businesses
The plural of "business" is businesses.
Nouns that end in s, x, z, ch or sh add -es to make the plural, so business becomes businesses.
Meaning: a company, or the activity of buying and selling (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Use a plural verb with businesses: the businesses are. The possessive plural adds only an apostrophe: businesses'.
How do you pronounce it?
business is pronounced /ˈbɪz.nɪs/. The plural ending sounds like /ɪz/, so the plural has one more syllable than the singular.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use an apostrophe to make a plural. businesses means more than one, while an apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone.
Did you know?
- The e in -es makes the plural easier to say after a hissing sound. It adds a syllable: box has one syllable and boxes has two.
Examples in context
- Many small businesses closed last year.Singular: One small business closed last year.
- She runs two businesses.Singular: She runs one business.
