The singular of Lice is Louse

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The singular of lice is louse
A) Yes
B) No
Answer
Verified

Answer. The correct answer to the question, singular of Lice is Louse is A) Yes. The word lice is the plural form of louse. A louse is a small, wingless insect that often infests the hair or clothing of humans and animals.

Complete Answer. 

The singular of lice is louse. This might sound unusual because louse does not follow the regular pluralisation pattern in English, where most nouns simply take an -s or -es ending, like pen becomes pens or brush becomes brushes. Instead, louse is an example of an irregular plural, much like mouse to mice or goose to geese.

Irregular plurals in English often have linguistic roots in Old English or Germanic origins. These older forms followed different rules for making plurals, rules that still exist in modern English, especially in frequently used nouns.

What Are Irregular Plural Nouns?

Irregular plural nouns are nouns that do not follow standard pluralisation rules. These forms change in different ways, such as vowel shifts, completely different spellings, or no change at all. English contains many such irregular nouns, and understanding their patterns is key to mastering grammar and usage.

Common Rules for Irregular Singular and Plural Nouns

To help you better understand how certain nouns like louse form their plurals differently, here are some common rules that explain how irregular singular and plural nouns work in English.

RuleExample (Singular)Example (Plural)
Vowel Change in the middle of the wordManMen
ToothTeeth
GooseGeese
MouseMice
F becomes V in the Plural formLeafLeaves
WolfWolves
Complete Word ChangeChildChildren
LouseLice
PersonPeople
Same form for singular and pluralSheepSheep
DeerDeer
SpeciesSpecies

Interesting Fact 

Irregular plural forms like louse and lice help students build accuracy in grammar, especially in academic subjects such as biology, health education, and English language learning.

For example,
Incorrect: A lice was found on his scalp.
Correct: One louse was found on his scalp.

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