Tomatoes or *Tomatos | Correct Spelling & Examples

Tomatoes (with an “e”) is the correct spelling of the plural form of the noun “tomato,” meaning “a red or yellow fruit eaten as a vegetable.”

Tomatos is a misspelling and is always incorrect.

Tomatoes or tomatoes in a sentence example
  • This salad has lettuce, onions, and tomatoes.
  • This salad has lettuce, onions, and tomatos.

What is the plural of tomato?

In English, when a noun ends in a consonant + “o,” the general rule is to add “-es” when forming the plural. This is why the plural of “tomato” is tomatoes, not tomatos.

Nouns ending in consonant + “o” that take “-es” in the plural
Singular Plural
Tomato Tomatoes
Potato Potatoes
Hero Heroes
Note
The word “hero” has two different meanings, leading to having to choose heros or heroes in the plural. “Heroes” are various brave people, and “heros” are various sandwiches.

The common mistake of tomatos may come from the fact that other nouns in this category do not follow this rule. Instead, you just add “-s” to form the plural.

Nouns ending in consonant + “o” that take “-s” in the plural
Singular Plural
Photo Photos
Soprano Sopranos
Taco Tacos

To make things even more confusing, there are some English nouns that have two correct plural forms.

Nouns ending in consonant + “o” that have two correct plural forms
Singular Correct plural with “-es” Correct plural with “-s”
Volcano Volcanoes Volcanos
Avocado Avocadoes Avocados
Mango Mangoes Mangos

However, this is not the case with tomatoes and tomatos; here, the only correct plural form is tomatoes.

To help you remember that tomatoes takes an “es,” here are a few tips:

  • “Tomato” comes from tomate, a word from español (Spanish). Just like the name of its origin language, the plural tomatoes carries an “es” with it.
  • The plural tomatoes has eight letters. Break them into two sets of four to visualize the word: “toma” and “toes.”

Or, you can use QuillBot’s Grammar Checker to make sure you always write tomatoes and never tomatos.

Tomatoes or tomatos examples
  • I hate tomatoes. Nonetheless, I like pizza.
  • I hate tomatos. Nonetheless, I like pizza.
  • Tomatoes grow best in warm weather.
  • Tomatos grow best in warm weather.
  • The town of Buñol, Spain, is famous for a festival where people throw tomatoes at each other.
  • The town of Buñol, Spain, is famous for a festival where people throw tomatos at each other.

Frequently asked questions about tomatoes or tomatos

What’s correct: potatoes or potatos?

“Potatoes” (with an “e”)  is the correct spelling of the plural form of the noun “potato.” “Potatos” is a misspelling and is always wrong.

This works the same way as tomatoes or tomatos; “tomatoes” is the correct spelling.

Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure you always spell “potatoes” correctly.

How do you spell tomato?

The noun “tomato” is spelled “t-o-m-a-t-o.” There are six letters that alternate between vowels and consonants.

The plural of this noun often gives people more trouble. When choosing between tomatoes or tomatos, “tomatoes” (with the “e”)  is always correct.

Make sure you always spell these words correctly with QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker.

What’s correct: echos or echoes?

“Echoes” and “echos” are plural forms of the noun “echo.”

“Echoes” is the commonly accepted plural among most major dictionaries. It’s also the correct spelling according to QuillBot’s Grammar Checker.

But some dictionaries also list “echos” as a plural.

So, you should probably use “echoes,” but if you use “echos,” it may be considered correct depending on your audience.

Is it tomato or tomatoe?

It’s “tomato,” not “tomatoe.” The noun “tomato” is spelled without an “e” at the end.

However, in the plural, when choosing between tomatoes or tomatos, “tomatoes” is correct.

Keep track of these spellings easily by using QuillBot’s Grammar Checker.

Is this article helpful?
Kate Santoro, BS

Kate has a BS in journalism. She has taught English as a second language in Spain to students of all ages for a decade. She also has experience in content management and marketing.