Computer mouses or computer mice?

This is a tough one, because there really is no official ruling on this usage yet. Computer companies usually avoid this problem by using the phrase "mouse devices" instead. I would advise the same strategy if you mention the equipment in a formal paper, article, etc.

Since neither "mouses" nor "mice" is the official plural of "computer mouse," using either one is acceptable. Technically, since "mouse" is an acronym for "manually-operated user-select equipemtn," it sound probably be pluralized as "mouses." But since hardly anyone is aware of the word's etymology, and because it sounds less awkward, most people pluralize it as "mice."

Ahem. That should be "manually-operated user-select equipMENT." Sorry!

If mouse is an acronym for "manually-operated user-select equipment" and equipment is plural already, wouldn't mouse (as an acronym) be plural already?

Would this really matter since usually a computer only has one computer mouse?

neither of them are correct.

cold_fusionMX: Computer companies usually avoid this problem by using the phrase "mouse devices" instead???
cold_fusionMX: weird..
cold_fusionMX: sir we sell mouse devices
mei lang: heheh they didn't know the mouse is akready a device
cold_fusionMX: mouse is a device for PC..
mei lang: it's like a computer shop saying...we also sell computers
cold_fusionMX: so do u have device that could make ur mouse an iron?
karuro11: you said u have mouse devices..
mei lang: heh

Um, guys, Doug Engelbart invented the mouse. He called it a mouse cause he thought it was cute AND the long cord reminded him of the disproportionately long tail on a real mouse. It is NOT a legitimate acronym. The letters MOUSE can, indeed, stand for the phrases you folks stated, but those letter assignments were made AFTER Engelbart coined the term.

Everyplace I have ever worked, we called the plural "mice" as in "are there any extra mice around?". Presumably that would not be ambiguous except in a lab setting with both lab mice and computer mice!

I think "computer mouses" sounds better, although it is probably a case of personal preference until there is an offical ruling on it.

Every mouse manufacturer and their grandmothers refer to them as "mice".

As brilliant as you think you are, I'm a tech writer who works with computer and software companies. Believe me, these companies use the phrase "mouse devices" to avoid the sticky plural argument.

I'm sorry. I'm afraid I have to agree with Bubba. From now on, I'm going to refer to it as a computer MOOSE. and when I have TWO computers, I'm gonna have TWO computer MOOSE!!!!
After all, the MOOSE is a cute animal, but its tail is rather stubby. I guess that would make mine a WIRELESS MOOSE!!!!

meese.

meeses if you wanna be real cute about it.

Meeses.
X)
No, Mousies. Computer Mousies.
Pronounced mou-seez. Yaiy.

MOUSES!!

"manually-operated user-select equipment"

It's a backronym, but a very plausible one. ¬¬

There is no such thing as an official ruling. Language doesn't work that way. In this case, the plural chosen in a natural language fashion would be 'mouses'.

The power of the internet and various trade magazines may override the natural language choice and we might well end up with 'mice'.

That's how language works. What becomes the majority choice is the 'correct' choice.

We shall let the web search decide!

"computer mouse devices" - 358
"computer mouses" - 45,800
"computer mice" - 511,000

Mice wins!

In your "spare time" reading or if you need a chuckle

wj

Well, 40 years in computers , and a mouse user since they first became commercially available, I have yet to hear the plural as being anything but "computer mice". And thank God for that. Mouses is a totally unutterable usage and should be subject to a Rentokil extermination.

I have recently been in an argument with a fellow student who is decided on it being "mice". I believe that it dosnt really matter, no matter what it is, the Americanish language has so many slangs already, like for instance if I were to say F***, you would all think I were swearing, but in reality, the word was officaily a word used to express "to plow". So I do believe it dosnt matter much anyway.... cause everyone knows what you mean. Why does everyone have to be so troublesome?

slangs? to plow? ??!??

Anyway, there's no valid argument here. Both common sense and popular usage point towards "mice"... "Mouses" is accepted as an uncommon usage.

I believe "manually-operated user-select equipment" is an attempt at a joke. Since 1964 when the first mouse was introduced by creator and inventor Douglas Engelbart, the device has been called a mouse simply because Engelbart thought the cord coming out of the small, wooden, three button device made it look like a mouse.

As for the mouses/mice/meese/moose debate. I have not seen "mouse devices" used but I have seen "computer mice" but by far, the most common plural I have seen, and in fact use, is "periphreals."

My 2¢ worth.

Oh my gosh, Who knew that a GOOGLE search for the correct word for the plural of the "computer mouse" would have been such an interesting but utterly fruitless expedition!!

Wow!!

So I guess either which way I write my user manual for University purposes. nobody can penalise me!!

yahoooooooooooo!(.com)

Riqui, I swear I didn't realize who you were when I typed this rebuttal, but then I looked at the user name and hovered over it and sure 'nuff, it was you.
Anyway, the problem with just referring to mice/meese/mouses/mousse (mmm.. chocolate computer devices) as peripherals is problematic in at least 2 ways: Firstly, the mouse on my computer isn't a peripheral. It's built-in, in the form of a touch pad, but is still referred to as a mouse in the manual; secondly, if you go to CompUSA and ask for "peripherals," you'll get directed to not only mice (as I'll refer to them because it's how I always have, and people know what I've meant), but speakers, printers, external hard drives, and anything else that can plug in to your computer.
As far as what to call them "officially," I say, if the guy who invented the thing named it after the furry critter, and the plural form of said critter is "mice," then the plural form of the device is "mice" as well.

*raises eyebrow*

Technically, "mice" is the correct English plural of "mouse".

Although, the English language can be quite confusing when it comes to pluralising a word, because it doesn't follow a strict convention. Therefore, maybe "mouses" could be acceptable. Afterall, we accept things like "persons" as plural for "person" when in fact it should be "people."

I'm not quite sure about the meese.

Mousies sounds cute though.

Luv Jazka

I could be "computer mouses" if it's an exocentric compound, like

Maple Leafs
still lifes
flatfoots

These compound words are not kind of leaves, lives, or feet respectively. Their meaning is not specified by the head word. In the same way, a computer mouse is not a kind of mouse.

I'm not saying that "computer mouses" is the plural form. I'm saying that if it is the plural form, this is the reason.

Mice has to be correct if it is truly named after the rodent. (which i found to be correct after looking it up and finding an interview with engelbart)

Taking a plural other than "mice" wouldn't make any sense, even though its not the same thing as the rodent. When has definition ever effected pluralization?

"Mouses" is just something someone thought of to be annoying and try and complicate this language even more.

"When has definition ever effected pluralization?"

In exocentric compounds, like the examples I gave. "Maple Leafs" are different from "maple leaves". "flat foots" are different from "flat feet".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_(linguistics)

Why would you have more then one mouse??? Each computer has a mouse!!

This has been a wonderful discussion, it has all finally come out, and the beast is exposed. We can use whatever seems right at the moment we are met with the need to pluralize.

It depends on where you are and whether you want to sound knowledgeable, agreeable or plain silly, which are all acceptable by the way.

Wonderful question, and something I have thought about before. I decided to stick by my mouses, prevailing opinion be damned.

Mice is plural for the furry little rodents. But I suspect that irregular plurals do generally become regular when the word changes meaning.

"Mice" just doesn't sit well with me, but I have to admit it's simply a style choice.

http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxmouses.html
discusses this, and gives Engelbart's opinion. But it's not really up to him, is it?

I recently purchase a 5 pack of the "devices in question" from Logitech.
The main label on the box says "OPTICAL MOUSE Enterprise Edition 5-Pack".

On the list of package contents it is listed as "Optical Mouse (qty.5)"

They never refer to mouse in the plural.

That - to me - says it all... Even the manufacturers don't know which to use so they don't use the plural.

Personally I prefer mouses.

Hey Trip, maybe they ARE referring to it in the plural and they think the plural of mouse is mouse!

1 computer mouse
2 computer myse

adopt my new usage, or....don't.

Everyday upon waking till we return to bed, we are inundated with NEEDLESS rules: what fork must I use, when is it improper to laugh, to hug to kiss or breast feed my infant. "Mouses" has become absolutely refreshing and gets my vote!

Damn, here i was looking for confirmation to explain to my Spanish students about the mouses/mice debate.According to Steven Pinker in "The Language Instinct" there are headless nouns (John above calls them exocentric where the right-hand element does not denominate the type of thing (a race hores is a type of horse, a horse race is a type of race). In words like low-life and sabre-tooth, they aren't types of life or teeth but a person who lives a seedy lifestyle and an extinct cat. Therefore we automatically block off the irregular plural and say low-lifes and sabre-tooths.Similarly, plural of Walkman is Walkmans, not Walkmen, cos it isn't a type of man.
(similarly according to Pinker, in baseball, a ball that flies out in the past is "flied out", not flew out- tho don't follow the sport so not really sure)
Does all this apply to (computer) mouse?Dunno, but mouses sounds more logical to me.
Some people think plural of octopus is octopi. Doesn't much matter really

I just love listening to KPIG.

Uh!

If "mouse" is an acronym for "manually-operated user-select equipment," then "mouse devices" is not proper simply because that this phrase equals to "manually-operated user-select equipment DEVICES".

We do not say "ATM machines" since "ATM" stands for "automatic teller MACHINE".

Is that right?

by the way, monkey, while you may be technically right, many DO say ATM "machines".

Is there any other field of study where someone would say "It's wrong because I say so"? Whales are fish, because I say so. Tomatoes are poisonous, because I say so.

Please how do you pluralise a phrase like 'head of department'? Is it 'heads of department' or heads of departments'?

What do you mean, Kylie? If you read everything here, you should conclude that you were completely correct. You would only have been incorrect if you insisted that it was the ONLY way to say it.

No, People, I am the father of modern technology!

NIGGA STOLE MY BIKE!

I sleep with a pillow under ym gun.
Fuck yo' mouses...

I am a nobber.

For those of you running Windows XP (possibly other operating systems, too), if you go to "device manager" you will find that your mouse is listed under "Mice and other pointing devices". I guess that means that Microsoft prefers "mice".

MOUSES!

MICE!!

It's not a problem for the Irish as they pronounce house as hice so mouse would be mice

It is mouses. I've read from several sources, including PC Gamer, PC Maximum, online sources, as well as television programs that all say "Computer Mouses" is the official pronunciation, while "mice" is acceptable. I personally have always said mouses, as well have many of my friends and family members. I leave on this:
MOUSES +1 VOTE

Actually I read somewhere that computers refer to them as mouses and not mice at all, I think the computer would know

I have to toss in with the 'mouses' group.

Talking about the 'mice' in the building just might bring down the wrath of the Health Department. And that just results in RATS on the premises.

I agree with Red. If there is yet no "official" plural, then "mouses" would avoid confusion.

hello, i belive the answer to this question is mouses, i do not believe mice is appropriate in this context, thank you for your time and consideration.. love you all, sincerley, mouses

Throwing my vote into the hat with mouses. Some lady corrected me today, all condescending, "I think you mean MICE." I wanted to argue with her, but wasn't completely sure I was right. Apparently there's no consensus, but at the very least it seems mouses is an accepted form (and seems to have the majority in this thread).

I've always said mouses and I'm standing by it.

I am a student in the OIT department for my university and I had to put several mouses, mice, meeses, myse, mousen away today and that's what brought me here... geeks are awesome! great debate! ( I thought mouses sounded right due to walkman/ walkmans but I wasn't sure-now I am REALLY not sure- Microsoft or Oxford Dictionary)

Dear sir I would like to purchase two computer mouses . . . . mice . . . mmmm...
Dear sir, I would like to order a computer mouse.

PS. Make that two!

I think it would sound gramatically incorrect to refer two of these devices as mouses. Lets not worry about the etymology of the term. Dont you see it really look like a real mouse...therefore, mice when two or more.

Computer mice wins in Google Books ... hands down: http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=computer+mouses%2C+computer+mice&year_start=1940&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3

Why does it have to be so illogical?

mouse : mice :: house : hice ??

mouses is just very logical to me.

I worked with a Tech guy awhile, and we prefer calling them "mice," after the Rodent. We don't call them computer mice, just Mice. but hey, this topic is long enough to where it's become more of a rant.

I prefer to say/write "mouses". It sounds better to me than computer mice. Let rodents be rodents and distinguish it. I sometimes have two computer mouses on my table, but they just stand still on their place, they don´t have eyes, legs and I'm sure they don´t run across my table all the time (without my interference). They aren´t afraid of me, as well (or at least I hope so :D) so there´s no reason for me to call them like animals.

computer "mouses" [+1 Vote]

Backronyms give me geesepimple.