Grammar-Monster.com(#gm)

Plural of Leaf

What Is the Plural of Leaf?

The Quick Answer

The plural of "leaf" is "leaves."
The plural of "leaf" is "leaves."
  • In most plant species, leaves are broad and flat. correct tick
  • The longest leaves are those of the Raffia palm. They can grow to be up to 25 m long and 3 m wide. correct tick
The noun "leaf" adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below).

Table of Contents

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

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 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 (small British flag)
donkey
add s storeys
donkeys
Nouns ending f or fe dwarf
leaf
ves and/or s
(There are no rules - you have to know.)
dwarfs
leaves
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
Read more about English spelling rules.

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Leaf?

There is confusion because the rule for forming plurals with nouns ending in "f" or "fe" isn't straightforward. Most nouns will drop the "f" or "fe" and gain a "ves." For example:
  • "Knife" becomes "knives."
  • "Loaf" becomes "loaves."
Some just add s. For example:
  • "Safe" becomes "safes."
  • "Chief" becomes "chiefs."
With some words, both versions are accepted. For example:
  • "Scarf" becomes "scarfs" or "scarves."
  • "Dwarf" becomes "dwarfs" or "dwarves."
The plural of "leaf" is always "leaves." Unfortunately, there is no clever way of knowing which nouns ending "f" or "fe" follow which rules. You have to know. (For example, you have to know that "leaf" becomes "leaves," but "belief" becomes "beliefs.")

author logo

This page was written by Craig Shrives.

You might also like...

Help us improve...

Was something wrong with this page?

Use #gm to find us quicker.

Create a QR code for this, or any, page.

confirmatory test