censuses
The plural of "census" is censuses.
Nouns that end in s, x, z, ch or sh add -es to make the plural, so census becomes censuses.
Meaning: an official count of a country's population (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Use a plural verb with censuses: the censuses are. The possessive plural adds only an apostrophe: censuses'.
How do you pronounce it?
census is pronounced /ˈsɛnsəs/. 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. censuses means more than one, while an apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone.
Did you know?
- The -es ending comes from the Old English plural ending -as, which became the standard plural in Middle English.
Examples in context
- The country holds censuses every ten years.Singular: The country holds a census every ten years.
- Old censuses help people trace their families.Singular: An old census helps people trace their families.
