If you enjoy being out on the water, you might like to try catching some fish. Or is that “fishes? Although both are proper ways to spell the plural form of fish, there are rules about how to use them as both a noun and a verb.
The word fish can describe an animal species, but also represents an action. Both fish and fishes are appropriate to use in both noun and verb form, but they have some specific rules. Let’s look at what this means and how fish and fishes should be used.
What is the Plural of Fish in English?
Fish can be a plural form and singular form and is used when referring to a single group or collection of a specific species of fish. Fishes is a more scientific use when referring to types of fish in a group or collection. You can also conjugate fish to fishes when used as a verb.
When to Use Fish
When used as a noun, fish describes as singular fish or multiple fish. It is a common, well-recognized word and does not require the addition of an “s” to make it plural.
Use fish to describe one fish, a school of fish, or a specific fish species. For example:
- The fish in Lake Ignace were not biting over the weekend.
- We saw three Manta-Ray fish during our glass bottom ocean cruise.
- My fish, Bob, was all alone in the fishbowl before I bought him a snail.
As a verb, use fish to describe the action of catching or trying to catch a fish. It conjugates as a regular verb. For example:
- I love to go fishing with my father.
- Every chance I get, I fish with my group of friends from High School.
- I fished that pond every day after school for a year.
When to Use Fishes
As a noun, fishes is a scientific term that describes more than one species of fish in a group. Fish can be used in its stead, but fishes helps you recognize there is more than one type of fish being referred to. For example:
- The biologist was studying the diversity of the fishes in the isolated mountain lake.
- We saw 15 different types of fishes on our trip.
As a verb, fishes is the simple present conjugation of the word. For example:
- He fishes with a unique cast that allows the fly to hover just above the water’s surface.
- She fishes with her children every chance she gets.
How to Use Fish in a Sentence
These fish emit distress signals that are picked up on by the mulloway. [Fishing World]
The fish are then sold as salted dry or canned. [Food Science, Sari Edelstein]
No fish were registered on Upriver Lakes, where the season has now closed after the 90 percent harvest cap was reached on Sunday. [Fon du Lac Reporter]
How to Use Fishes in a Sentence
Those most in jeopardy were the smaller fishes with specialized eating and sheltering habits. [U.S. News & World Report]
Swim with the fishes at Factory Obscura’s latest art installation. [News 9]
Let’s Review
Fish and fishes are correct spellings and serve as a noun in both singular and plural forms or as a verb. Fish is an acceptable use to describe a single fish or any group of fish. Fishes is used to describe multiple species of fish collectively and is more scientific.
As a verb, fish describes the action of fishing, and fishes is the simple present tense of the word.
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
juvenile fishes — молодь; мальки 
lung-finned fishes — лёгочные рыбы
migratory fishes — рыба проходная
ray-finned fishes — лучеперые рыбы
reef fishes — рифовые рыбы
schooling fishes — стайные рыбы
scorpion fishes — скорпеновые рыбы
shark-like fishes — акулоподобные рыбы
smoked fishes — копченая рыба
jawless fishes — бесчелюстные рыбы
Примеры с переводом
In fishes the ribs are sometimes entirely absent.
У рыб иногда полностью отсутствуют рёбра.
The air bladder in fishes seems necessary for swimming.
Плавательный пузырь необходим рыбам для плавания.
The eyes of fishes are in the supine part of their heads.
Глаза рыб расположены в верхней части головы.
Ganoid fishes swarmed during the earlier geological periods.
Ганоидные рыбы получили массовое распространение в течение прошлых геологических периодов.
Andy splashed about in the shallows, stoning the little fishes.
Энди плескался на отмели и бросал камни в маленьких рыбёшек.
Some fishes can live a long time after removal from their element.
Некоторые рыбы способны прожить довольно долгое время после изъятия их из родной стихии.
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
The stonefish is the most deadly of all fishes. 
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
What is the plural of Fish?
Do you say fish or fishes?
The plural of fish is almost always …. fish. (No -es at the end)
- 1 fish
- 2 fish (NOT 2 fishes)
Some example sentences:
- I caught three fish yesterday down at the wharf. (caught is the past tense of catch)
- I bought some fish for my aquarium. (bought is the past tense of buy)
There is even a famous book by Dr. Seuss called One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Note how it is two fish and not two fishes.
When can I use fishes?
Fish is used when we are counting individual fish …. one fish, two fish, three fish… etc.
A number of fish of the same species are called ‘fish.’
However in marine biology / zoology etc., ‘fishes‘ refers to more than one species of fish.
We are talking about entire species and NOT individual fish numbers.
- I read a book about the freshwater fishes of New Zealand.
This book talks about the different species of freshwater fish in New Zealand. We use fishes because there is more than one species. We are not counting the number of fish, just the amount of species.
Fish or Fishes?
Imagine you have an small aquarium. In that aquarium there are 6 fish. This means there are total of 6 individual fish. They may be of different types but we are interested in the number of fish and not how many species there are.
If I say there are 6 fishes in my aquarium, it refers to 6 different species of fish. There might by a goldfish, a clownfish and four others including a piranha (ok, maybe not a piranha as it would each the other fish).
However in general everyday English, we would most likely say:
- There are 6 types of fish in my aquarium OR
- There are 6 species of fish in my aquarium.
Also, if you have a bucket of fish. There may be more than one type or species of fish in it though you will normally say:
- I have a bucket of fish. (not fishes)
The verb To fish
To fish means to try and catch fish.
If we conjugate the verb in the simple present tense, it becomes…
- I fish, you fish, we fish, they fish, he fishes, she fishes, it fishes.
Fishes is the third person conjugation of the verb To fish in the simple present tense.
- He fishes from his small boat every afternoon.
Bonus information about Fish
What do you call a group of fish swimming together in the same direction?
A group of fish swimming together is called a school of fish. We don’t say a “group of fish.”
- A school of fish swam by me while I was scuba diving in Fiji.
Something is fishy
Something is fishy means that something appears suspicious and not right. (Informal)
- That guy over there looks fishy. I’m sure he is planning to steal from someone.
- Something doesn’t feel right. I’m sure something fishy is going on.
Did you know there are other words that don’t change in plural form?
- 1 deer – 2 deer
- 1 sheep – 2 sheep
In Summary
- Fish – singular and plural form when counting individual fish
- Fishes – refers to more than one species of fish
Unless you are a marine biologist, you will always use fish as the plural of fish.
Summary Chart
The most common plural form of fish is indeed fish. However, under certain circumstances, you can use fishes as the plural form of fish. Fish can refer to multiple fish, especially when they are all the same species of fish. Fishes, however, usually refers to multiple species of fish, especially in scientific contexts.
Why do we not say fishes?
For some nouns, like fish, there is no difference between the singular form and the plural form. Sometimes, however, people do use regular plural endings for irregular nouns, so in casual conversation you may hear fishes or elks. Some English words come from Latin, and take a Latinate plural ending.
What is the plural of the word fish?
a Fish or Fishes plural : pisces sense 1 also : pisces sense 2a. b : torpedo sense 1b The submarine’s fish hit the freighter. fish out of water.
How do you use fishes in a sentence?
Fishes sentence example He’s got all the loaves and fishes he needs. The constellation and sign of the zodiac known as “the fishes ” is treated under Pisces. Often the bones, teeth and scales of fishes are to FIG.
Why fish has no plural?
Plural of fish is fish, only if the fish you are talking about are of same species. Whereas, fishes is used when we are talking about different species of fishes. If you caught 4 fish that means the number of ‘fish’ you caught is four and they are of same species. These are 4 fish not 4 fishes.
Is school of fish plural or singular?
The collective term for fish is a school, or shoal. You would correctly refer to a school of fish – not “fishes”. However, I found this use of “fishes” as a plural in a scientific textbook from 1968.
What is octopus plural?
Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word. Lastly, octopodes stems from the belief that because octopus is originally Greek, it should have a Greek ending.
What are fish called?
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups.Fish. Fish Temporal range: Middle Cambrian – Recent Subphylum: Vertebrata Groups included.
Do fishes sleep?
While fish do not sleep in the same way that land mammals sleep, most fish do rest. Research shows that fish may reduce their activity and metabolism while remaining alert to danger. Some fish float in place, some wedge themselves into a secure spot in the mud or coral, and some even locate a suitable nest.
What is fish slang?
Fish, appearing especially in the phrase fresh fish, is prison slang for new, first-time inmates, usually considered naive and vulnerable. Fish, often appearing in the form of fishy or the phrase serving fish, is also slang in drag culture for a very feminine drag queen.
Is it 2 fish or 2 fishes?
Scientists use “fishes” to describe different species of fish in a group or in a location, and “fishes” shows up in some common sayings listed below. The noun “fish” has two different, completely acceptable plurals—”fish” and “fishes”—but “fish” is by far the most common plural.
Can you say fruits?
Grammatically, do you say Fruit or Fruits? The word Fruit is a noun. So the plural of Fruit can be either Fruit OR Fruits. When we think of Fruit as a group collectively and in a non-specific way, then we tend to use the word Fruit (without S).
Which pronoun is used for fish?
Table: Subject Object Possessive pronoun fish fish fishes.
How do you count fish in English?
A: Fish can be a singular count noun, and its usual plural is also fish. Fruit as a singular count noun has the plural of fruits.
How do you make fish plural possessive?
Whether the plural is fish or fishes , is concluded by the sense of the context. When the plural form of “fish” is “fish,” the possessive plural is “fish’s” as the word has an ending other than the letter ‘s’. If the plural form is “fishes”, the possessive plural is “fishes’” as the ending letter is ‘s’.
Is fish a countable noun?
Fish is both countable and uncountable depending on whether you mean the animal – I see three fish – or the food – I eat lots of fish. This is not the only noun like this, so be careful!.
Is Deers a word?
Deers is an accepted plural, but it is rarely used. The word deer comes from the Old English word, deor, which means four-legged animal, beast. Also the Dutch word, dier and the German word, tier. Deer is one of a set of words with irregular plural forms, such as sheep and fish.
How do you spell schools of fish?
When fish, shrimp or other aquatic creatures swim together in a loose cluster, this is typically called a shoal. It can be a mix of different species. A school is a group of the same fish species swimming together in synchrony; turning, twisting and forming sweeping, glinting shapes in the water.
What is Goose plural?
noun. ˈgüs plural geese ˈgēs .
What is Platypus plural?
However, given that “platypodes” has for some unfathomable reason never become popular, the dictionary goes on to say that the accepted plural is “platypuses” or (particularly in scientific and conservation contexts) “platypus”.
Do you say shrimp or shrimps?
‘Shrimp’ has two plurals. You can either say or write ‘shrimp’ or ‘shrimps. ‘ However, ‘shrimps’ is usually used in reference to different species or.
What class is a fish?
Superclass Agnatha contains only two Classes of animals, both of which come under the general term of fish.Higher Classification of the Phylum Chordata. Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Superclass Gnathostomata Class Chondrichthyes Common Name Sharks and Rays etc. (Fish).
What are 3 types of fish?
Fishes are typically divided into three groups: superclass Agnatha (jawless fishes), class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fishes), and superclass Osteichthyes (bony fishes).
Is an octopus a fish?
Yes, a mollusk — like your common garden snail. To be more specific, an octopus belongs to a unique class of mollusks known as cephalopods. To put it in simpler terms, this why an octopus has no bones — no skeleton — it is an invertebrate. A fish has a backbone and a skeleton — it is a vertebrate.
Is it correct to say fishes?
The plural of fish is usually fish. When referring to more than one species of fish, especially in a scientific context, you can use fishes as the plural. The zodiac sign Pisces is also often referred to as fishes.
Is fish or are fish?
Both can be correct. You’d use fish is if you were referring to a single fish, you’d use fish are if you were referring to a group of fish of the same species and you’d use fishes are if you were referring to groups of fish of different species.
What fishy means?
1 : of or resembling fish especially in taste or odor. 2 : creating doubt or suspicion : questionable.
Is Fishy a slang?
FISHY is a slang term for fish. It is widely used with fish-themed memes on social media sites, such as Facebook, Reddit and Twitter. FISHY is one of a number of animal-based memes which use childish language to invoke a feeling of sentimentality.
What does fishy queen mean?
fish / fishy. a term used to describe when a drag queen looks like a cis-gendered woman.
What is another word for fishy?
Fishy Synonyms – WordHippo Thesaurus….What is another word for fishy?
| suspicious | doubtful |
|---|---|
| dubious | queer |
| questionable | suspect |
| shady | dodgy |
| odd | strange |
What is the positive connotative meaning of fishy?
Since this word has two meanings, context is key. If you say something is fishy, it probably means you think something is suspicious. If you’re sitting next to someone eating a tuna sandwich, though, you could just mean you smell a fishy odor. Fishy usually refers to situations that seem suspect or shady.
What is the opposite of fishy?
Antonyms: unquestionable. Synonyms: suspicious, suspect, shady, funny. fishy, funny, shady, suspect, suspicious(adj)
How would you describe the smell of fish?
The smell of fish is pretty universally known, and that’s what we say. One can even say that other things smell fishy. You could use one of the following words: foul, noxious, putrid, rank, or reeking. The smell of fish comes from a similar process as the smell of urine – the breaking down of amines.
How do you say something smells good?
fragrant
- ambrosial.
- aromal.
- aromatic.
- balmy.
- delectable.
- delicious.
- delightful.
- odoriferous.
How do you describe a scent?
Airy, acrid, aromatic, astonishing, balmy, balsamic, beautiful, bubbly, celestial, cheap, clean, cool, delicate, delicious, delightful, dewy, divine, exotic, exquisite, faint, familiar, favorite, fine, floral, fresh, green, gentle, great, graceful, heady, heavenly, heavy, holy, immortal, light, lovely, mild, musky.
How do you describe a fish?
Slippery, scaly, luminescent, shiny, delicious, crispy, golden, juicy, battered, smelly, salty, slimy, foul-smelling, wet, water-dwelling, iridescent, white-bellied, gullible, fickle, curious, finned, bony.
What is special about a fish?
As members of the phylum Chordata, fish share certain features with other vertebrates. These features are gill slits at some point in the life cycle, a notochord, or skeletal supporting rod, a dorsal hollow nerve cord, and a tail.
Can a fish drown in milk?
No, fish cannot survive in milk. Fish cannot breathe properly in milk due to low dissolved oxygen and the presence of impurities in milk. Therefore, fish may drown in milk within a few minutes. These fish gills help to extract oxygen from water.
Is it correct to say fishes?
by
Alex Heath
·
2020-08-18
Is it correct to say fishes?
The plural of fish is usually fish. When referring to more than one species of fish, especially in a scientific context, you can use fishes as the plural. The zodiac sign Pisces is also often referred to as fishes.
What is plural and singular possessive?
Singular possessive nouns are easy. If a person, place or thing owns something all you have to do is add an ‘s. Plural possessive nouns show ownership when there is more than one of a noun. To show ownership where there is more than one noun you can simply add an s’ to the end of a word.
What is the singular possessive of?
The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s.
Why is fish singular and plural?
Many English nouns have irregular plural forms. While the general rule says that adding -s or -es to a noun forms its plural, this is not always true. For some nouns, like fish, there is no difference between the singular form and the plural form.
What fishy means?
1 : of or resembling fish especially in taste or odor. 2 : creating doubt or suspicion : questionable.
What does Ghoti mean?
Ghoti is a constructed word used to illustrate irregularities in English spelling. It is a respelling of the word fish: i.e., it is supposed to be pronounced. Ghoti is often cited to support the English spelling reform, and is often attributed to George Bernard Shaw, a supporter of this cause.
How do you spell died?
Correct spelling for the English word “Died” is [dˈa͡ɪd], [dˈaɪd], [d_ˈaɪ_d] (IPA phonetic alphabet).
Is Dying correct?
If you are referring to death, the verb you have in mind is most likely dying. Dying is the present participle of die, i.e., to cease living. For example, Soldiers are dying for their country.
How do you spell dying like dying Easter eggs?
Dyeing vs. Dying vs. Dyeing
- Dying is most used as the present participle of the verb to die, i.e. to cease to live.
- Dyeing is the present participle of the verb to dye, i.e. to turn a material from one color to another.
What does at deaths door mean?
On the point of dying, very ill, as in Whenever she had a bad cold she acted as though she were at death’s door. The association of death with an entry way was first made in English in the late 1300s, and the phrase itself dates from the mid-1500s. Today it is often used as an exaggeration of ill health.
What is the past form of die?
Died
Which is correct died on or died in?
Both are correct, depending on context. There are many prepositions which can be used after die. She died on (date).
Is it correct to say fishes?
by
Alex Heath
·
2019-08-26
Is it correct to say fishes?
The plural of fish is usually fish. When referring to more than one species of fish, especially in a scientific context, you can use fishes as the plural. The zodiac sign Pisces is also often referred to as fishes.
What does the word fish mean?
1 : any of a large group of vertebrate animals that live in water, breathe with gills, and usually have fins and scales. 2 : an animal that lives in water —usually used in combination starfishshellfish. Other Words from fish.
Is fish a noun word?
noun, plural (especially collectively) fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) fish·es. any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates, having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales. the flesh of fishes used as food.
Why is fish singular and plural?
Fish comes from German too, fisch, and you can either stick to fish or use fishes, so that is a borrowed word where you can use either sort of plural.
What’s a group of fish called?
shoal
What do you call a female fish?
What is a female fish called? A female fish does not have a specific name, male and female fish are both just called fish. However, around 500 species of fish are able to change their gender during their later life after birth. A species of fish that can change its gender is called a hermaphrodite.
What do you call a group of snakes?
A group of snakes is generally a pit, nest, or den, but they’re generally thought of as solitary creatures, so collective nouns for specific types of snakes are more fanciful.
What is a group of children called?
A brood, chattering, cletch, clutch, flock, or peep of chickens. children. An ingratitude of children.
What is a group of Platypus called?
PADDLE of Platypus
What is a group of koalas called?
What is the name (collective noun) for a group of Koalas? They are fairly solitary creatures, although they do like to be living in overlapping home ranges in bushland with other Koalas. We usually call these groups ‘Koala populations’ or ‘Koala colonies’.
How do platypus eat without a stomach?
A platypus doesn’t really have a stomach. Instead of a separate pouch where food collects, the platypus’ esophagus is directly connected to its intestine.
What animal has 7 stomachs?
This is a very simplified version of the digestion in a cow. Ruminants, those animals that “chew their cud” or burp and digest some more typically have 4 parts to their stomachs. There are no animals with 7 parts to their stomachs.
Can I own a platypus as a pet?
Platypus can’t be kept as pets. They are classified as a protected species in Australia. Even if it’s allowed to keep a platypus as a pet it would be extremely difficult. They are expensive and high maintenance animals, even for zoos.
Why do Platypus not have stomachs?
There’s no sac in the middle that secrete powerful acids and digestive enzymes. In other words, the platypus has no stomach. It allowed our ancestors to digest bigger proteins, since acidic environments deform these large molecules and boost the actions of enzymes that break them apart.
Are platypuses friendly?
But the platypus is doing fine across its range, and those rare sightings are simply due to the fact that they’re super-shy, and great at hiding in the murky depths of the freshwater pools and streams they inhabit.
Can I buy a baby platypus?
The platypus is a notoriously difficult animal to keep in captivity. Sensibly, there is no place in Australia where a platypus can be legally purchased or kept as a pet. Do platypus breed successfully in zoos? Platypus were bred in captivity for the first time at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria.
Do platypuses poop?
That’s despite the Platypus flaunting its cloaca around the neighborhood. Where most mammals have various orifices for having a wee, a poo, or a baby, the Platypus streamlined the process into a single cloaca. Platypus boasts are good for both swimming and administering an excruciatingly painful venom.
What is a platypus mouth?
Although they have no teeth, platypuses have grinding pads in their mouths to crush and grind their food. The male platypus also possesses two small spurs, one on each hind paw. The spurs release enough toxic venom to kill a small animal or be incredibly painful for a human.
What is a platypus worth in Adopt Me?
Price. 750. There is a 15% chance of hatching an ultra-rare pet from the Jungle Egg.
Are platypuses blind?
The eyes are small, and there are no external ears, but it has keen senses of sight and hearing. Both the earholes and the eyes are set into a deep fold in the skin. The ears and eyes are closed by this fold of skin when diving, making the platypus both blind and deaf once it submerges.
Do platypuses produce milk?
Like all mammals, monotreme mothers produce milk for their young. But unlike all other mammals, monotremes like the platypus have no nipples. Their milk oozes out of mammary gland ducts and collects in grooves on their skin–where the nursing babies lap it up or suck it from tufts of fur.