Roofs vs. Rooves

Key Differences

Comparison Chart
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Roofs and Rooves Definitions
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Roofs vs. Rooves
Roofs and rooves are the two plural forms of the word roof. The roof is the structure that forms the upper covering of a building or vehicle. The word “Roofs” is the plural of the roof. It is a common plural form in all varieties of English. The word “Rooves” is considered an old secondary form. English pluralization is sometimes complicated.
Different nouns follow different rules of transition from single to a plural form. For instance, The plural form of the word hoof is hooves. But the word spoof adds the -s suffix to make its plural form. In the same way, the word roof makes it plural by these two methods. However, the addition of the suffix –s to the original word ‘roof’ is accepted as a correct plural form of roof.
The word rooves is an old plural form. But it often appears in comparison with the other irregular plural forms such as hooves. The word roof is believed to be a standard word. The word “rooves” is not common and is not considered standard.
Both the plural versions have their precedent in history. But now, only one of this form is considered to be a correct form. The correct and accepted plural form of roof is “roofs”. Rooves is a spelling error or an incorrect plural form.
It is also not wrong to say that “roofs” is a synonym of rooves. The word “roofs” is used in all contexts. Rooves can distract or confuse readers. The example of “roofs” is “They designed the roofs of their new homes with different types of lights and paint.”
What is Roofs?
The word “roofs” is the plural form of the word roof which is believed to be the standard plural form of it. The roof is the structure that forms the upper covering of a building or vehicle. Throughout the roof history, it is a structure that is constructed of various materials like clay, palm leaves, thatch, wood, and many other building materials.
In all varieties of English, the word roofs is the most known plural of the roof. Roofs are of many designs. The archetypical roof is the structure with a peaked that covers an entire building. This peaked structure slopes evenly from a central high point. It is meeting the walls on all its sides. However, all the roofs do not share this design.
Many buildings have a flat structured roof instead of a peaked roof. A flat roof is the most common design of the roof. The roofs today are of many designs. The roofs of modern buildings are designed and engineered in many creative ways. These roofs have a stylish appearance plus they also conserve energy.
Roofs is the correct standard plural of the roof which since the 18th century. The usage of roofs originated in English since 1800. English pluralization is sometimes complicated.
The nouns follow different rules in their transition from single to a plural form. For instance, The plural form of the word hoof is hooves. In the same way, the word roof makes it plural by these two methods. However, the addition of the suffix –s to the original word ‘roof’ is accepted as a correct plural form of roof. Hence, the roof is accepted as the standard plural word. Also, roofs is considered as a synonym of rooves. You can use the word ‘roofs’ in all the contexts.
Examples
- “They designed the roofs of their new homes with different types of lights and paint.”
- “The roofs of the buildings were made of wood. It became the reason for the fire to spread instantly between the roofs of the buildings and set the whole town on fire.”
What is Rooves?
The word roof makes its plural by these two methods. i.e, by adding the suffix –s or –ves. Rooves is considered to be an old secondary form. The usage of the word form rooves today is very low as to approximate zero. Bryan Garner estimates the disparity to be 535:1 in his book Garner’s Modern English Usage. Hence this as an extinct form which is no longer used.