The Spelling Rules for Adding Suffixes:
What happens to words ending in -f ?
Usually, we add the suffixes -s or -es to make plurals.
car > cars |
train > trains |
bus > buses |
coach > coaches |
As you saw before, some words ending in y need to change:
baby > babies |
puppy > puppies |
story > stories |
 |
This is also true for some words ending in f: |
Not all words ending in -f follow this rule. Some stay the same:
chiefs |
beliefs |
roofs |
proofs |
... and all words ending in -ff stay the same:
cliffs |
muffs |
tiffs |
skiffs |
And a few words can be spelled both ways (English is a strange language!):
 |
 |
Singular
|
Plural
|
dwarf |
dwarfs or
dwarves |
hoof |
hoofs or
hooves |
scarf |
scarfs or
scarves |
wharf |
wharfs or
wharves |
handkerchief |
handkerchiefs
or handkerchieves |
|
 |
 |
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