Most children learn the plural rule quickly: one book, two books. Then they write “two mans”, “three childs” or “many sheeps”, and the red pen comes out. These are irregular plural nouns, words that do not simply add s or es. Irregular plural nouns for kids are best learnt as a small family of special words, each with a little memory hook.
Print-ready worksheets for this topic
Singular and Plural Noun Worksheets PDF – One and Many for Class 1 & 2 (24 Pages) – A4 PDF, instant download. ₹49 ₹99
This guide lists 40 irregular and same-form plurals in one table with a memory trick for each, explains which ones Class 1 and Class 2 children actually need, and gives you a 15-blank practice with answers and a two-minute oral game. For the regular rules (s, es, ies, ves), see our plural rules for kids first.
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Quick answer: Irregular plural nouns change in a special way instead of adding s:
- Vowel change: man – men, foot – feet, tooth – teeth, goose – geese, mouse – mice.
- Add -en or -ren: ox – oxen, child – children.
- Same for one and many: sheep – sheep, deer – deer, fish – fish.
- Class 1 usually needs about 9 of these; Class 2 about 15–20.
What are irregular plural nouns for kids? A simple explanation
Say it like this: “Most naming words make their plural by adding s. But some old words are stubborn. They change their middle, add a different ending, or stay the same.” Children like the idea of stubborn words, and it gives you a way to talk about mistakes without scolding: “Oops, foot is a stubborn word. What does it become?”
Irregular plurals list: 40 words with memory tricks
The first 20 are the ones most often seen in Class 1 and Class 2. Words 21–30 stay the same. Words 31–40 are a bonus for curious older readers.
| # | One | Many | Memory trick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | man | men | a becomes e: one man, many men |
| 2 | woman | women | same as man, with wo in front |
| 3 | child | children | add -ren: children run |
| 4 | foot | feet | oo becomes ee: feet on the street |
| 5 | tooth | teeth | same as foot: clean teeth |
| 6 | goose | geese | same as foot: geese say honk |
| 7 | mouse | mice | mice are nice and small |
| 8 | ox | oxen | oxen pull the cart |
| 9 | person | people | a whole new word for a crowd |
| 10 | die | dice | roll the dice in Ludo |
| 11 | postman | postmen | any -man word becomes -men |
| 12 | policeman | policemen | -man to -men |
| 13 | policewoman | policewomen | -woman to -women |
| 14 | milkman | milkmen | -man to -men |
| 15 | fisherman | fishermen | -man to -men |
| 16 | gentleman | gentlemen | ladies and gentlemen |
| 17 | snowman | snowmen | -man to -men |
| 18 | grandchild | grandchildren | child inside, so -ren |
| 19 | stepchild | stepchildren | child inside, so -ren |
| 20 | dormouse | dormice | mouse inside, so mice |
| 21 | sheep | sheep | a flock of sheep, never sheeps |
| 22 | deer | deer | deer stay dear just as they are |
| 23 | fish | fish | five fish in the pond |
| 24 | aircraft | aircraft | craft words stay the same |
| 25 | spacecraft | spacecraft | craft words stay the same |
| 26 | salmon | salmon | a fish word, like fish |
| 27 | trout | trout | a fish word, like fish |
| 28 | bison | bison | a herd of bison |
| 29 | series | series | already ends in s |
| 30 | species | species | already ends in s |
| 31 | cactus | cacti | -us to -i (cactuses is also fine) |
| 32 | fungus | fungi | -us to -i |
| 33 | radius | radii | -us to -i |
| 34 | alumnus | alumni | -us to -i |
| 35 | crisis | crises | -is to -es |
| 36 | oasis | oases | -is to -es |
| 37 | axis | axes | -is to -es |
| 38 | larva | larvae | -a to -ae |
| 39 | phenomenon | phenomena | -on to -a |
| 40 | criterion | criteria | -on to -a |
Two traps worth knowing
- Mongoose is not like goose. The plural is mongooses. A fun fact children love to share.
- Fish and fishes. For Class 1 and 2, teach fish for both. Fishes is used only when talking about different kinds of fish, which children can learn later.
Which special plurals should each class learn?
| Class | Words to know |
|---|---|
| Class 1 | man, woman, child, foot, tooth, mouse, sheep, deer, fish |
| Class 2 | All of Class 1 plus goose, ox, person, die, the -man words, grandchild |
| Class 3 and up | aircraft, species, series and the -us, -is, -on words |
Many schools teach these in Class 2 grammar, often after the s and es rules. If your child is in Class 1, the first nine are plenty for now.
Plural of man, woman and child: the trickiest three
Woman to women is hard because the sound changes in the first part (wim-en) while the spelling changes in the second part. Say it slowly and point: “I write wo-men, but I say wim-en.” For child, practise the phrase “one child, two children” until it sounds natural. Children often write childs or childrens; both are wrong. Children is already plural, so it never needs an s.
Practice: 15 blanks with answers
Ask your child to write the plural of the word in brackets.
- Two ______ were sitting on the bench. (man)
- I brush my ______ twice a day. (tooth)
- The ______ are playing in the park. (child)
- Three ______ ran across the kitchen. (mouse)
- The farmer has twenty ______. (sheep)
- My ______ are cold. (foot)
- The ______ swam in the pond. (goose)
- Two ______ pulled the heavy cart. (ox)
- We saw five ______ in the forest. (deer)
- Many ______ came to the mela. (person)
- The ______ are cooking in the kitchen. (woman)
- Roll both ______ in Ludo. (die)
- The ______ brought our letters. (postman)
- Dadi has six ______. (grandchild)
- There are many ______ in the river. (fish)
Answers: 1 men, 2 teeth, 3 children, 4 mice, 5 sheep, 6 feet, 7 geese, 8 oxen, 9 deer, 10 people, 11 women, 12 dice, 13 postmen, 14 grandchildren, 15 fish.
Prefer ready-to-print pages?
Singular and Plural Noun Worksheets PDF – One and Many for Class 1 & 2 (24 Pages) – A4 PDF, instant download. ₹49 ₹99
A two-minute oral game: “One, Many, Stubborn!”
- You say a word: “One cat.” Your child replies with the plural: “Many cats.”
- Mix in irregular words: “One foot.” If your child says “feet”, they shout “Stubborn!” too and earn a point.
- Add a same-form word: “One sheep.” The answer is “Many sheep, same!”
- Play for two minutes and keep score with tally marks.
Use 10 regular words and 6 irregular ones each round. Children quickly start listening for the stubborn ones, which is exactly the skill they need in a test. In class, split into two teams and keep the pace fast.
Words that do not take s in the plural: quick checklist
- Change the middle: man, woman, foot, tooth, goose, mouse.
- Different ending: child, ox.
- A new word: person – people.
- Same word: sheep, deer, fish, aircraft.
Stick this list on the fridge or the classroom wall for a week. Point to one word a day and use it in a sentence together.
Print-ready singular and plural worksheets
Our Singular and Plural Noun Worksheets pack (24 A4 pages, Class 1 and 2) teaches each rule in turn and then gives irregular words their own space. It has a special-plurals page with pictures of man, woman, child, tooth, mouse and foot, a match-up and sentences including goose – geese and ox – oxen, and a separate page for sheep, deer and fish, which stay the same. Before that come one-and-many pictures, add s, add es, y to ies and f to ves; after it come a mixed review, plurals in sentences with this/these and is/are, a cut-and-sort page, a word search, a “Make it plural” market story and 3 answer-key pages.
Get the Singular and Plural Worksheets – ₹49
For more grammar practice, see our singular and plural worksheet post, nouns worksheet for Class 1 and Class 2 English grammar worksheets. Browse all English worksheets too.
Download the Plural Nouns Pack PDF – ₹49
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Frequently asked questions
What is the plural of child?
The plural of child is children. It already means more than one, so never add an s to make childrens.
Which nouns have the same singular and plural form?
Common examples are sheep, deer, fish, aircraft, spacecraft, salmon, trout, bison, series and species. You say one sheep and many sheep.
What is the plural of mouse and goose?
The plural of mouse is mice and the plural of goose is geese. But the plural of mongoose is mongooses, which surprises many children.
When should children learn irregular plurals?
Many schools introduce a few, such as men, children and teeth, in Class 1 and teach more in Class 2, usually after the s and es rules.
Is fishes wrong?
Fish is the usual plural. Fishes is used for different kinds of fish. For Class 1 and 2, teaching fish for both one and many is simplest.
