What Is the Plural of Tooth? Simple Grammar Guide

The word tooth is familiar to everyone — but what about its plural? Should you say tooths or something else? This short guide explains the correct plural form of tooth, how to use it, and simple examples to help you remember it easily.

Definition and Plural of Tooth

What Does “Tooth” Mean?

A tooth is a hard, white structure in the mouth used for biting and chewing food. Humans and many animals have teeth of different shapes and functions.

Definition:

👉 Tooth = one of the hard, white parts in your mouth used to bite or chew.

Examples:

• I brushed my tooth this morning.

• The dentist fixed a broken tooth.

• A shark’s tooth is sharp and strong.

What Is the Plural of “Tooth”?

The correct plural of tooth is teeth — not tooths.

✅ Teeth is an irregular plural noun, which means it doesn’t follow the usual “add -s” rule.
Instead, the internal vowel sound changes from /uː/ to /iː/.

Examples:

• I brush my teeth twice a day.

• She has beautiful white teeth.

• The dentist checked all my teeth carefully

Pronunciation Guide

Tip:
👄 Say tooth with an “oo” sound and teeth with an “ee” sound.

Examples of “Tooth” and “Teeth” in Sentences

Singular: “Tooth”

1. The boy lost his first tooth yesterday.

2. My tooth hurts when I eat something cold.

3. She chipped her front tooth while playing basketball.

4. A crocodile’s tooth can grow back after breaking.

5. The dentist replaced the missing tooth with an implant.

Plural: “Teeth”

1. You should brush your teeth twice a day.

2. My teeth are very sensitive to cold drinks.

3. The child has two new teeth coming in.

4. Elephants have large teeth called tusks.

5. Don’t forget to floss between your teeth every day.

Common Mistakes English Learners Make

Mistake 1: Saying “tooths” instead of “teeth”

• Incorrect: I have white tooths.

• ✅ Correct: I have white teeth.

Mistake 2: Using “tooth” for plural meaning

• Incorrect: My tooth are yellow.

• ✅ Correct: My teeth are yellow.

Mistake 3: Pronouncing both words the same

Remember — tooth and teeth sound different!

• Tooth → “oo”

• Teeth → “ee”

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with tooth or teeth.

1. I brush my ______ every morning and night.

2. The dentist pulled out one ______.

3. My front ______ are very white.

4. He broke a ______ while eating candy.

5. Sharks have many sharp ______.

6. The baby cried when her first ______ came in.

7. Elephants use their ______ to dig for water.

8. A crocodile can replace lost ______ easily.

9. My wisdom ______ are growing in.

10. She smiled, showing her perfect ______.

Answer:

1. teeth
2. tooth
3. teeth
4. tooth
5. teeth
6. tooth
7. teeth
8. teeth
9. teeth
10. teeth

Exercise 2: Choose the correct sentence.

1. a) I brushed my tooths this morning.
   b) I brushed my teeth this morning. ✅

2. a) The dentist fixed three tooth.
   b) The dentist fixed three teeth. ✅

3. a) A shark has hundreds of teeth. ✅
   b) A shark has hundreds of tooths.

4. a) My tooth are very strong.
   b) My teeth are very strong. ✅

5. a) The baby lost a tooth. ✅
   b) The baby lost a teeth.