essences
The plural of "essence" is essences.
Most English nouns form the plural by adding -s, and essence follows this rule.
Meaning: the most important quality of something, or a concentrated liquid from a plant (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Use a plural verb with essences: the essences are. The possessive plural adds only an apostrophe: essences'.
How do you pronounce it?
essence is pronounced /ˈɛsəns/. 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. essences means more than one, while an apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone.
Did you know?
- The -s plural goes back to the Old English ending -as, which belonged to only one group of nouns, as in stānas, "stones". By the end of the Middle Ages it had spread to almost every noun.
Examples in context
- The shop sells flower essences.Singular: The shop sells flower essence.
- Vanilla and almond essences are used in baking.Singular: Vanilla essence is used in baking.
