What is the plural form of "competence"?

Question

A reader recently asked, "What is the plural form of competence, competences?"

Answer

The short answer is that competence does not have a plural form. It belongs to a group of nouns called "noncount nouns" or "mass nouns." For more information on these nouns, read below.

Noncount Nouns
Noncount nouns refer to things that cannot be counted and cannot be plural. Rain and information are noncount nouns. You cannot say “two rains” or “three informations,” or even “one information.” These nouns have no plural form and are used only with singular verbs, as in these examples:

• The rain is still coming down heavily. (rain + singular verb, is)
• The information wasn’t clear. (information + singular verb, wasn't)

Competence, a noun that means “the ability to do something well,” is an example of a noncount noun. You cannot say, “His doctor has many competences.” However, there are ways to express this meaning. Here are a few examples: 

• His doctor has a high level of competence.
• His doctor demonstrates competence.
• His doctor displays exceptional competence.

I hope this helps.