Spelling (Plurals for words ending in y) 01

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To spell plurals of words ending in y: change y to i and add -es. If you learn this, you should be confident when asked what the plural is of any word ending in y.

If you completed the Spelling (Plurals for Words Ending in O) quiz, then you already know that the great majority of plurals in the English language end either in -s or -es. Like words ending in o, words ending in y also add an -es in the plural. But there is one crucial point to remember, which is that the y must be changed to an i first.

So, you might eat one french fry, but many french fries. You could be looking after one baby, or many babies. A rugby player might score one try or many tries.

This simple rule, change the y to an i before adding an -es, does have some exceptions. For example "boy", "toy" and "donkey" become "boys", "toys" and "donkeys". So watch out for any similar exceptions!

Try this quiz to improve your spelling knowledge.