What’s the plural of “half”? ½
The plural of half (rhymes with calf) is halves (rhymes with calves). Like most singular nouns that end in f and are sibilants, half switches to halves as a plural. Other examples of nouns that share this same pattern include calf/calves, self/selves, elf/elves and scarf/scarves.
She bought two beautiful scarves for the winter.
The lone wolf howled at the moon.
We needed more shelf for our growing book collection.
He put the dishes away on the shelfs.
What’s the singular of half? ½
A half.
What does “half” mean? ½
Dictionary.com defines the word half as “one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole, as an object, or unit of measure or time; a part of a whole equal or almost equal to the remainder.”
Nouns ending in -f/-fe and -ves
Nouns that end in –f/-fe convert to –ves as a plural:
| singular | plural |
| scarf | scarves |
| life | lives |
| wife | wives |
| shelf | shelves |
| self | selves |
| half | halves |
| wolf | wolves |
Link the plural of “half” to “halves” with the f-to-v+es pattern, just like “calf” changes to “calves”.
Examples of “half” in sentences
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | The team fell behind in the first half but rallied in the second half to win the gam“
‘Which half do you want?” “I take the smaller half.” More than half the hungry people in the world live in just these three nations—nations that are all net food exporters. Just half a century ago, Americans on average spent more than 20 percent of their income on food. |
Examples of “halves” in sentences
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | She broke each cookie into halves.
Two halves make a whole. Using his sword, the samurai split his enemy’s body into two halves. The mother cut the banana into halves and gave one to each of her twins. When placed together, the halves of the locket should fit perfectly to form a heart. |
| Word | Similar words |
|---|---|
| half | partly, somewhat, bisected, divided, halved, sectioned, fractional |
Origin of half
Old English half, halb (Mercian), healf (W. Saxon) “side, part,” not necessarily of equal division (original sense preserved in behalf), from Proto-Germanic *halba-.
Practice: Forms of “Half”
She cut the apple into two equal ______.
I only need ______ a cup of sugar for this recipe.
The two ______ of the locket fit together perfectly.
We waited for ______ an hour before the bus arrived.
The soccer game is played in two ______ of 45 minutes each.
FAQs
What is the plural of “half”?
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How is the plural of “half” formed?
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Are there other words like “half”?
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How is “halves” used in sentences?
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What plural mistake is shown?
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Sources
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Definition of half.
Yash, D. "How to Use Half Plural (Explained, Examples & Worksheet)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/half-plural/.
