Plural of “monkey”

The plural of monkey is monkeys.

Why

"Monkey" likely traces back to "Moneke," the name of a character in medieval versions of the Reynard the Fox story cycle, a popular series of animal fables that circulated widely across medieval Europe — an unusually specific literary origin for such a common animal name, tracing back to a fictional character rather than to any older general word for the animal. Since the e directly before the final y counts as a vowel, the word takes a plain -s rather than shifting to the -ies pattern. Before "monkey" became common in English, writers often used "ape" as a general term covering all primates, without the more precise modern distinction between apes, monkeys, and other primate groups that zoologists rely on today.

This proper-noun origin sets "monkey" apart from most animal names in English, which typically descend from older general Germanic or Latin words describing the creature directly; instead, "monkey" appears to have started as a specific character's name that gradually became a generic word for the whole animal family.

Usage note

"Monkeys" is standard in every context, from zoology to the many figurative idioms built on the word ("monkey business," "monkey bars").

The Reynard cycle spread across medieval France, Germany, and the Low Countries in various regional versions, and "Moneke" or a similar name for a monkey character appears in several of these related tellings, suggesting the word may have entered English through Dutch or Low German contact rather than directly from French sources. Figurative idioms built on "monkey" are especially numerous in English, "monkey see, monkey do," "monkey wrench," and "monkeying around" among them, each treating the animal's reputation for mischievous, imitative behavior as a ready-made source of everyday metaphor.

Common real mistakes

Because the ending simply adds -s with no further spelling change required, there's little room for a genuine plural mistake here; any real confusion tends to be about zoological classification rather than about spelling, since everyday speech lumps together primate species that scientists actually separate quite carefully. Writers should also avoid casually calling every primate a "monkey," since apes such as chimpanzees and gorillas are biologically distinct from monkeys despite frequent conflation in casual speech.

The wider pattern

"Monkey" belongs to the vowel-plus-y group with "valley" and "key," and its origin in a specific fictional fable character is a genuinely unusual case among animal names in English, most of which trace to older descriptive words rather than to a single storybook character.

Examples

• Several monkeys swung through the trees at the reserve.
• The zoo introduced two new monkeys to the exhibit this spring.
• Researchers observed monkeys using simple tools in the wild.
• Tourists were warned not to feed the monkeys near the temple.
• The sanctuary rescues monkeys from the exotic pet trade.
• A troop of monkeys raided the campsite overnight.
• The documentary followed a family of monkeys for an entire year.
• Local monkeys have adapted well to living near humans.
• The children laughed at the playful monkeys at the sanctuary.
• Several species of monkeys are now critically endangered.
• The rescue center rehabilitates monkeys confiscated from traffickers.
• Two monkeys chased each other across the enclosure.
• The field team recorded calls made by wild monkeys.
• The reserve tracks how monkeys respond to habitat loss.
• Visitors photographed the monkeys grooming each other at dawn.
• The primatologist spent a decade studying the same monkeys.
• Zookeepers enriched the enclosure to keep the monkeys active.
• The children mimicked the monkeys swinging overhead.
• The keepers separated the monkeys during feeding time.
• Wild monkeys often raid unattended food stalls.
• The monkeys foraged for fruit near the riverbank.
• The monkeys learned to use sticks to reach food.
• Younger monkeys learned by watching the older ones.