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Plural of email

Question:

What is the plural of email? I've seen it as emails, but it doesn't sound right. Should I write I received 10 emails yesterday, or I received 10 email yesterday?

Answer:

If you check The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, you'll see that when the noun email means a message sent by email, the plural form is emails. For example,

  • I received 10 emails (or messages) yesterday.

Note however that you should write I received email (no s) yesterday, as there is no mention of number. The confusion about this likely arises because mail (delivered by Canada Post) is a mass or uncountable noun and thus has no plural form:

  • Jack received mail—one magazine, two bills and one postcard.

    OR

  • Jack received four pieces of mail.

So, if it's email and you've received more than one, you can add an s to form the plural (i.e. 10 emails).