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Plural of Virus
The Quick Answer
The plural of "virus" is "viruses."The Plural of Virus
The plural of "virus" is "viruses."- Viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth.
- Viruses are considered by some to be a life form, because they carry genetic material and can reproduce.
The noun "virus" adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below).
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 | ![]() ![]() |
Foreign rulings | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns adopt foreign rulings | ![]() ![]() |
Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Virus?
"Viruses" is the only way to make the noun "virus" plural.Confusion arises over the plural of "virus" because people mistakenly believe that "viri" or "virii" is its Latin plural form, (in the same way that fungus, cactus, and hippopotamus become fungi, cacti, and hippopotami). "Virus" is one of the few Latin nouns without a Latin plural.
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