Make Your Editor Cry: Aircraft (Awkward Plural)
BLUF: (Bottom Line Up Front)
The singular and plural of aircraft is aircraft.
aircraft: a vehicle (such as an airplane or balloon) for traveling through the air
The singular of aircraft is aircraft. The plural of aircraft is also aircraft.
The word “aircrafts” is not a thing, or a word.
Examples:
Nothing can stop the attack of aircraft except other
aircraft.
It's unbelievable what one squadron of twelve aircraft did to
tip the balance.
The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals
The table below shows the standard rules for forming plurals from singular nouns in English.
| Type | Example of Type | Forming the Plural | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Nouns |
doe
emu
scythe
cliff |
add -s |
does
emus
scythes
cliffs |
| Nouns that end in the letter s, sh, ch, x, or z |
bus
brush
church
fox
fez
|
add -es |
buses
brushes
churches
foxes
fezes
|
| Nouns that end in the [consonant] letter o |
radio
piano
mango
zero
tomato
potato
buffalo
|
either add -s, or -es, or do nothing (No rules. You have to know.) |
radios
pianos
mangoes (or mangos)
zeros (or zeroes)
tomatoes
potatoes
buffalo (or buffaloes or buffalos)
|
| Nouns that end in the [vowel] letter o |
patio
ratio
|
add -s |
patios
ratios
|
| Nouns that end in the [consonant] letter y |
story
penny
|
change the -y to an -i and add -es |
stories
pennies
|
| Nouns that end in the [vowel] letter y |
donkey
ray
buoy
|
add -s |
donkeys
rays
buoys
|
| Nouns that end in either a single f or fe |
chef
leaf dwarf knife
wife |
just add -s or change the -f to a -v then add -s or -es (No rules. You have to know.) |
chefs
leaves dwarfs (or dwarves) knives
wives |
| Exceptions |
man
mouse
|
some nouns undergo vowel/letter changes |
men
mice
|
| More exceptions |
salmon
sheep
biceps
boar
|
some nouns do not change at all |
salmon
sheep
biceps
boar (or boars)
|
Gregg Bridgeman is the Editor-in-Chief at Olivia Kimbrell Press. He is husband to best-selling Christian author Hallee Bridgeman and parent to three. He continues to proudly serve in the US Armed Forces and has done so in either an active or reserve capacity for more than twenty years as an airborne and air assault qualified paratrooper, earning a Bronze Star for his service. Most importantly, he was ordained in October of 2001 after surrendering his life to Christ decades earlier.