Copys or Copies: Which is Correct?

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Which is correct–copies or copys?

Can we write “copys” as a word, like in the sentence “he has many copys of the worksheet”?

The short answer is no, “copys” is an incorrect word. This is where the rule, change -y to -i and add -es applies. The correct word is “copies.”

The Plural of Copy

The plural of copy is “copies.” When we want to make a regular noun plural, we usually add an -s to the end of the word. There are some exceptions to this rule, however.

When a word ends in -y, we change the -y to -i and then add -es to form the plural.

Here are some other examples of this rule:

• penny/pennies
• lily/lilies
• fly/flies
• candy/candies

As we can see, for words that end with a consonant + -y, we follow this rule to form the plural. Copy is one of these words. As a result, the plural of copy is “copies,” not “copys.”

Other Words That End in ‘Y’

For words that end in -y preceded by a vowel, we just add -s to form the plural.

Here are some examples:

• key/keys
• plural/plurals
• tray/trays

What does copies mean?

The word “copies” can be a noun meaning a duplicate or imitation of something, like when you make a photocopy of a document.

It can also be a verb meaning to produce an imitation of something, like when you copy someone’s hairstyle.

Examples of Sentences with “Copies” and “Copy” (Noun)

• “I need to make copies of these documents.”
• “Can you please make copies of this for Alice?”
• There are never enough copies when we have a meeting.
• “The printer is out of copies.”
• “Can you get two copies of this for me?”
• “I’m going to make 500 copies of this flier.”
• “Do we have enough copies for everyone in the class?”
• “Please make sure you take enough copies with you.”

Examples of Sentences with “Copies” and “Copy” (Verb)

• “She copies her sister’s hairstyle.”
• “He copied the design from the picture.”
• “I’m going to copy this recipe for you.”
• “Can you please copy this information for me?”
• “She copies the teacher’s mannerisms!”
• “Don’t copy his homework!”
• “She copied verbatim from the textbook.”
• “She copies her friends’ work during a test!”

In Conclusion

When it comes to the correct usage of the word “copys” or “copies”, following the rule of changing -y to -i and adding -es is key. For the third-person singular verb and plural noun, “copy” takes -ies, as in “copies.”

I hope you found this helpful! If you did, please feel free to share it with your friends and family! Thank you for reading!

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