diff --git a/src/workspaces/i18n/src/resolve.test.ts b/src/workspaces/i18n/src/resolve.test.ts
index 4338050c..f6777c92 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/i18n/src/resolve.test.ts
+++ b/src/workspaces/i18n/src/resolve.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
 import { resolveKey, interpolate, isPluralForms, localeDirection } from './resolve';
 import { findMissingKeys } from './parity';
-import type { TranslationMap } from './types';
+import type { TranslationKeys, TranslationMap } from './types';
 
 describe('resolveKey', () => {
   const translations: TranslationMap = {
@@ -100,3 +100,28 @@ describe('findMissingKeys', () => {
     expect(findMissingKeys(en, { 'pt-PT': ptPT })).toEqual([]);
   });
 });
+
+/**
+ * Type-level, not behavioural: a plural entry must be addressable by its own key and must NOT
+ * contribute its CLDR categories to the union. Asserted here because nothing else would notice —
+ * the failure mode is `t('files', { count })` refusing to compile while `t('files.one')` compiles.
+ */
+describe('TranslationKeys', () => {
+  test('stops at a plural leaf and still walks plain nesting', () => {
+    const catalog = {
+      files: { one: '{{count}} file', other: '{{count}} files' },
+      button: { save: 'Save', nested: { deep: 'Deep' } },
+    };
+    type Key = TranslationKeys<typeof catalog>;
+
+    const assertKey = <K extends Key>(k: K) => k;
+    expect(assertKey('files')).toBe('files');
+    expect(assertKey('button.save')).toBe('button.save');
+    expect(assertKey('button.nested.deep')).toBe('button.nested.deep');
+
+    // @ts-expect-error a plural category is not a key on its own
+    assertKey('files.one');
+    // @ts-expect-error a branch node is not a key
+    assertKey('button');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/workspaces/i18n/src/types.ts b/src/workspaces/i18n/src/types.ts
index 4d4626fe..95453c72 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/i18n/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/workspaces/i18n/src/types.ts
@@ -13,10 +13,22 @@ export type I18nContextValue = {
   locale: string;
 };
 
+/**
+ * A node that IS a plural entry, so `TranslationKeys` stops at it rather than walking into it.
+ *
+ * Without this, `{ one, other }` contributed `foo.one` and `foo.other` to the key union and `t('foo',
+ * { count })` did not typecheck at all — the plural machinery landed in phase 0 with unit tests, and the
+ * type gap only surfaced in phase 2 when a real catalog first used one. Mirrors `isPluralForms` at
+ * runtime: every key a CLDR category, every value a string.
+ */
+type IsPluralLeaf<T> = keyof T extends Intl.LDMLPluralRule ? (T[keyof T] extends string ? true : false) : false;
+
 export type TranslationKeys<T, Prefix extends string = ''> = T extends string
   ? Prefix
   : T extends Record<string, unknown>
-    ? {
-        [K in keyof T & string]: TranslationKeys<T[K], Prefix extends '' ? K : `${Prefix}.${K}`>;
-      }[keyof T & string]
+    ? IsPluralLeaf<T> extends true
+      ? Prefix
+      : {
+          [K in keyof T & string]: TranslationKeys<T[K], Prefix extends '' ? K : `${Prefix}.${K}`>;
+        }[keyof T & string]
     : never;