How do you form the plural in Hungarian?

The plural marker is -k. If the stem ends in a vowel you add -k directly (alma → almák, with final a/e lengthening). If it ends in a consonant you insert a linking vowel first, giving -ak, -ek, -ok or -ök depending on vowel harmony.

Which linking vowel does a word take?

Back-harmonic stems usually take -ok (ház → házak is a common exception taking -ak), front unrounded stems take -ek (kéz → kezek), and front rounded stems take -ök (kör → körök). The choice follows the stem's vowel class.

Why does kéz become kezek and not kézek?

Kéz is a vowel-shortening (lowering) stem: its long é shortens to e before the plural suffix. So the stem changes to kez- and then takes the front linking vowel e, giving kezek. Many monosyllables with á/é behave this way.

What happens with words ending in a or e?

A final short a lengthens to á and a final short e lengthens to é before -k. So alma → almák and kefe → kefék. This lengthening also applies before most other vowel-initial suffixes.

Is this tool always exactly right?

It applies the regular rules and the most common patterns, including final-vowel lengthening and the typical linking vowels. Hungarian has irregular stems (shortening stems, fleeting-vowel stems) that it flags where detectable, but a dictionary remains the final authority.

Hungarian Plural Helper

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Forming the plural in Hungarian means adding the suffix -k, but the exact form depends on the word’s ending and its vowel harmony. This helper applies the rules and shows the resulting plural together with the linking vowel it chose.

How it works

The plural marker is always -k. The rules:

Stem ends in a vowel → add -k directly. A final short a lengthens to á and a final short e lengthens to é: alma → almák, kefe → kefék.
Stem ends in a consonant → insert a linking vowel before -k. The linking vowel harmonises with the stem:
- back-harmonic → -ok or -ak (e.g. asztal → asztalok, ház → házak)
- front unrounded → -ek (e.g. kert → kertek)
- front rounded (ö, ő, ü, ű) → -ök (e.g. kör → körök)

The linking vowel exists only to make the consonant cluster pronounceable; it is chosen by the same front/back/rounded harmony that governs all Hungarian suffixes.

Lowering (shortening) stems

A group of monosyllabic stems with long á or é shorten the vowel before a vowel-initial suffix. This is why kéz → kezek (not kézek) and tűz → tüzek. The tool detects the most common members of this class and applies the shortening.

Example

Singular	Class	Plural	Note
ház	back	házak	takes -ak
asztal	back	asztalok	takes -ok
kert	front	kertek	takes -ek
kör	front rounded	körök	takes -ök
alma	ends in a	almák	a → á
kéz	shortening	kezek	é → e + -ek

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