Plural of Goose | Gooses or Geese?

The correct plural form of goose is geese. “Gooses” is incorrect and should be avoided, although it is sometimes used in casual and informal contexts.

Geese in a sentence examples
At first, I thought there was only one goose, but there were actually three geese.

There were many geese, sheep, and cows on the farm.

A flock of geese flew over us.

Gooses or geese

Goose is an irregular noun, meaning it does not get pluralized simply by adding an “s” to the end of it. Instead, the plural form of goose is “geese,” not “gooses.”

Gooses or geese examples
We fed many geese that lived near the pond.
We fed many gooses that lived near the pond.

My daughter was frightened by all the loud, honking geese
My daughter was frightened by all the loud, honking gooses.

Wild geese usually migrate south for the winter.
Wild gooses usually migrate south for the winter.

“Gooses” is sometimes used in casual and informal contexts. For example, when speaking to a group of children, someone may call them “silly gooses,” though this is grammatically incorrect.

With irregular nouns, there’s no pattern. The only way to remember the correct plural form is memorization and familiarization. Other examples of irregular nouns that do not get pluralized by adding an “-s” or “es” to it include “child,” “man,” “tooth,” “wife,” and “woman.”

Noun Plural noun
Child Children
Man Men
Tooth Teeth
Wife Wives
Woman Women

Keep in mind that although “goose” and “moose” are spelled similarly, the correct plural of “moose” is not “meese,” but simply “moose.”

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Gina Rancaño, BA

Gina holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, as well as a certificate in professional and public writing from Florida International University. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading.