What’s the plural of “leaf”?
- The only plural of leaf is leaves, when referring to the noun.
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Leaf can also be a verb meaning, “to turn through pages, sheets”, often paired with “through”; e.g., “to leaf through” a book.
The tree shed all its leaves in autumn.
We collected colourful leaves from the park.
The tree shed all its leafs in autumn.
We collected colourful leafs from the park.
The plural of the noun leaf is sometimes mistaken for leafs; which, understandably, is likely due to the fact that most English plural nouns add -s or -es when switching from the singular case to the plural.
| Examples: “leaf” / “leaves“ | |
| singular | Do you know what a maple leaf looks like? |
| plural | The leaves on the trees were beginning to turn from green to orange. |
That the plural of “leaf” is “leaves,‡ associate it with the sound of rustling leaves—the “s‡ sound reinforces the plural “leaves.‡.
Collective nouns for “leaves”
Leaves as a collective are called foliage (plant leaves collectively.)
Phrases with the words leaf/leaves
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| As rare as a four-leaf clover | for something to be extremely rare or uncommon |
| Shake/quake like a leaf | to tremble or shake in fear |
| To be ‘in leaf’ | to be covered in leaves |
| Take a leaf/page out of someone’s book | to adopt someone’s practices or ways of doing things because they think it’s better/improved |
| To leaf through something | to peruse or look through something |
| To turn a new leaf | to change your behaviour, typically in a good way |
Etymology of “leaf”
Old English leaf “leaf of a plant, foliage; page of a book, sheet of paper,” from Proto-Germanic *lauba–.
Read more about 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?
Worksheet
What is the correct plural form of the noun “leaf”?
According to the post, why is “leaves” considered an irregular plural?
Which word is the incorrect plural form of the noun “leaf” according to the blog post?
The blog post mentions that “leaf” can also be used as a verb. What does the phrase “to leaf through” often mean?
Based on the general rule mentioned for nouns ending in -f or -fe, what do they typically add to form their plural?
The wind blew all the _________ off the trees.
She likes to _________ through fashion magazines at the salon.
We collected colorful autumn _________ from the park for a school project.
The blog post explicitly states that the only plural of the noun “leaf” is _________.
According to the post’s chart, the plural of the noun “wolf” ends in _________.
FAQs
What’s the correct plural of leaf?
Based on the post, the only plural form of the noun “leaf” is “leaves”. Using “leafs” for the plural noun is incorrect. For example: The tree shed all its leaves in autumn.
Is “leafs” correct for the noun plural?
No, the post states that “leafs” is an incorrect plural form for the noun “leaf”. The correct irregular plural form is “leaves”. This mistake is common because most plurals add -s or -es.
Why is “leafs” often used incorrectly?
The post explains that “leafs” is often mistakenly used as the plural because most English nouns form their plural by simply adding -s or -es. “Leaf” is irregular, adding -ves instead.
Is leaf a regular or irregular noun?
The post classifies “leaf” as an irregular noun. It is irregular because it forms its plural by adding “-ves” (leaves) instead of the standard “-s” or “-es” that regular nouns use.
Are other nouns pluralized like leaf?
Yes, the post notes that many singular nouns ending in -f or -fe form their plurals by adding -ves, similar to “leaf.” Examples include life/lives, wife/wives, and wolf/wolves.
Yash, D. What’s the Plural of Leaf? Leafs or Leaves?. Grammarflex. www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-plural-of-leaf/
Yash, D. What’s the Plural of Leaf? Leafs or Leaves?. Grammarflex. www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-plural-of-leaf/
