What’s the plural of “wife”?
Wives is the plural of wife. Why wives is the plural for wife is a separate question. Hopefully, this post helps clear up some of the (reasonable) confusion on why English plural forms seem so random; or, more specifically, at least why wife/wives behaves as it does from singular to plural.
My wife works as a teacher.
The company invited all employees and their wives to the holiday party.
He introduced me to his three wifes at the event.
There were many wife in the room, waiting for their partners.
What’s the meaning of “wife”?
The online dictionary defines a wife as:
A married woman, especially when considered in relation to her partner in marriage.” Wives (pl. n.) are married women (pl. n.); a wife (sing.) is a married woman (sing.)
When to use wife or wives
In conversation, text or general writing, wife or wives is less frequently currently used than it was historically. Terms that make implications or assumptions (especially when the information is unknown, or hasn’t yet been disclosed) can have an unsavoury reaction, depending on the person and their sensitivities. When in doubt, best to avoid terms like wife or wives, and stick to more neutral terms (partner, or spouse works).
What’s the plural of wife?
The plural of wife (wives), is an irregular plural since wives doesn’t simply add en -es, it rewrites the entire ending to convey a plural. Though it ends in the regular –es as a plural noun, it does so by replacing its ending (-fe) in the singular case. Nouns normally add on the -es/-s to show plurality: books, phones, dogs and cats all put an s to demonstrate a plural noun. This makes it extremely easy (for the most part) to form a plural noun: just add an s to the singular noun.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| knife | knives |
| life | lives |
| wife | wives |
| wolf | wolves |
Nouns ending in -f/-fe and -ves. Chart by Grammarflex.
This isn’t the case with words like knife, wife, shelf, elf, (the list goes on.) It could be that each of these words came was brought down to Modern English from the Germanic languages, or PIE (Proto-Indo-European region.) Students of Germanic languages and linguistics are likely familiar with the i-umlaut (a particular favourite on the #GFlex blog.) The i-umlaut, which describes modifying from singular the plural by interchanging vowels in the word (goose goes to geese; foot to feet, tooth to teeth.)
The i-umlaut describes one method Germanic languages used to denote a plural. Well, not unlike the i-mutation/umlaut, the rule that applies with these Germanic derived sibilants, (wolf, knife, wife, life, etc.) each ends in –ves as a plural noun, replacing the sibilant -f/-fe in the singular case. See the chart below.
The plural of “wife,” associate it with the word “knives”—both words add “-ves” to form their plurals.
Used in a sentence: wife & wives
| Noun: wife/wives | Example sentences |
|---|---|
| wife (singular) |
Peter’s wife is a phenomenal cook. He bought a beautiful necklace for his wife on their anniversary. The author dedicated his latest novel to his loving wife. |
| wives (plural) |
Was he actually considering having two wives? We are women, wives and mothers. The calmest husbands make the stormiest wives. |
| Word | Similar words |
|---|---|
| wife | spouse, partner, life partner, companion |
Origin of wife
Before 900; Middle English, Old English wīf woman; cognate with Dutch *wjf. German Weib,Old Norse vīf“.
Practice: Forms of “Wife”
The story was about a group of ______ who supported each other.
He introduced his ______ to his colleagues at the company party.
In some historical dramas, kings had multiple ______.
He bought a beautiful gift for his ______ on their anniversary.
The book club is made up of local husbands and ______.
FAQs
What’s the plural of “wife”?
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Is the plural of wife regular or irregular?
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How do I use “wife” vs “wives” correctly?
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Are other words pluralized like wife?
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When is it best to avoid using wife/wives?
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Sources
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Origin of wife.
Yash, D. "How to Use Wife Plural (Explained, Examples & Worksheet)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/wife-plural/.
