Whats the Plural of Software: Understanding Collective Nouns in Technology

“Software” Never Changes — See Why

Look at these sentences. What do you notice about the word software?

• My phone needs new software.
• The company makes software for hospitals.
• I have ten different software programs on my laptop.
• All the software on this computer is free.

Did you see? The word software stays exactly the same every time — whether you mean one program or a hundred. It never gets an “s” at the end.

Why You Cannot Say “Softwares”

Software is an uncountable noun. That means you cannot count it with numbers like 1, 2, 3. It is like water — you do not say “two waters.” You say “two glasses of water.”

Other uncountable nouns that work the same way:

• information — not “informations”
• equipment — not “equipments”
• furniture — not “furnitures”
• advice — not “advices”

So how do you talk about more than one? Use a counting word before it:

• pieces of software — “We tested three pieces of software.”
• software programs — “She uses five software programs every day.”
• types of software — “There are many types of software for learning English.”

Easy way to remember: Think of software like water. You cannot say “two waters” — you say “two bottles of water.” Same idea: not “two softwares” but “two pieces of software.”

How to Use Software in Everyday English

• The software on my phone is very slow today. (singular verb “is”)
• We need to buy new software for the office. (no “s” at the end)
• This company makes software that helps teachers. (one program or many — same word)
• I downloaded three pieces of software yesterday. (counting word + software)
• All the software has been updated. (singular verb “has”)

You are doing great. Now let us look at the mistakes many learners make.

The Two Most Common Mistakes With Software

Even advanced learners add an “s” to software sometimes — so if you have made this mistake, you are not alone. In many other languages, you can make this word plural. But in English, you cannot.

Mistake 1: Adding “s” to make “softwares”

This is the most common mistake. The word “softwares” does not exist in English.

Mistake 2: Using “are” or “were” with software

Because software is uncountable, it always uses singular verbs: is, was, has.

How to remember: Replace “software” with “water” in your head. If “water are ready” sounds wrong, then “software are ready” is wrong too. Both need “is.”

Other uncountable nouns that follow this same pattern: hardware, luggage, research, homework, knowledge.

Test Yourself: Software or Softwares?

Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned that software is uncountable. That is one more grammar rule you will never get wrong again.

But here is something interesting: did you know there is a special name for words like software, information, and equipment — words you cannot count? They are called mass nouns. And the rules for using them are not always what you expect.

Next lesson: What Are Mass Nouns?

Sources

1. Synonyms of software.
2. Definition of software.
3. Software sentence examples.
4. Difference between software and hardware.