Count and noncount nouns

When you see the label [count] in a noun entry, it means that this noun can be counted. In other words, it can be singular or plural and can be used with a singular or plural verb. The label [noncount] means the opposite: The noun cannot be plural and cannot be used with a plural verb.

Count nouns

The majority of English nouns are count nouns. Words like tree, notebook, and coat are all count nouns and can be plural. You can say, "The trees are tall," or "I lost both of my notebooks," or "How many coats do you have?"

Noncount nouns

Things that cannot be separated into countable parts, like fun, anger, and electricity, are noncount nouns and cannot be plural. You cannot say, “We had funs yesterday” or “His angers were powerful.” You can only say,  “We had fun yesterday,” and “His anger was powerful.”

It's not always predictable which nouns will be noncount, and that is why all nouns are labeled in the Learner’s Dictionary. If you’re not sure about a particular noun, look it up.

Nouns that can be count or noncount

The most difficult part of the count/noncount distinction is that some nouns can be count or noncount, depending on the specific meaning and context. For these words, each meaning is labeled separately, as shown in the entry for sugar, below.

SUGAR