dishes

The word “dishes” means plates, bowls, and other tableware used for a meal, especially when referring to washing them. In plain terms, the plural of "dish," commonly used for the chore of washing tableware.

“Dishes” is pronounced DIH-shihz (/ˈdɪʃɪz/ in IPA).

Here is “dishes” used in a sentence: “It was his turn to do the dishes after dinner.”

“Dishes” is a noun.

“Dishes” is a fairly common word in modern English.

"Plates" are specifically the flat items you serve food on, while "dishes" is a broader word covering plates, bowls, cups, and other tableware, especially when talking about washing them. All plates are dishes, but dishes also include many other items.

Both phrases mean to clean the used plates, bowls, and utensils after a meal, and they are largely interchangeable. "Do the dishes" is a slightly more casual, idiomatic way of saying "wash the dishes."

"Crockery" is a chiefly British term for plates, bowls, cups, and other ceramic tableware, while "dishes" is a more general, everyday word, often used when referring to washing up. Crockery emphasizes the type of ware, whereas dishes emphasizes the used tableware as a group.

Not always. As tableware, "dishes" is simply the plural of "dish" and refers to plates, bowls, and other items used for a meal. But "dish" can also mean a prepared item of food, so "several dishes" can describe different courses served at a meal.