Some nouns have the same form in both singular and plural, meaning they don’t change when referring to one or many. The table below lists these nouns for easy reference and learning.
| Singular | Plural | Notes / Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sheep | Sheep | Animal. |
| Deer | Deer | Animal. |
| Moose | Moose | Animal (N. America). |
| Bison | Bison | Animal. |
| Elk | Elk | In AmE = wapiti; plural stays “Elk”. |
| Caribou | Caribou | North American reindeer. |
| Reindeer | Reindeer | Animal. |
| Antelope | Antelope | “Antelopes” also occurs; zero-plural common. |
| Buffalo | Buffalo | “Buffaloes” also occurs (esp. BrE). |
| Swine | Swine | Collective for pigs. |
| Game | Game | As in hunted animals (“big game”). |
| Grouse | Grouse | Bird; zero-plural standard. |
| Quail | Quail | “Quails” also occurs; zero-plural common. |
| Fowl | Fowl | Collective; “Fowls” also occurs in some senses. |
| Waterfowl | Waterfowl | Collective for ducks/geese etc. |
| Wildfowl | Wildfowl | Collective. |
| Ptarmigan | Ptarmigan | Bird. |
| Sambar | Sambar | Deer species. |
| Nilgai | Nilgai | Antelope species. |
| Tahr | Tahr | Wild goat species. |
| Springbok | Springbok | Antelope; invariant in wildlife usage. |
| Bontebok | Bontebok | Antelope; invariant. |
| Steenbok | Steenbok | Antelope; invariant. |
| Okapi | Okapi | Giraffid; invariant. |
| Kudu | Kudu | “Kudus” also occurs; zero-plural common. |
| Impala | Impala | “Impalas” also occurs; zero-plural common. |
| Topi | Topi | Antelope; invariant (note: also “topi” = hat in India). |
| Fish | Fish | “Fishes” = multiple species. |
| Salmon | Salmon | Fish. |
| Trout | Trout | Fish. |
| Cod | Cod | Fish. |
| Bass | Bass | Fish; same spelling. |
| Pike | Pike | Fish. |
| Perch | Perch | “Perches” also occurs; zero-plural common. |
| Herring | Herring | Fish. |
| Mackerel | Mackerel | Fish. |
| Tuna | Tuna | “Tunas” also occurs; zero-plural standard. |
| Halibut | Halibut | Fish. |
| Carp | Carp | “Carps” used in species sense. |
| Char | Char | Fish. |
| Grayling | Grayling | Fish. |
| Mullet | Mullet | Fish. |
| Koi | Koi | Fish. |
| Marlin | Marlin | Fish. |
| Swordfish | Swordfish | Fish. |
| Sailfish | Sailfish | Fish. |
| Bluefish | Bluefish | Fish. |
| Shellfish | Shellfish | Collective; “Shellfishes” rare/technical. |
| Shrimp | Shrimp | “Shrimps” also occurs (esp. BrE count sense). |
| Squid | Squid | “Squids” also occurs (species/individual count). |
| Aircraft | Aircraft | Any airplane/helicopter; invariant. |
| Spacecraft | Spacecraft | Invariant. |
| Hovercraft | Hovercraft | Invariant. |
| Watercraft | Watercraft | Boats/jet skis collectively; invariant. |
| Chassis | Chassis | Vehicle frame; invariant spelling. |
| Means | Means | Tool/method (“a means” / “many means”). |
| Series | Series | One TV “Series”; many “Series”. |
| Species | Species | Biological taxon. |
| Headquarters | Headquarters | One or more offices; number agreement varies. |
| Barracks | Barracks | One building or many; often plural in BrE. |
| Crossroads | Crossroads | One junction or several. |
| Gallows | Gallows | One scaffold or several (historical). |
| Bellows | Bellows | Tool for blowing air; form invariant. |
| Offspring | Offspring | Children/young; invariant. |
| Counsel | Counsel | Legal collective (“defense counsel”); zero plural in legal style. |
| Works | Works | Factory/plant (“a works”, “two works”). |
| Craft | Craft | As vehicles, invariant (see Aircraft/Watercraft). |
| Swiss | Swiss | Demonym; a Swiss / many Swiss. |
| Chinese | Chinese | Demonym/language; invariant. |
| Japanese | Japanese | Demonym/language; invariant. |
| Vietnamese | Vietnamese | Demonym/language; invariant. |
| Taiwanese | Taiwanese | Demonym; invariant. |
| Portuguese | Portuguese | Demonym/language; invariant. |
| Burmese | Burmese | Demonym/language; invariant. |
| Lebanese | Lebanese | Demonym; invariant. |
| Sudanese | Sudanese | Demonym; invariant. |
| Nepalese | Nepalese | Demonym; invariant. |
| Maltese | Maltese | Demonym/dog breed; invariant. |
| Faroese | Faroese | Demonym/language; invariant. |
| French | French | Demonym/language; as a count noun “a French (person)” is acceptable in some styles; often “French person/people”. |
| Haiku | Haiku | Poem form; invariant. |
| Samurai | Samurai | Warrior class; invariant. |
| Ninja | Ninja | Invariant in modern English. |
| Sumo | Sumo | As countable bout/event, zero plural in practice. |
| Faux Pas | Faux Pas | Invariant French loan. |
| Graffiti | Graffiti | Historically plural of “Graffito”; often mass/invariant in modern use. |
| Data | Data | Often mass/invariant in general usage; plural in technical style. |
| Moai | Moai | Easter Island statues; invariant in English usage. |
| Yen | Yen | Currency; plural unchanged. |
| Yuan | Yuan | Currency; plural unchanged. |
| Renminbi | Renminbi | Currency name; mass in practice. |
| Won | Won | Currency; plural unchanged. |
| Dong | Dong | Currency; plural unchanged. |
| Naira | Naira | Currency; plural unchanged. |
| Taka | Taka | Currency; plural unchanged. |
| Kip | Kip | Currency; plural unchanged. |
| Kwacha | Kwacha | Currency (Zambia/Malawi); plural unchanged. |
| Ringgit | Ringgit | Currency (Malaysia); plural unchanged in English. |
| Rupiah | Rupiah | Currency (Indonesia); plural unchanged. |
| Lari | Lari | Currency (Georgia); plural unchanged. |
| Pula | Pula | Currency (Botswana); plural unchanged. |
| Manat | Manat | Currency (Azerbaijan/Turkmenistan); plural often unchanged in English. |
