Busses or Buses: Which Spelling Is Correct?

Buses is the standard plural spelling of bus. Busses is also a correct English word, but it usually means kisses or refers to the verb buss. The correct choice depends on your meaning.

When talking about public transportation, school transportation, or multiple vehicles, use buses. When referring to kisses, busses may be correct, though kisses is more common in everyday writing.

Quick Answer

Buses: The standard plural of bus. Use it when referring to more than one bus.

Busses: A valid but less common word. It can mean kisses or be the third-person singular form of buss.

Correct transportation example: Several buses arrived at the station.

Correct kissing example: The old poem says he busses her cheek.

American and British English: Both generally use buses for the plural of bus.

Quick Facts: Buses vs. Busses

Word	Meaning	Common Use	Example
Buses	Plural of bus	Transportation	The buses leave at 8 a.m.
Busses	Plural of buss, meaning kisses	Literary or less common usage	The character busses her hand.
Busses	A form of the verb buss	Describing someone giving a kiss	He busses his daughter goodbye.

What Does Buses Mean?

Buses is the standard plural form of bus. A bus is a large road vehicle that carries passengers, usually along a set route.

Use buses when talking about two or more vehicles.

Examples of Buses in Sentences

The buses arrive every fifteen minutes.

School buses lined up outside the building.

Several buses were waiting near the station.

The city plans to add more electric buses.

Tourists boarded the buses after lunch.

The company operates buses across the region.

Two buses stopped outside the shopping center.

The buses were delayed because of heavy traffic.

In all these examples, buses refers to transportation vehicles.

Common Phrases With Buses

The word appears in many everyday expressions, including:

School buses

City buses

Public buses

Electric buses

Tour buses

Shuttle buses

Double-decker buses

Bus stops and buses

Buses and trains

For example, “The school district replaced several old buses with electric models.”

What Does Busses Mean?

Busses is a real English word, but it has a different meaning from the transportation-related plural buses.

It is associated with the verb buss, which means to kiss. The word is uncommon in modern everyday writing and often appears in literary or older contexts.

Busses as a Noun

As a noun, busses is the plural of buss. A buss is a kiss.

Examples:

The poem describes gentle busses on the cheek.

The story mentions farewell busses before the journey.

Their playful busses made the children laugh.

In modern writing, kisses would usually sound more natural.

Busses as a Verb

Busses can also be the third-person singular form of the verb buss.

Examples:

She busses her child before bedtime.

The character busses his partner goodbye.

He busses her cheek in the final scene.

These sentences use busses to mean “kisses.” However, this usage is uncommon.

Buses or Busses: Key Differences

The main difference is meaning and frequency. Buses is the normal spelling for multiple transportation vehicles. Busses relates to kissing and is rarely used in everyday English.

Feature	Buses	Busses
Correct spelling	Yes	Yes
Main meaning	More than one bus	More than one kiss, or a form of buss
Part of speech	Plural noun	Plural noun or verb form
Transportation use	Standard	Not standard
Everyday frequency	Common	Rare
Example	The buses are late.	He busses her cheek.

Why Is the Plural of Bus Buses?

The word bus ends in s. English commonly forms the plural of nouns ending in s, ss, sh, ch, or x by adding -es.

Examples include:

Singular	Plural
Bus	Buses
Class	Classes
Dish	Dishes
Box	Boxes
Church	Churches
Brush	Brushes

Therefore, the correct plural of bus is buses, not busses.

The spelling rule also helps explain why the plural of class is classes rather than classs.

Is Busses Ever Correct?

Yes. Busses is a valid spelling when it comes from the word buss, meaning a kiss.

However, it is not the standard plural spelling of bus.

Consider these examples:

Correct: The buses stopped outside the school.

Incorrect: The busses stopped outside the school.

Correct: He busses his daughter on the cheek.

Also natural: He kisses his daughter on the cheek.

The first sentence needs buses because it refers to vehicles. The third uses busses as a verb meaning “kisses.”

American vs. British English: Buses or Busses

There is no major American and British spelling difference for the transportation word.

Both American English and British English use buses as the plural of bus.

English Variety	Correct Transportation Plural
American English	Buses
British English	Buses
Canadian English	Buses
Australian English	Buses

For example:

American English: The school buses arrived early.

British English: The school buses arrived early.

Canadian English: The city operates electric buses.

Australian English: Several buses stopped near the station.

The spelling remains the same across these varieties.

How to Use Buses in Different Contexts

The word buses fits many situations involving transportation.

1. Public Transportation

Use buses when discussing vehicles that carry passengers around a city or between locations.

Examples:

The city introduced new buses this year.

Buses connect the airport with downtown.

Many commuters rely on buses to reach work.

2. School Transportation

Use buses when referring to vehicles that transport students.

Examples:

The school buses leave after the final bell.

Parents waited near the buses.

The district inspected all its buses before the school year.

3. Travel and Tourism

Use buses when discussing group travel, sightseeing, or transportation services.

Examples:

Tourists boarded the buses outside the hotel.

The company offers buses for large groups.

Several buses carried visitors to the historic site.

4. Business and Fleet Management

Use buses when describing a company’s transportation fleet.

Examples:

The operator maintains a fleet of 40 buses.

The company plans to purchase hybrid buses.

Mechanics inspected the buses before their next routes.

Common Mistakes With Buses and Busses

1. Writing Busses for Transportation Vehicles

Incorrect: The busses are waiting at the terminal.

Correct: The buses are waiting at the terminal.

Use buses for public, school, tour, and other transportation vehicles.

2. Assuming Busses Is Always Wrong

Incorrect assumption: Busses is never a real word.

Correct explanation: Busses is valid when it comes from buss, meaning a kiss.

It is simply not the standard plural of bus.

3. Using Bus’s Instead of Buses

These forms have different grammatical functions.

Bus: One vehicle.

Buses: More than one vehicle.

Bus’s: Something belonging to one bus.

Examples:

The bus is full.

The buses are full.

The bus’s engine needs repair.

Do not use an apostrophe to form a regular plural.

4. Confusing Buses With Bussing

The word bussing can have different meanings depending on context. It may refer to kissing, or it can describe clearing tables in a restaurant.

For transportation, the plural remains buses.

Examples:

The buses are parked outside.

The restaurant is bussing tables after lunch.

These words serve different purposes.

How to Remember the Correct Spelling

Use this simple rule:

More than one bus = buses.

The plural follows the usual pattern of adding -es to words ending in s.

You can also connect busses with buss, an uncommon word for a kiss.

Remember:

Buses carry passengers.

Busses can mean kisses.

Buses is the spelling you need for transportation.

If your sentence discusses a school, station, route, fleet, or public transportation, choose buses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Busses or Buses Correct?

Both spellings are valid, but they have different meanings. Buses is the standard plural of bus. Busses can mean kisses or serve as a form of the verb buss.

Is Busses a Real Word?

Yes. Busses is a real word related to buss, meaning a kiss. It is uncommon in modern everyday English.

Why Is the Plural of Bus Buses?

English commonly adds -es to nouns ending in s. This makes buses the standard plural form of bus.

Is Buses Correct in American and British English?

Yes. American and British English both use buses when referring to multiple transportation vehicles.

What Is the Difference Between Buses and Bus’s?

Buses is the plural form of bus. Bus’s is the possessive form, showing that something belongs to one bus.

Example: “The buses arrived late” versus “The bus’s door was open.”

Should I Write School Buses or School Busses?

Write school buses. This is the standard spelling in both American and British English.

Conclusion

Buses is the correct standard plural of bus when discussing transportation. Busses is also a valid word, but it relates to kissing rather than vehicles.

For school buses, public transportation, tour vehicles, and bus fleets, always use buses. Remember that busses comes from the uncommon word buss, meaning a kiss.