Mice or mouses?

[AndiFlatland]

There seems to be continual controversy over the plural of the word 'mouse' - as in computer mouse. Most people seem to be content with 'mice', while a few who don't see it as a real, proper mouse are happier with 'mouses'.
I don't see it as a real, proper mouse, either - it is just an electronic device. But 'mouses' just seems silly, and I think there is a third option, which I haven't seen put forward yet.
What is the plural of 'house'? That's right - 'houses', with the first s pronounced as a z (...er, well actually, both of them are...). So how about applying the same rule to the plural of 'mouse'?
Come on, everybody, it's 'mouzez'!!!

[fredpuli47]

Mouses or 'mouzez' makes sense. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives 'mice' as the plural except for a computer mouse when it is "also" mouses.

The plural of other kinds of mouse is mouses . A mouse may be e.g. a small swelling: a boxer who suffered several in a bout would not have a face covered in mice but mouses !

[MatydaLover]

Blouses - z
Houses - z

Grouses - s
Spouses - s

I've always used mouses with an "s", calling them mice doesn't seem right somehow. Chambers just says "mice".

Incidentally, I've been off the OED ever since my wife lost a Countdown Final by 7 points ... she was not allowed "hampsters" (with a "p") but that is ok by Chambers!

[Marijn]

That's odd.... because you do pronounce the P in hampster, don't you.

[bimbim]

Surely it's 'meece'

[Whickerman]

Avoid controversy when ordering 2 computer mice/mouses/meeces by having the conversation thusly:

Do you have a mouse for a computer?
Yes
Can i have two please?

Done.

[Skreecheeboy]

I don't know where you're getting these z's from! I've always said houses, mouses, grouses, spouses and louses. I've never added an extra letter to hamster either, but I used to say vimpto but that's only because my gran used to pronounce it wrong and I only ever drank it at her place.

[Marijn]

Hampster is an acceptable spelling of hamster. It's in the Chambers dictionary.

[Quizmonster]

The word 'mouse' has long been applied to various technical things which resemble the creature in some way...eg the computer mouse has a squat body and a long 'tail'. As long ago as 1750, for example, it was used to mean a type of knot on a ship's rigging to prevent rope-slippage. Here's a quote from 1769...
"These mouses are particularly used on the stays of the lower mast."
(My underlining and it is unclear whether the 's' or 'z' pronunciation was used for the first 's'.)
So, in technical contexts, the 'es' plural form is relatively ancient. However, The Oxford English Dictionary has only one reference to the computer device in the plural and that is given as 'mice'.

Seems pretty clear that you can choose whichever form and pronunciation you prefer.

[fredpuli47]

Of course, the singular of house is 'hice'. At least , that's how some of the older members of the 'county set ' pronounce it e.g 'He's just gawn into the hice'!

[Quizmonster]

Was it a nace hice, Fred?