# Plural of "tomato" and "potato" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581 "2011-06-07T02:17:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/21 "2013-02-22T00:50:45Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I spell it tomatoes and potatoes if someone else will see it so I don’t get sucked into an argument about it but in stuff that’s for my eyes only I have too much respect for E to whore her out like that. **Whor** her out… ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/22 "2013-02-22T04:55:25Z")
The plural of “to-may-to” is _tomatoes_. The plural of “to-mah-to” is _tomatos_. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/23 "2013-02-22T05:16:19Z")
What’s the plural of tomatillo? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/24 "2013-02-22T05:35:23Z")
But seriously dudes- _why_ add a “E”? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/25 "2013-02-22T14:50:08Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > What’s the plural of tomatillo? “salsa” ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/26 "2013-02-22T15:24:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But seriously dudes- _why_ add a “E”? Because the spelling of English words is often irrational and inconsistent. You can decide that it’s more sensible to act tuf or have a cawf but most people are not going to understand what you’re on about. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/27 "2013-02-22T16:17:51Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#): > > Because the spelling of English words is often irrational and inconsistent. You can decide that it’s more sensible to act tuf or have a cawf but most people are not going to understand what you’re on about. Really? :dubious: No one will understand _Tomatos_? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/28 "2013-02-22T20:24:48Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > I don’t want people to think I’m as stupid as Dan Quayle, Quayle only spelled potato[e] wrong because the official answer card the school gave him spelled it wrong. Hardly the act of stupidity it’s been made out to be, and certainly not worth mocking someone about two decades later. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/29 "2013-02-22T22:38:42Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Quayle only spelled potato[e] wrong because the official answer card the school gave him spelled it wrong. Hardly the act of stupidity it’s been made out to be, Yes, it is. A non-stupid person would have immediately seen the error and corrected for it. > [@](#): > > and certainly not worth mocking someone about two decades later. OK, that question depends on which party or faction you side with. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/30 "2013-02-23T00:05:16Z")
Well, while were at it, does anybody think that “noes” just looks weird? As in: “In answer to the question, there was a chorus of ‘noes’.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/31 "2013-02-23T00:24:27Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Well, while were at it, does anybody think that “noes” just looks weird? As in: “In answer to the question, there was a chorus of ‘noes’.” Yep. Now, other than “that’s the way they taught me” does anyone have a \*good \*reason for adding a un-needed “E” in there? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/32 "2013-02-23T00:43:15Z")
How about _buffalo_ – which has no less than _three_ acceptable plurals: add {s}, {es} or {}. [hijack for anecdote] A Peace Corps worker near my home managed to almost ignore me for her year, despite that we kept crossing paths at Internet shops. When her term was almost up, we crossed again in an ice cream shop. She was in some light argument with another English teacher, acknowledging me only to ask for the plural of “buffalo” … presumably to settle her argument. I hesitated, so she confronted me sarcastically with “What’s the plural of fish?” I smiled and mentioned [the “fishes” possibility](http://grammarist.com/usage/fish-fishes/), whereupon she turned away in anger and never spoke to me again. :o ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/33 "2013-02-23T15:14:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yep. > > Now, other than “that’s the way they taught me” does anyone have a \*good \*reason for adding a un-needed “E” in there? I guess it’s no weirder than “yeses”, which looks like some Nordic version of Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/34 "2013-02-24T02:55:07Z")
What about banjo, gecko and mango? ---
**Author:** ![thadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@thadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thadea)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/35 "2014-04-08T20:39:17Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The rule is to add es if the o is preceded by a consonant. There are 80 million uses of “tomatoes” on Google, but only 2.3 million uses of “tomatos.” Also, every spell check I’ve used counts the latter as spelled incorrectly. Commando pl. commandos therefore argument is invalid ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/36 "2014-04-08T20:43:15Z")
> [@thadea](#): > > Commando pl. commandos > > therefore argument is invalid There are exceptions to every “rule.” Those don’t invalidate it in general. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/37 "2014-04-08T20:53:46Z")
In my opinion, it can go either way. Like “grey” or “gray”. Not every spelling question needs a definitive answer. But I “-es” looks right to me, so that’s what I use. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/38 "2014-04-08T21:26:51Z")
In my personal life, I would spell both plurals with an ‘e’, but if I were a making a sign, I might spell it without the ‘e’ to help keep prices low by using less ink. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/39 "2014-04-08T23:31:10Z")
Tomati and potati. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581/40 "2014-04-09T00:31:40Z")
Maters and taters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-tomato-and-potato/584581.md?page=3)