What’s the Plural of Life: Understanding Linguistic Variations
Quick Answer
The plural of life is lives. You drop the -fe and add -ves.
One: She has one life.
Many: Cats have nine lives.
Life and Lives — See the Pattern
Read these sentences. Can you see the pattern?
- A cat has nine lives.
- The firefighters saved three lives today.
- They told us about their lives in the city.
- Many lives were changed by the new school.
Did you notice? When you talk about more than one life, the word always changes to lives. It is never “lifes.”
| Singular (one) | Plural (more than one) |
|---|---|
| life | lives |
Why Life Changes to Lives
The word life ends in -fe. In English, most words that end in -f or -fe follow a special rule for the plural. You drop the -f or -fe and add -ves:
- life → lives
- wife → wives
- knife → knives
- leaf → leaves
- wolf → wolves
Easy way to remember: If a word ends in -f or -fe, think: “F goes away, VES comes to stay.”
The Rule in One Line: Drop the -fe, add -ves: life → lives.
How to Use Lives in Everyday English
Here are sentences you might hear or use every day:
- Doctors save lives every day. (= they help many people stay alive)
- The book is about the lives of two sisters. (= their stories)
- Cats are said to have nine lives. (= nine chances)
- The flood changed many lives in the town. (= it affected many people)
- They lived happy lives together. (= their time was good)
You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.
Two Mistakes to Avoid With Life and Lives
Even advanced learners sometimes write “lifes” instead of “lives” — so if you have made this mistake, you are not alone.
✗ She lived many lifes.
✓ She lived many lives.
✗ The lifes of these people are interesting.
✓ The lives of these people are interesting.
✗ Cats have nine lifes.
✓ Cats have nine lives.
How to remember: Think of knife → knives. The same change happens with life → lives. The -fe always becomes -ves.
Be careful: “Lives” can also be a verb. “She lives in London” means she is living there now. The sentence around the word tells you if “lives” is a noun (plural of life) or a verb (present tense of live).
Other words like this: wife → wives, knife → knives, leaf → leaves, wolf → wolves, half → halves.
Test Yourself: Life or Lives?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.
1. Firefighters save many _______ every year.
2. He has had a very interesting _______.
3. The _______ of the people in this village are simple and happy.
4. Every _______ matters.
5. The two sisters lived very different _______.
Keep Going — You Are Building Something
You just learned that the plural of life is lives. That is one more spelling rule you will never get wrong again.
But life is not the only -fe word that changes in a surprising way. Do you know the plural of wife? Does it follow the same rule, or is there a catch?
Next lesson: Plural of Wife — Is It Wives or Wifes?
Sources
My name is Khamis Maiouf. I am the creator of the English Teacher Site, dedicated to providing valuable resources and insights for students around the world. With a passion for education and a commitment to helping students enhance their skills, I aim to make English teaching more effective and enjoyable for both educators and students.
