# What is the plural of Phoenix? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382 "2004-03-10T00:23:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ilikebluefood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@ilikebluefood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ilikebluefood)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/1 "2004-03-10T00:23:30Z")
I have a group with Phoenix in the title, and we aren’t sure what the plural of Phoenix should be. Phoenixes? Phoenii? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/2 "2004-03-10T00:25:03Z")
Phoenixes. I don’t quite understand where the compulsion to add an “i” to the end of any vaguely exotic looking word comes from. “Virii” is a real pet hate of mine. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/3 "2004-03-10T00:30:36Z")
The Master speaks: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplurals.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplurals.html) ---
**Author:** ![ilikebluefood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@ilikebluefood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ilikebluefood)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/4 "2004-03-10T01:12:20Z")
Thanks for the response, though wading through that column is tough. But now I know! Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/5 "2004-03-10T02:44:44Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The Master speaks: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplurals.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplurals.html) So, **bibliophage** is now the Master? To summarize, phoenixes or phoenices. Peaces. ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/6 "2004-03-10T03:31:52Z")
As I remember it, the point of the phoenix myth was that there could only ever be one at a time. Like _Highlander_, although apparently there could be more than one of them at a time, or the movies would be boring as all hell. Thus there couldn’t have ever been a plural of phoenix - all ancient references would have been to _the_ phoenix. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/7 "2004-03-10T03:36:46Z")
Phoenices…just like the plural of matrix is matrices. ---
**Author:** ![BlackPheonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BlackPheonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackPheonix)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/8 "2004-03-10T05:23:31Z")
I find it quite serendipitous that this is part of my username. Yes, I’ve been wanting to write “serendipitous” all day. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/9 "2004-03-10T12:02:33Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > Phoenices…just like the plural of matrix is matrices. Bzzt! Wrong. Sadly you can’t just apply this rule to other _-ix_ words. Consult your dictionary if in doubt. Then, if you disagree, insult it. And **BlackPheonix** (sic), I bet you wish you consulted _your_ dictionary before registering that name 😉 By the way, my (British) dictionary says that the accepted US spelling is “phenix”, so it’s kind of weird that the city is spelt the British way. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/10 "2004-03-10T13:39:50Z")
> [@r\_k](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by **Enola Straight** > > Phoenices…just like the plural of matrix is matrices. > > Bzzt! Wrong. Sadly you can’t just apply this rule to other _-ix_ words. I’ll bet that’s how the ancient Phoenicians spelled it. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/11 "2004-03-10T14:44:40Z")
And how do you express the possessive for the city of Phoenix? Phoenix’s ? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/12 "2004-03-10T14:53:11Z")
I didn’t discuss the plural of _Phoenix_ in the Staff Report cited above. _Phoenix_ is the Latin, not Greek, spelling. (The Greek transliteration would be phoinix). _Phoenices_ is a poor choice as a Latin plural, since it implies the word is declinable. In fact, _Phoenix_ was indeclinable, which means that it was spelled the same in all grammatical cases (nomanitive, genitive, etc.), at least in the singular. There was only one Phoenix in classical mythology so there was no particular need in Greek or Latin for a plural. A few unique mythological figures did have rare plural forms, like _pegasi_ and _venera_ (only in the sense of "depictions or representations of Pegasus or Venus). But Phoenix never had a plural form in Latin, as far as I know. I would go with the English style plural “Phoenixes” if I were you. ---
**Author:** ![Alto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Alto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alto)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/13 "2004-03-10T14:54:20Z")
> [@r\_k](#): > > By the way, my (British) dictionary says that the accepted US spelling is “phenix”, so it’s kind of weird that the city is spelt the British way. I think your dictionary is wrong. I have never seen “Phenix,” and the bird comes up fairly often in children’s books. Websters doesn’t give this even as an alternate spelling (though the American Heritage does). The word does come from “fenix” though. What dictionary are you using? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/14 "2004-03-10T15:26:16Z")
> [@Alto](#): > > What dictionary are you using? Collins English Dictionary, sixth edition. To be fair, it gives _phenix_ as an alternative US spelling, not the only one. I like **phœnix** , but it’s a bugger to have to nudge the screen over to type the “e” so close to the “o”… ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/15 "2004-03-10T16:07:10Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > . … There was only one Phoenix in classical mythology … According to the SAL-9000 in 2010 Phoenix was also the instructor of Achilles. So there IS more than one. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/16 "2004-03-10T17:16:37Z")
See this link: [http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/words\_articles/poems\_phoenix.htm](http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/words_articles/poems_phoenix.htm) snip: > [@](#): > > There is only one phoenix. In conversation a little while ago, somebody asked me what the plural of phoenix is, but in reality it is a word without a plural! ---
**Author:** ![Faldage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Faldage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faldage)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/17 "2004-03-10T17:37:48Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > So there IS more than one. There’s only one at a time. And this USn has never seen _phenix_. > [@Fear Itself](#): > > I’ll bet that’s how the ancient Phoenicians spelled it. The ancient Phoenicians didn’t speak (or write) Latin, They were a semitic people and wrote with a nice vowelless [alphabet](http://www.omniglot.com/writing/phoenician.htm). The form of the plural would have been very much dependent on the gender of the word, if masculine, maybe the suffix _-im_ or something like it. ---
**Author:** ![BlackPheonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BlackPheonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackPheonix)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/18 "2004-03-10T19:10:10Z")
Oh, could a moderator change my display name to be correct? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/19 "2004-03-10T20:19:11Z")
> [@Faldage](#): > > And this USn has never seen _phenix_. I guess you’ve never heard of Phenix City, Alabama? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382/20 "2004-03-10T22:58:57Z")
While the Phoenix is unique, it seems to me that she ought to be considered less unique than Pegasus. After all, one might plausibly discuss various iterations, so to speak, of the Phoenix. And I would use “Phoenices”, by analogy with most other Latin words ending in -ix. While it’s true that the Romans never found need to pluralize the word, I think it plausible to say that that’s the way they would have, if the need arose. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-phoenix/233382.md?page=2)