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Plural of Navy

What Is the Plural of Navy?

The Quick Answer

The plural of "navy" is "navies."
The plural of "navy" is "navies."
  • The development of large capacity, sail-powered ships led to a rapid expansion of European navies. correct tick
  • In World War I, several navies used floatplanes and flying boats. correct tick
The noun "navy" 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 navy
penny
change the y to an i and add es navies
pennies
Nouns ending [vowel] y journey
donkey
add s journeys
donkeys
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
Read more about English spelling rules.

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Navy?

"Navies" is the only way to make the noun "navy" plural.

Confusion arises because some people mistakenly believe that most nouns should form a plural ending in "s." When a noun ends with [consonant] + y, you need to change the "y" to an "i" and add "es" to form the plural.

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This page was written by Craig Shrives.

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