Mosquitoes vs Mosquitos

The English language is full of quirks, and one of them is how we pluralize words ending with the letter “o”. On one hand, we have a lot of words where we add an “-es” to the end: for example, tomatoes and potatoes. On the other, we have several instances where we only add an “-s”, such as logos and photos. So, that brings us to the question – how do you spell the plural version of the word “mosquito”? Should it be mosquitos or mosquitoes?

What Is the Plural Form of “Mosquito”?

Some people spell it mosquitos while others spell it mosquitoes. So, who’s right? The answer is that both versions are correct; you are okay to use either spelling of mosquitos or mosquitoes. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, both versions are right in the eyes of the grammar police!

Though it may seem strange that both are right, mosquito isn’t the only word that has multiple correct spellings in the plural form. Check out these similar words and their correct pluralized forms:

• Buffalo: buffalos, buffaloes
• Volcano: volcanos, volcanoes
• Tornado: tornados, tornadoes

So, if you see the grammar police giving anyone the shakedown about using mosquitoes vs mosquitos in the wrong context, well you just send them over here to Johnson Pest Control!