Fin-Tastic Fish Facts!

Fish vs. Fishes

The words fish and fishes can both be used, but they have slightly different meanings and uses. Let’s learn more about them.

History

The word fish has been used for hundreds of years. It talks about creatures that live in water and have gills. The word fishes is not as old and is used when talking about different kinds of fish.

How to Use Them

Most of the time, we use fish when talking about one or more sea creatures. If we talk about many types or kinds of them, we use fishes.

Trick to Remember

Use fish when you mean many of the same kind. Use fishes for many kinds.

Examples

Using Fish

• I saw a big fish in the pond.
• There are five different fish in my aquarium.
• She likes to eat fish every Friday.
• The fish swam quickly in the river.
• We went to the lake and caught three fish.

Using Fishes

• The ocean has many fishes from different parts of the world.
• Scientists study the fishes to learn about the sea.
• She drew pictures of various fishes she saw on vacation.
• The book talks about all the colorful fishes in the coral reef.
• He is interested in rare fishes from the deep sea.

Summary

Use fish if you mean one or many of the same kind. Use fishes when you want to talk about different kinds or groups. Remember: one type, use fish; many types, use fishes.