Learn English – Difference between singular and countable nouns

countable-nounsgrammatical-numbernounsuncountable-nouns

Cambridge dictionaries use various labels and codes, among them are:

[C] Countable noun: a noun that has a plural.

[U] Uncountable or singular noun: a noun that has no plural.

[S] A singular noun.

I do not understand the difference between a singular noun and the singular form of a countable noun. For example, with the entry "word"

sense 1:
noun [C]
a single unit of language which has meaning and can be spoken or written

sense n:
noun [S]
a brief discussion or statement:
The manager wants a word.

What if the manager wants to have several discussions? Is it impossible for us to say "The manager wants some words." because "word" here is singular?
I am confused.

Best Answer

As Færd mentioned in their comment, word in that specific meaning (the manager wants a word) cannot be used in a plural form.

Actually, having words with someone means you are having a fight with them. In that sense, words is not used in the singular.

You picked a word that has many meanings, and that is used in a lot of idiomatic expressions. Those idiomatic expressions can look very similar but still convey a vastly different meaning.