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My plush platypus toys are guaranteed not to care which plural you use. The Greek plural for platypus is platypodes, but this plural is not used in English.
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In captivity, platypuses have survived up to 17 years of age. So it looks like the most accepted plural of “platypus” is “platypuses” or simply “platypus.” But whatever you call them, it’s hard to go wrong with a cuddly stuffed animal to love. Both male and female platypuses are born with ankle spurs, but only the male's spurs produce venom. It further states that “platypus” is the most-used term in scientific fields.Īnd, if it counts for anything, my computer’s autocorrect accepts “platypuses,” but not “platypi.” It finds its origins in Late 18th century. It is unfortunate that some dictionaries include platypi as a plural. Platypus is an noun, plural platypuses, platypi plat-i-pahy /plt pa/ (Show IPA) according to parts of speech.
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An Australian website devoted to information about the platypus agrees with the Wikipedia article. What is the plural of platypus 'Platypus' or 'platypuses' are both accepted plural forms.The plural of platypus is not platypi. The majority of people uses the word 'platypuses' for the plural or relies on 'platypus' for the singular and plural, and you will find this version in many dictionaries. This basic vocabulary short lesson is very useful for kids and beginners. When you start reading platypus facts from various sources, you can easily become confused in terms of what to call more than one of this animal. Understanding when to use them correctly is an important part of mastering the language. English has both singular and plural forms for nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs. A platypus can lay about 12 eggs at a time. According to Merriam-Webster and, the plural can be either “platypuses” or “platypi.” My computer dictionary lists only “platypuses” as a plural form.Ī Wikipedia article on the platypus states that the proper plural is “platypuses” or just “platypus.” “Platypi” is considered to be incorrect, as it assumes the word “platypus” comes from Latin when it was really derived from Greek. The platypus is one of the few venomous mammals on Earth. The dictionary seemed like a logical place to start. Because of this, I am often asked for the plural of “platypus.” It’s an odd word and many people guess “platypi” and sometimes “platypuses.” I thought it would be fun to do a little research and find out what really is the acceptable plural of “platypus.” If your goal is to learn how to use these correctly in sentences, it can be helpful to keep this basic rule in mind- plural nouns have an “-s” added on the end!ĭownload here a complete list of singular and plurals in PDF.One of my most popular products is my platypus stuffed animal.
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One common grammar issue that ESL students struggle with is singulars and plurals. Learning English is a challenging process for many people, but fortunately there are plenty of resources to help you along the way. We have discussed basic synonyms and their use in our daily routine conversational sentences. But, according to the Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary, the accepted plural is platypuses or (particularly in scientific and conservation contexts). This basic vocabulary short lesson is very useful for kids and beginners.
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The latter is formed by analogy with Latin nouns of the second.
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