Nouns Ending in -f or -fe
Many change to -ves in the plural.
Examples
- knife → knives
- leaf → leaves
Key rules
- Many nouns ending in -f or -fe change to -ves (leaf → leaves, wife → wives, life → lives)
- Some just add -s (roof → roofs, chief → chiefs, belief → beliefs)
- A few allow both (scarf → scarves or scarfs)
Common mistakes
- knifes → knives
- roofes → roofs
💡 Tip: Say the plural aloud: if it has a /v/ sound, spell it -ves.