I was definitely taught Rooves as the plural of roof at school. Rejected petition Change the plural of 'roof' from 'roofs' to 'rooves'. A: Just like roof, “hoof” also started with two plural forms – “hoofs” and “hooves”. Mostly the distinction is between the two different ‘double-o’ pronunciations, the ‘long oo’ in ‘food’ or the ‘short oo’ in ‘book’. The very first sound that you’ll hear on the roof (Provided there’s fog) will be Rudolph’s small hoof. hoof (plural hoofs or hooves) The tip of a toe of an ungulate such as a horse , ox or deer , strengthened by a thick keratin covering. See more. So the best we can say is that the plural form of 'roof' is variable, where 'roofs' is the preferred plural in many style manuals (although I can see no good reason for choosing 'roofs' over 'rooves'). The word defines the hard part of the foot of a large animal (a horse, for instance), and there are two different spellings of its plural that some people consider correct, and others wrong. So which one is correct, "hooves" or "hoofs", when referring to more than one hoof? Hooves vs. Hoofs The primary job of most roofs is to keep out water. 'Hoof' also varies between 'hoofs' and 'hooves' in its plural … It seems like the vowel sounds are not an issue for most respondents, in which case I could use moves, proves, grooves. But “hooves” woke up in the 20th century and by about 1970, it overtook “hoofs” in usage, and that’s where it has stayed. And yes to hoof and hooves We don't need no water: Let the motherfucker burn! Except it seems that they were right after all ! I was definitely taught Rooves as the plural of roof at school. After all, the 1939 film is called 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' - and NOT 'Dwarves'! So the best we can say is that the plural form of 'roof' is variable, where 'roofs' is the preferred plural in many style manuals (although I can see no good reason for choosing 'roofs' over 'rooves'). It is also the situation of the noun "hoof". Burn, motherfucker, burn! Roofs constructed of flat sloped sections are referred to as pitched roofs. Alternatively, some people may use hoofs as the plural of hoof. And yes to hoof and hooves 1984, Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, "The Roof Is on Fire": The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire! The Plural of Roof The plural of roof is roofs. The plural of hof is hofas, which when pronounced, would have … How to form the plural of nouns in English - Examples and Explanation Sadly, people now almost exclusively say 'dwarves' as the plural of 'dwarfs' - which is a modern Americanism. ‘Roof’ as ‘ruff’ is rare although I don’t doubt that there are some who say it. I will need a JUSTIFIED (with links etc) anwser to which is the plural of dwarf and hoof IS it dwarfs or dwarves or both? I'm used to "roofs" as a plural of roof, but online I see that there are people who feel strongly that "rooves" is correct - but I don't know when or where they learned it. ( slang ) The human foot . The noun roof adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below). @terdon: In Old English, the unvoiced f, s, and þ (unvoiced th) were pronounced v, z, and ð (voiced th) between vowels or voiced consonants.hof is a strong noun, so its plural ending is -as in the nominal case, and that rule comes into play. Thus, the plural of goof is goofs, not gooves. This petition was rejected ETA: Thanks everyone! 'Rooves' sounds much better and would be consistent with other plurals such as hoof/hooves and wolf/wolves. Roofs definition, the external upper covering of a house or other building. "She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. Except it seems that they were right after all ! There was a house near me called red roofs and I'd chuckle to myself that their house name was spelled incorrectly. The earliest evidence for this phenomenon is somewhere in the latter part of the Early Old English period, around the year 900. And just like roof, “hoofs” WAS the dominant one. IS it hoofs or hooves or both? I can pronounce roof with either vowel.) Thus, the plural of goof is goofs, not gooves. Hoof comes from the Old English word, hof. Any guesses as to how Harry or Draco, say, would make those (roof and hoof) plural, and whether those plurals could rhyme? Hooves is the plural form of hoof, the horny part of an animal’s foot, especially, a horse. Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Alternatively, some people may use hoofs as the plural of hoof. There was a house near me called red roofs and I'd chuckle to myself that their house name was spelled incorrectly. on cambridge dictionary online it says both are correct but if there are other posts, official documents that indicate otherewise I will be very glad to … 'Hoof' also varies between 'hoofs' and 'hooves' in its plural form.