wifes

Wifes is an historical or nonstandard spelling of the plural of wife. The modern standard plural is wives. The form wifes appears in older English texts and is generally used today only when discussing linguistic history or when quoting archaic sources.

A wife is a married woman and, in many cultures, the social and legal partner within a marriage. The term can carry connotations of household and family roles, and, depending on legal and cultural context, may relate to rights and responsibilities such as property ownership, inheritance, parenting, and decision-making within the home. Throughout history, the legal status and social expectations of wives have varied widely, ranging from restricted rights in some periods to more equal partnerships in many contemporary societies.

Cultural and legal variation is common. Some cultures have practices around arranged marriages, dowries, or polygamy; others emphasize individual choice and gender equality with laws that protect spousal rights and promote shared responsibilities. In modern English usage, the word wife typically refers to a female spouse in a heterosexual marriage, but it also applies in many contexts to female spouses in same-sex marriages. The broader, gender-neutral term spouse is increasingly used in formal or legal contexts to describe a partner without specifying gender. See also wife, marriage, spouse, and domestic partnership.