tortoises
The plural of "tortoise" is tortoises.
Most English nouns form the plural by adding -s, and tortoise follows this rule.
Meaning: a slow land reptile with a hard shell (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Use a plural verb with tortoises: the tortoises are. The possessive plural adds only an apostrophe: tortoises'.
How do you pronounce it?
tortoise is pronounced /ˈtɔɹ.təs/. The plural ending sounds like /ɪz/, so the plural has one more syllable than the singular.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use an apostrophe to make a plural. tortoises means more than one, while an apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone.
Did you know?
- Only a handful of English nouns still form the plural without -s, among them men, feet, teeth and children.
Examples in context
- Tortoises can live for over a hundred years.Singular: A tortoise can live for over a hundred years.
- We have two tortoises in the garden.Singular: We have a tortoise in the garden.
