The Plural Of Dice - Grammar Monster

Plural of Dice

What Is the Plural of Dice?

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The Quick Answer

"Dice" is the plural form of "die." In modern standard English, "dice" is slowly becoming the accepted singular and plural form. "Dice" is the plural form of "die." "Dice" is sometimes used to refer to a singular die. If you want to play it safe: Use dice if you are rolling two or more game pieces. Use die, if you are only using one piece.
  • It's a roll of the dice in the movie business.correct tick
  • I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world.correct tick

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The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals

The table below shows the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English.
Type Example of Type Forming the Plural Plural
Most Nouns cat scythe add s cats scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z bus dress add es buses dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o mango zero tomato add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.) mangoes or mangos zeros tomatoes
Nouns ending [vowel] o patio ratio add s patios ratios
Nouns ending [consonant] y story penny change the y to an i and add es stories pennies
Nouns ending [vowel] y storey (small British flag) donkey add s storeys donkeys
Mass nouns rice flour some nouns do not have a plural form rice flour
Nouns ending f or fe dwarf knife ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.) dwarfs knives
Exceptions goose louse some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change geese lice
More exceptions die sheep some nouns do not change at all dice sheep
Read more about English spelling rules.

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Dice?

Confusion arises because people refer to "dice" in pairs so often that they don't realize it has a separate singular form. author logo

This page was written by Craig Shrives.

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