Singular or plural?
man vs men
Meaning, pronunciation, and examples
Man is singular and uses the vowel in “cat.” Men is plural and uses the vowel in “bed.” The spelling changes one letter, and the mouth opening changes with it.
American English
Hear the difference
Each term has female and male playback at natural speed. Listen without looking, then compare the recordings with the IPA.
Word 1
man
singular noun
One adult male person.
US pronunciation
/mæn/
UK IPA
/mæn/
Hear two natural voices
Word 2
men
plural noun
More than one adult male person.
US pronunciation
/men/
UK IPA
/men/
Hear two natural voices
Sound contrast
How to tell them apart
For man, lower your jaw and keep the front of the tongue low for /æ/. For men, raise the tongue slightly and use the smaller /e/ opening. Keep both vowels short.
Direct answer
What is the difference?
Use man for one adult male person and men for more than one. Because the final /n/ is identical, listeners depend heavily on the vowel to hear whether the noun is singular or plural.
Listen in context
6 example sentences
Context makes meaning, grammar, and natural rhythm easier to understand. Every sentence has its own playback.
Examples with
man
- A man was waiting near the entrance.
- The man in the red coat waved to us.
- Every man received a numbered ticket.
Examples with
men
- Two men were waiting near the entrance.
- The men on our team arrived early.
- Several men volunteered to carry the boxes.
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