plural larvae.

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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	kitten scythe	add s	kittens scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z	box dress	add es	boxes 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	donkey chimney	add s	donkeys chimneys
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
Foreign rulings	larva medium	some nouns adopt foreign rulings	larvae media

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Larva?

Confusion arises over the plural of larva because its plural form (larvae) derives from Latin and native English speakers feel compelled to write larvas. The larvas is considered a mistake. (See the evidence in Google's Ngram Viewer.)

Another Interactive Exercise

Here are three randomly selected questions from another exercise on plurals, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

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