How to Spell Again How to Spell Money
The Quick And Dingy
"Money" has two acceptable plurals. Most style guides recommend "moneys," merely many publications use "monies" instead.
Michael South. asked:
"Information technology's accepted to say, 'to hold moneys for payment in trust.' I presume 'moneys' is plural; I've also seen information technology spelled 'monies.' Does this hateful, then, that the atypical would be 'a money'?"
Ha! Well, it'southward an interesting question, Michael. The singular word "money" is always a mass noun, like "water" or "furniture."
- I need some money.
- I demand some water.
- I need some piece of furniture.
You'd never say "a coin." Only the give-and-take does have 2 acceptable plurals: "moneys" and "monies."
The "-ies" spelling always looks like information technology should exist pronounced "monies" to me because it looks like "ponies" with an M, then I recollect of Billy Idol, but that's simply my problem. It doesn't bear upon what'south right or wrong.
Garner'southward Mod English Usage and the AP Stylebook both say "moneys" is the better spelling, but it'south not nearly as clear when you get await at what publications are actually using.
'Monies' Is At present the More than Common Spelling
The most popular spelling of "monies/moneys" has varied dramatically over the terminal 200 years.
In the early 1800s, the "-ies" spelling was well-nigh common, only the "-eys" spelling took over strongly until the mid-1970s. Just since and then, "monies" has get more popular in both books that Google has scanned and in the "New York Times." The mag "The Economist" too appears to favor the "monies" spelling.
The frequency of monies and moneys in Google Books over fourth dimension.
Dictionaries and Style Guide Don't Match Actual Usage
Information technology seems as if dictionaries and mode guides are lagging actual usage, and I'thousand not the only person to notice. The Cambridge Guide to English Usage likewise notes that "'Moneys' is given preference over 'monies' in all dictionaries . . .Yet general usage in the UK and US is clearly in favor of 'monies.'"
Why Practice Nosotros Demand a Plural for 'Money'?
The bigger question is since "money" is already a mass noun, why practise we need "monies" no affair how we spell information technology? Both Garner and The Cambridge Guide to English Usage explain that "monies" is usually used past legal or finance writers to talk about "individual sums" or "discrete sums" of money.
'Monies': I Don't Similar Information technology, but It'due south Not Going Away
If yous've listened to this podcast earlier, you know that nearly things don't carp me, just I accept to confess "monies" annoys me a scrap.
To me, it seems like "money" would work in every example where I see the word "monies." For example, one of the examples in Merriam-Webster reads, "Most of the project is being paid for past federal monies." To my ear, it would piece of work simply as well and hateful the aforementioned thing to say, "The projection is existence paid for with federal coin," merely finance people tell me information technology actually does have a slightly different meaning. For example, they use "monies" to describe funds that are coming from multiple sources, so by saying "federal monies" you're showing that it's coming from more than one pot of federal money. Information technology's standard in legal and financial writing to utilise "monies" to describe "discrete sums of coin."
So "monies" is here to stay whether y'all or I like information technology or non, and maybe information technology helps to know that it's actually quite old: The outset instance of "moneys" in the Oxford English language Dictionary is from 1384 in the Wycliffe Bible.
At that place's No Such Thing every bit "A Money"
To respond Michael'south questions:
1) Y'all can spell the plural either manner. If you're following a general manner guide, they nevertheless usually recommend the "moneys" spelling, but if y'all're a finance or legal author or if you work for someone with a house style guide, you may want to use the "monies" spelling. Check and encounter what the convention is for your audition or publication.
2) Even though "monies" is the plural, I can't imagine a sentence in which you'd always need to talk about "a coin," but if you tin prove me wrong, permit me know on Twitter or Facebook.
References
"money," Merriam-Webster Dictionary, online edition. http://world wide web.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monies?show=0&t=1408125909 (accessed August 15, 2014).
"coin, north." OED Online. June 2014. Oxford University Printing. http://0-www.oed.com.innopac.library.unr.edu/view/Entry/121171?rskey=2aHfpB&upshot=two&isAdvanced=faux (subscription required, accessed August 15, 2014).
"When should 'moneys' be used, rather than 'coin'?" AP Stylebook website, Ask the Editor section. April ix, 2008. http://www.apstylebook.com/online/?do=ask_editor&id=5489 (accessed Baronial 15, 2014).
Garner, B. "moneys; monies." Garner's Modern American Usage, 3rd edition. Oxford University Press. p. 546.
Peters, P. "money, moneys or monies, and moneyed or monied," The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. 2004. Cambridge University Printing. p. 356.
Coin image courtesy of Shutterstock.
Source: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/money-monies-or-moneys