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(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
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for your browser ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists Tests and Games Awkward Plurals Sayings and Proverbs Twitter YouTube
Plural of Roof
The Quick Answer
The plural of roof is roofs.The Plural of Roof
The plural of roof is roofs.- Roofs constructed of flat sloped sections are referred to as pitched roofs.
- The primary job of most roofs is to keep out water.

Are You Good at Plurals?
Here's a quick test.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 | ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z | ![]() ![]() |
add es | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [consonant] o | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.) |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [vowel] o | ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [consonant] y | ![]() ![]() |
change the y to an i and add es | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [vowel] y | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending f or fe | ![]() ![]() |
ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.) |
![]() ![]() |
Exceptions | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change | ![]() ![]() |
More exceptions | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns do not change at all | ![]() ![]() |
Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Roof?
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.
- Leaf becomes leaves.
- Chief becomes chiefs.
- Cliff becomes cliffs.
- Scarf becomes scarfs or scarves.
- Dwarf becomes dwarfs or dwarves.
Of note, some dictionaries may list rooves as a secondary spelling, but it is an archaic form of the plural and almost never used in modern-day writing. (See the evidence in Google's Ngram Viewer.)
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