# "Soap" or "Soaps"??



## Bubbly Buddha (Feb 16, 2012)

I'm a bit of an English nerd  and in coming up with a domain name I wanted it to be "soaps" as it refers to many different types of soap, but my friend thinks "soap" is correct.  In looking it up on the internet, it seems both are correct.  :?: 

What is the plural of soap when used in "Blah Blah Handmade Soaps" or "Blah Blah Handmade Soap"???


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## Chay (Feb 16, 2012)

If this is going to be your domain name and you plan on having it for awhile I would go with the one you like.


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## Genny (Feb 16, 2012)

I don't know which one is grammatically correct, but when I say them out loud, soap sounds better.

If I say "Bubbly Buddha Handmade Soap" it's easier to say then, "Bubbly Buddha Handmade Soaps."

Just my opinion  :wink:


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## judymoody (Feb 16, 2012)

I believe that soap is the correct form of the plural.

However, language is a living thing and it can change in common usage.  I know a lot of people who ask if I have new soaps as opposed to bars of soap.

Also, I use "soap" as a verb - "I need to soap."  "I'll be soaping today."  I'm quite sure that's grammatically incorrect but it's also efficient and gets the point across.

Now, if somebody wrote "soap's" instead of "soaps", I'd go ballistic.


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## carebear (Feb 16, 2012)

IMO soap is singular and plural for one kind of soap; soaps infers more than one kind.

this said, I'd go with soap.


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## Bubbly Buddha (Feb 16, 2012)

judymoody said:
			
		

> Now, if somebody wrote "soap's" instead of "soaps", I'd go ballistic.



So true!!

Thank you for your responses.  I appreciate the input!


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## carebear (Feb 16, 2012)

Bubbly Buddha said:
			
		

> judymoody said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh, me too!


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## Soapy Gurl (Feb 16, 2012)

I vote for soap!  But either sounds fine and no one will ever question you on it.


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## Dennis (Mar 18, 2012)

Ok, here goes.  It's settled by now I'm sure but for some reason it just jumped at me.  

Soaps to me has always sounded just a tad pretentious.  Not unlike "New monies have been allocated..."  Soap is much better.  

I feel better.  Sorry, it's just me.  Sometimes I wonder about me. :wink:


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## moonjelly (Jun 5, 2012)

Or maybe go with whichever one has a higher search volume in the search engines. You can use tools like this one here: https://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ to see which terms people are searching for more frequently in the search engines. That way more people may be able to find it in searches.


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## sudbubblez (Jun 8, 2012)

I though this a very interesting topic so I asked some grammar gurus about it.

soap is a quantity-indifferent substance, like meat, or acid, or milk. You can have a plural if there are distinct and uniquely separate forms of the substance, but otherwise the plural refers to the form or amount and not the substance. You wouldn't normally say you have two soaps, you would say you have two BARS of soap. But you might have a bar of rose-smelling soap and another of degreasing soap, and then you would say that you have two soaps.


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