What’s the plural of “fox”?
- The plural of fox (or vulpes vulpes, in Latin) is foxes.
- Foxes is the only recognized plural of wild animal and canine, the fox (or vulpes vulpes, in Latin).
Some confuse the plural form of fox with foxen; which is not a word in English. This could be because a female fox is called a vixen, but that’s unrelated to how the singular modifies to plural. More on this to come.
| Examples: “fox” / “foxes” used in sentences | |
| singular | He’s a wily old fox. |
| plural | She saw a skulk of foxes prowling in the woods. |
Is “fox” regular or irregular?
The plural form i.e., foxes is a regular plural noun. Regular plural nouns in English add either an –s or -es in case its singular form already ends with s. The word fox, though it does not end with s in its singular form, is a sibilant that makes a hissing sound. Sibilants are words that end in a hissing sound; as a general rule of thumb, sibilants add an -es when they switch from singular to plural.
Examples of “foxes” (plural) in sentences
Coyotes, foxes, bears, mountain lions, and bobcats all prey on livestock.
Foxes are common in Rome.
Arctic foxes can be found on any land north of the Arctic Circle, across from Canada to Russia, Europe, Greenland, and Iceland.
Silver foxes apparently also occur in northern Asia.
Arctic foxes are monogamous, meaning they mate for life.
Terms for male and female foxes
- Female foxes are vixens, male foxes are either called a “dog fox” or tod.
- Young foxes are pups, cubs, and/or kits.
Collective names for fox
- A group of foxes are a skulk: ‘A skulk of foxes are prowling the depths of the forest.’
- Skulk is also a verb, which the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines as to, “keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive.” Skulk is Scandinavian etymologically, “such as the Norwegian skulke “to shirk, malinger,” and Danish skulke “to spare oneself, shirk.” (Etymonline: skulk.)
Phrases with the word “fox”
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| like a fox guarding the henhouse | said when one in charge of protecting information is likely to exploit it |
| as crafty/sly as a fox | to be cunning |
| the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog | common phrase that uses all 26 letters of the alphabet |
| a fox is not taken twice in the same snare | one who learns from one’s mistakes does not repeat them |
| a stone cold fox/silver fox | saying someone is attractive or appealing |
| fox’s sleep | a feigned state of sleep where you’re aware of your surroundings |
Origin of “fox”
The word fox derives from the Old English word, fox “a fox,” and evolved from the Proto-Germanic fuhsaz “fox”.
Read more on plural nouns
- What’s the plural of bison?
- What’s the plural of moose?
- What’s the plural of sheep?
- What’s the plural of ox?
- What’s the plural of cactus?
- What’s the plural of crisis?
- What’s the plural of hypothesis?
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