Practice
Gooses or geese: which plural is correct?
One goose crossed the path. Three geese followed it. The plural changes inside the word, so it does not take the usual -s ending.
Use geese as the plural noun for the bird goose, and recognize gooses as a verb form rather than the usual plural noun.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
One goose, two geese. /wʌn ɡuːs, tuː ɡiːs/
The short answer
Use geese for two or more birds. Use goose for one bird. The form gooses usually belongs to the verb goose, which means to pinch or push someone playfully or suddenly.
A line of geese flew over the lake at sunset.
Why it works: Geese names several birds, so it is the plural noun.
5 more examples
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Two geese stood near the edge of the pond.
Two tells you that the noun is plural, so use geese.
Not this:
One goosestood near the edge of the pond. What changes: One names a single bird, so use goose. -
We watched geese land in the field.
The word names more than one bird that landed.
Not this:We watched
one gooseland in the field. What changes: The singular noun fits because there is only one bird. -
The park has signs asking visitors not to feed the geese.
The signs refer to a group of birds, so the plural noun is geese.
Not this:The park ranger checked
one injured goose. What changes: One identifies a single bird. -
The comedian gooses his colleague during the rehearsal.
Here gooses is a verb. The comedian is one person doing the action.
Not this:
The geesegather near the stage door. What changes: Here geese is a plural noun and the verb gather agrees with it. -
A flock of geese passed above the highway.
A flock is a group, and geese names the birds in that group.
Not this:
A goosepassed above the highway. What changes: The singular noun names one bird.
Read the full guide
Start by asking whether the word names birds or describes an action. If it names several birds, choose geese. If a sentence has a subject such as she, the coach, or the child and describes an action, gooses may be the present-tense verb.
Use geese for several birds
Geese is the ordinary plural of goose. Use it when a sentence names two or more birds. The number can be stated directly, or it can be clear from a word such as several, many, or a flock.
Several geese were resting beside the river.
Several requires a plural noun, so geese is the right form.
Complete the sentence: We counted four ___ near the bridge.
Use geese: We counted four geese near the bridge.
Keep goose for one bird
Use goose after one, a, each, or another word that shows a single bird. This singular form does not change because the sentence may also mention a group nearby. Choose the noun that matches the bird you are naming.
One goose stayed behind after the flock left.
One goose names a single bird. The flock is a separate group noun.
Choose the noun for one bird: Each ___ has a numbered tag.
Use goose: Each goose has a numbered tag.
Notice the vowel change
Most English nouns make a plural with -s or -es. Goose belongs to a smaller group that changes its vowel instead: goose becomes geese. Learn the pair as one item rather than trying to add the normal ending.
The goose followed the geese across the grass.
The first noun names one bird. The second noun names the group.
Which plural pattern matches goose: add -s, or change goose to geese?
Change goose to geese when you mean more than one bird.
Read gooses as a verb when needed
The spelling gooses can be a verb form. A singular subject takes gooses in the present tense: She gooses her friend. This meaning is different from the bird noun, so read the whole sentence before deciding what the word does.
The actor gooses his friend at the end of the scene.
The actor is the singular subject, and gooses describes an action.
In The child gooses his brother, does gooses name birds or describe an action?
It describes an action, so gooses is a verb in this sentence.
Check number before you write
Before you choose the noun, look for a number or quantity word. One bird needs goose. Two or more birds need geese. This quick number check prevents the common mistake of treating this irregular noun like a regular -s plural.
There are six geese on the roof.
Six tells you that the noun must be plural.
Edit the noun: Three gooses crossed the road.
Write Three geese crossed the road.
Before you go
Remember this
Use goose for one bird and geese for more than one. Do not add -s to make the ordinary plural of the bird. If you see gooses, check whether the sentence is using the verb goose with a singular subject.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Gooses or geese: which plural is correct?"
Is geese always the plural of goose?
For ordinary English about the bird, use geese for more than one goose. Write one goose, two geese, and a flock of geese. This noun has an irregular plural, so it does not follow the usual pattern of adding -s.
Two geese stood near the edge of the pond.
Why is the plural geese instead of gooses?
Goose is one of a small group of older English nouns that change a vowel in the plural. The same pattern appears in foot and feet and tooth and teeth. Learn goose and geese together as a singular and plural pair.
One goose stood near the edge of the pond.
Can gooses ever be a correct word?
Yes. Gooses can be the present-tense form of the verb goose after a singular subject, as in The actor gooses his friend. Dictionaries also record limited special uses. For the normal plural noun meaning several birds, use geese.
We watched geese land in the field.
Do I write two goose or two geese?
Write two geese. A number greater than one needs the plural form. The sentence Two geese are swimming uses geese because it names two birds. Use goose only when you mean one bird, as in One goose is swimming.
We watched one goose land in the field.
How can I check the right form quickly?
First, count the birds. Use goose for one and geese for two or more. If the word follows a singular subject and tells what that person does, it may be the verb gooses instead. The sentence meaning gives you the answer.
The park has signs asking visitors not to feed the geese.