Why It’s Mice, Not Mouses (and Other Brain-Benders)
English is famous for throwing curveballs, and nowhere is that more obvious than when it comes to plural nouns. Sure, we happily add an “s” or “es” to most words, but then we run into baffling exceptions:
- One mouse, two mice
- One child, two children
- One goose, two geese
So why does English do this to us?
The Roots of Irregular Plurals
A lot of these weird plurals come from Old English, which had different ways to show plurals. Back then, it wasn’t just about adding an “s.” Words often changed their vowels in the middle, a process called ablaut.
That’s why we have:
- Man → men
- Tooth → teeth
- Foot → feet
As English evolved and simplified, most nouns shifted to the simple “s” form. But these old holdouts stuck around, leaving us with a quirky linguistic museum in everyday speech.
Why “Mouses” Was Never a Thing
Technically, if English had standardized completely, we might all say “mouses.” But since “mouse” was one of those Old English words that formed its plural by changing the vowel, it remained “mice.”
Fun twist: in tech, some people do use “mouses” when talking about multiple computer mice. It avoids confusion — nobody thinks you have rodents running around your desk.
Other Fun Irregular Plurals
- Ox → oxen: One of the last words that keeps the old “-en” plural.
- Die → dice: Originally “die” was the singular for gaming, and “dice” the plural. Now we mostly just say “dice” for both.
- Person → people: A truly odd one out, since “people” isn’t even formed like a regular plural.
English Still Makes New Irregulars
Language loves to keep things interesting. You’ll even hear playful or joking irregular plurals pop up in modern speech:
- Octopus → octopi? (Latin style, but technically Greek is “octopodes,” and English is happy with “octopuses.”)
- Cactus → cacti? Same debate.
In casual settings, people often switch between them, showing how flexible and weirdly democratic English is.
So Is There a Rule?
Not really. The best (and only real) rule is: memorize the weird ones. Luckily, because we use words like “mice” and “children” so often, it becomes second nature.
Keep Exploring the Oddities
English is a delightful mess, full of historical leftovers and playful twists. At Word Jolt, we love unraveling it all so you can sound smart at your next dinner party.
