Plural of “tornado”
- The plural of tornado is tornados or tornadoes.
The plural of tornado is tornados or tornadoes. Both forms are accepted and widely used.
Several tornados and tornadoes were reported across the plains.
The town was hit by a tornadoe last night.
Forecasts predict more tornadoes but no tornados.
Both are accepted plurals to mention more than one tornado.
Other words ending in -o / -es or -s
Like other singular nouns that end in –o, tornado adds –s or –es to convert to a plural noun. Other examples of words that use this pattern includes volcano/volcanoes/volcanos, echo/echoes/echos, mango/mangoes.
| singular nouns ending in “-o” | plural “-es” / “-s” |
| zero | zeroes or zeros |
| tornado | tornadoes or tornados |
| buffalo | buffaloes or buffalos |
| potato | potatoes |
| hero | heroes |
| volcano | volcanos or volcanoes |
It’s important to keep in mind that not all singular nouns ending in -o switch to a plural this way. Some just add -s, where others add -es (e.g., radio/radios, video/videos or hero/heroes).
What is a tornado?
Tornados are a naturally occurring phenomena that are mobile, destructive and a “vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system.”
Examples of tornado (singular) in sentences
She burst in to the room like a tornado.
A powerful tornado touched down in Evansville, Indiana.
The building was badly damaged in a tornado.
The town was hit by a tornado last night.
There are tornado watches in effect all across eastern Alabama.
Examples of tornadoes/tornados (plural) in sentences
Tornadoes ripped into the southern United States yesterday.
Tropical storm Bonnie spawned tornadoes in North Carolina.
Storms and tornadoes left a swath of destruction that included parts of Clarksville, where three people died, and near Nashville, where three others were killed.
—Jamie McGee, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2023
The storms produced tornadoes, which caused damage to both automobiles and homes.
There are many stories of animals growing restless before tornados, storms and earthquakes.
—Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Tornado’s plural is flexible like volcano; ‘tornados’ or ‘tornadoes’ are both correct.
Examples of tornado in the media/online
Southern California’s stormy week is set to wind down Friday after two storm systems that brought tornado warnings, heavy flooding and at-times historic rainfall rates, especially in parts of Ventura County.
—Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
The main hazards are expected to be damaging winds and a tornado threat, along with flooding.
—Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2023
Severe thunderstorms that could bring isolated nocturnal tornadoes in parts of the state, including Tampa and Orlando, are also possible.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 16 Dec. 2023
Taylor Swift dipped into her considerable fortune to help those impacted by the deadly tornadoes that swept through Middle Tennessee Saturday.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 13 Dec. 2023
Synonyms of tornado
- whirlwind
- twister
- windstorm
- cyclone
- storm
- tempest
- typhoon
- funnel
- gale
Origin of the word “tornado”
From etymology online on volcano (n.):
1550s, ternado, navigator’s word for violent windy thunderstorm in the tropical Atlantic, probably a mangled borrowing from Spanish tronada “thunderstorm,” from tronar “to thunder,” from Latin tonare “to thunder”.
Read about other plurals
- What’s the plural of bison?
- What’s the plural of moose?
- What’s the plural of sheep?
- What’s the plural of ox?
- What’s the plural of cactus?
- What’s the plural of crisis?
- What’s the plural of hypothesis?
Sources
Work Sheet
According to the post, what is the correct plural form of “tornado”?
Which spelling is listed in the post as an incorrect plural or spelling of “tornado”?
The post states that, similar to “tornado,” some other words ending in -o also have two accepted plural forms (-s or -es). Which of these words follows that pattern according to the table provided?
Based on the usage note, is it acceptable to use both ‘tornados’ and ‘tornadoes’ in your writing?
According to the table in the post, which of these words ending in -o only adds ‘-es’ to form its plural?
Storms and left a swath of destruction across the region.
Forecasts predict more in the coming week.
Many are dormant, but some are active.
He bought a bag of for dinner.
The book tells the stories of ancient .
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the plural of “tornado”?
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Are both “tornados” & “tornadoes” correct?
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How do you spell tornado’s plural?
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What common mistake is made with “tornado” plural?
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Yash, D. "What’s the Plural of Tornado?." Grammarflex, Jun 7, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-plural-of-tornado/.
