‘Torpedos’ or ‘Torpedoes’: What is the Plural of ‘Torpedo’?

Wondering what the plural form of ‘torpedo’ is? Some might find it quite confusing when compared to other words in the English language.

The short answer? The plural form of ‘torpedo’ is ‘torpedoes.’ It’s similar to the way potato and tomato are pluralized.

What’s the Correct Plural Form of ‘Torpedo’?

The word ‘torpedo’ doesn’t follow standard American English spelling and grammar pluralization rules for nouns. It’s one of those special cases in which you must use a different set of rules.

As you learned above, the plural form of ‘torpedo’ is ‘torpedos,’ not ‘torpedos.’

Standard Rules 

The standard American English spelling and grammar rules state that to get the plural form of a word, you must add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the end of it.

Here are a few examples:

• Cat > Cats
• Lamp > Lamps
• Desk > Desks
• Wash > Washes
• Buzz > Buzzes
• Box > Boxes

If a word ends in ‘y,’ you have to remove the ‘y,’ and add ‘ies.’

For example:

• Fairy > Fairies
• Cherry > Cherries
• Berry > Berries

What is the Plural Form of ‘Torpedo’ – ‘Torpedos’ or ‘Torpedo’

The plural form of ‘torpedo’ is ‘torpedoes,’ similar to the way you’d pluralize ‘tomato’ or ‘potato.’ You’d spell ‘tomato’ as ‘tomatoes.’

Using ‘Torpedo’ and ‘Torpedoes’ in a Sentence 

Ready to learn how to use ‘torpedo’ and its plural form, ‘torpedoes,’ in a sentence?

Here’s how:

• The boat was sunk by a torpedo.
• The boat was sunk by two torpedoes.

Torpedo: Noun Versus Verb

The word ‘torpedo’ is both a noun and a verb.

The Britannica definition of the noun is: “A bomb that is shaped like a tube and that is fired underwater.”

The Cambridge definition of the verb is: “To use a torpedo to destroy something.”

Here’s an example of how to use it as a noun:

• We never even saw the torpedo coming.
• We never even saw the torpedoes coming.

Here’s an example of how to use it as a verb:

• The submarine torpedoed our ship, wrecking it. (past tense)
• The submarine torpedoes our ship, wrecking it. (present tense)

Can You Ever Spell it ‘Torpedos’? 

Spelling the word ‘torpedo’ in plural form as ‘torpedos’ is incorrect. No matter where you’re using the word in plural form, it will always be ‘torpedoes.’ So, it’s safe to say you can never spell the word as ‘torpedos.’

Is It ‘Torpedoes’ Is or ‘Torpedoes’ Are

When using the word ‘torpedoes’ in a sentence, you must make sure your subject agrees with your verb.

That means, using the plural forms correctly.

For example, you would say, “torpedoes are,” not “torpedoes is.”

Here’s a further explanation:

• That torpedo is going full speed.
• Those torpedoes are going full speed.

Final Thoughts About Using ‘Torpedoes’

Now that you know what the plural form of the word ‘torpedo’ is, you can correctly use it in a sentence (as outlined in earlier sections).

It’s one of those tricky words to pluralize, like journey and equipment.

But an easy way to remember how to spell the plural form of the word ‘torpedo’ is to remind yourself that it rhymes with potato and tomato (which are pluralized the same way).

Or you can remember this: The torpedo does sink boats. Torpedoes.

For more clarification about confusing English words and commonly misspelled words, be sure to check out our articles explaining confusing words.