⚡ Quick summary
Freshman is an irregular noun. The plural of freshman is freshmen and not freshmans, as in Most of the members of the book club were freshmen.
You probably know that the plural of the word freshman is freshmen. But do you know why we use the word freshmen and not freshmans?
In this article, we will show how to correctly use the words freshman and freshmen, explain why freshmen is the plural of freshman, and give examples of how we typically use both words in sentences.
When to use freshmen or freshman
When used as a noun, the word freshman most often refers to a student in their first year of high school or college. The plural of freshman is freshmen, as in Several freshmen were playing basketball in the gym.
Why is freshman the plural of freshman?
The word freshman is an irregular noun. An irregular noun is any noun that doesn’t form a plural by adding –es or –s to the end of the singular form. Freshman follows the same form as man does by changing the a to an e (freshmen, men).
Other compound words with –man also form their plurals with –men, including fireman (firemen), handyman (handymen), and chairman (chairmen).
Some people object to applying the word freshman to people who aren’t men because men refers specifically to male persons. First-years or first-year students are commonly used instead. Other compound words ending in –man also have alternative forms, including fire fighter, handyperson, and chairperson (or just chair).
Examples of freshmen and freshman used in a sentence
Let’s look at some example sentences that show how we typically use freshmen and freshman.
- Sam is a freshman in college.
- The football team’s starting roster includes two freshmen and six sophomores.
- The professor helped the freshman find the table where incoming freshmen needed to sign in.
