The masculine gender of countess is count. The opposite gender of count is countess.
The opposite gender of queen is king, and the feminine of king is queen.
The common gender word for king and queen is monarch, and for prince and princess it is royal.
The gender of desk is neuter, because a desk is a lifeless thing.
The four genders of nouns are masculine, feminine, common and neuter.
Note: "opposite gender" means the same thing as the masculine or feminine pair of a noun.
The opposite gender of a masculine word is its feminine word, and the opposite gender of a feminine word is its masculine word.
The 4 genders of nouns
Every noun in English belongs to one of four genders. Once you know these four, every question about gender becomes easy to answer.
1. Masculine gender
Names a male person or a male animal.
king, boy, lion, uncle, actor
2. Feminine gender
Names a female person or a female animal.
queen, girl, lioness, aunt, actress
3. Common gender
Can name either a male or a female. The word alone does not tell you which.
teacher, doctor, friend, monarch, cousin
4. Neuter gender
Names a lifeless thing. It is neither male nor female.
desk, chair, book, stone, city
The quickest way to tell them apart
Ask yourself one question: is it alive, and if so, is it male or female? If it is male, the gender is masculine. If it is female, the gender is feminine. If it could be either, the gender is common. If it is not alive at all, the gender is neuter. A desk cannot be male or female, so a desk is neuter.
Full opposite gender list: masculine and feminine nouns
All 109 opposite gender pairs, grouped by topic. Each masculine word is shown beside its feminine word. Use the search box at the top of the page to jump straight to any word.
These nouns can name a male or a female. One word covers both, so there is no separate masculine or feminine form. This is why a word like bird or parrot has no pair.
Most feminine nouns are made in one of four ways. Learn these and you can work out pairs you have never seen before.
Rule 1. Add "ess" to the masculine word. host becomes hostess, author becomes authoress, giant becomes giantess.
Rule 2. Change the ending, often "or" or "er" to "ress". actor becomes actress, waiter becomes waitress, tiger becomes tigress.
Rule 3. Use a completely different word. king becomes queen, boy becomes girl, bull becomes cow, ram becomes ewe.
Rule 4. Add a word in front of or behind the noun. wolf becomes she-wolf, elephant becomes cow-elephant, servant becomes maidservant.
Words that trip students up
Some nouns look like a pair but are not. "Guest" stays "guest" for both. "Cousin", "friend", "teacher", "doctor", "student" and "baby" are all common gender, so one word covers both. And remember that neuter nouns like desk, chair, table and river have no masculine or feminine form at all, because they are not alive.
Quick gender quiz
Ten questions, instant marking, no login. See how many you can get right.
Question 1 of 10Score: 0
Frequently asked questions
What is the masculine of queen?▼
The masculine of queen is king. Queen is the feminine gender and king is the masculine gender, so together they form a gender pair.
What is the feminine gender of king?▼
The feminine gender of king is queen. King is masculine and queen is feminine.
What is the common gender of king and queen?▼
The common gender word for king and queen is monarch. You can also use ruler or sovereign. A common gender noun is one word that can refer to either a male or a female.
What are the 4 genders of nouns?▼
The four genders are masculine (a male, such as king), feminine (a female, such as queen), common (either male or female, such as teacher) and neuter (a lifeless thing, such as desk).
What is the gender of desk?▼
The gender of desk is neuter. A desk is a lifeless object, so it is neither male nor female. Chair, table, book and stone are also neuter.
What is the masculine of countess?▼
The masculine of countess is count. An earl is also paired with countess in British titles.
What is the masculine gender of countess?▼
The masculine gender of countess is count. In British titles an earl is also paired with a countess, so earl can be used as well.
What is the opposite gender of countess?▼
The opposite gender of countess is count. Countess is the feminine word and count is the masculine word, so they form a gender pair.
What is the opposite gender of count?▼
The opposite gender of count is countess. Count is masculine and countess is feminine.
What is the opposite gender of queen?▼
The opposite gender of queen is king. Queen is the feminine word and king is the masculine word.
What is the common gender of prince and princess?▼
The common gender word for prince and princess is royal. You can also say heir, because a common gender noun can refer to either a male or a female.
What does "opposite gender" mean in grammar?▼
Opposite gender means the matching masculine or feminine form of a noun. The opposite gender of a masculine noun is its feminine noun, and the opposite gender of a feminine noun is its masculine noun. For example, the opposite gender of king is queen.
Is teacher masculine or feminine?▼
Teacher is common gender. The word can refer to a man or a woman, so it is not masculine or feminine on its own.