Singular and plural nouns by changing the vowels (List)

English has many irregular nouns that form their plurals by changing a vowel, not just by adding “-s” or “-es”. These patterns can be confusing for learners because the spelling and pronunciation shift at the same time. On this page, you’ll find a clear, easy-to-scan table with two columns: singular and plural. Each pair shows how the vowel changes from one form to the other, with common everyday examples like “man/men” and “tooth/teeth”. Use this list to review, practice, or build vocabulary, and to make your speaking and writing more natural and accurate.

SingularPlural
analysisanalyses
axisaxes
basisbases
childchildren
crisiscrises
criterioncriteria
diagnosisdiagnoses
diedice
dormousedormice
footfeet
goosegeese
indexindices
louselice
manmen
matrixmatrices
mousemice
neurosisneuroses
nucleusnuclei
parenthesisparentheses
personpeople
phenomenonphenomena
radiusradii
stimulusstimuli
syllabussyllabi
thesistheses
toothteeth
womanwomen