“To-Does”, “To-Dos”, or “To-Do’s” – Correct Plural Explained

When we’re talking about things we have “to do,” we might refer to them as part of a to-do list. You can also shorten it, meaning that only “to-do” is needed. But what happens when we want to use it as a plural? This article will explore the answer.

To-Does, To-Dos, or To-Do’s – What is The Plural of “To-Do”?

“To-dos” is the appropriate way to write the plural of “to-do.” You might find that some people like to use the apostrophe, meaning that “to-do’s” is also correct. However, “to-does” is never the correct form, as “does” is not the plural of “do” (it is just a different verb form).

To help you understand it more, we can refer to The Cambridge Dictionary. In The Cambridge Dictionary, “dos” is written as the plural form of “do.” The entry we have linked includes the phrase “dos and don’ts,” which shows how it works with those three letters.

While there isn’t a specific mention of the plural form with “to-do,” The Cambridge Dictionary allows the two entries to overlap. This shows that “to-dos” is the official form you should stick with.

Is It Ever Correct To Use “To-Does”?

“To-does” is never correct. “Does” is the third-person form of “do,” but we cannot use it when we are writing about “to-dos.” Even if we were using the third-person forms, it still wouldn’t make sense.

Let’s clarify what we mean:

• I do these things.
• He does these things.

As you can see, “do” and “does” are used when different pronouns are required. However, that rule only applies to “do” when it’s on its own and acting as a verb.

• Correct: I have a large list of to-dos.
• Incorrect: He has a large list of to-does.

While we are still using “he” in the second example, it is not correct to change forms into “to-does.” “Do” in “to-do” is no longer the verb form. It should be kept the same, meaning that only the following applies (regardless of pronoun choice):

• He has a large list of to-dos.

Is “To-Dos” or “To-Do’s” Used The Most?

It might help to look at some statistics to learn which form is more common. English users tend to lean more toward forms that are a little easier to understand and write.

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “to-dos” is by far the most popular choice. While both forms are correct and recognized, it’s much more common for the apostrophe to be dropped from the plural form.

The apostrophe is seen as an unnecessary extra. Many native speakers like to keep the language as simple as possible. Therefore, adding an apostrophe is irrelevant because it’s an extra character.

Since the meaning of “to-dos” is made clear without the apostrophe, it’s appropriate to leave it out of the word.

Examples Of How To Use The Plural Of “To-Do” In A Sentence

Perhaps a few more examples will help you understand it:

1. I have many to-dos ready for today, so I need to get on with them.
2. His to-dos are all over the place. I don’t know why he lets them stack up like that.
3. You should look at your to-dos. You don’t want to get overwhelmed with this stuff.
4. My to-dos are up-to-date. I no longer need to worry about this stuff.
5. How many to-dos did you say you had left to do?
6. She has a few too many to-dos. I’m worried she’s going to lose it!
7. You’ll have to work on your to-do’s some other time. We’re busy with these things right now.

“To-dos” is the most appropriate choice (but we included the apostrophe in the large example to show you that it can also work). It’s the best way to show that you have multiple tasks to complete.

Are “To-Dos” And “To-Do’s” Used Differently In The UK And The US?

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “to-dos” is the more common plural choice in American English. This shows that the trends are the same as we’ve mentioned already in the article.

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “to-dos” is also the more common choice in British English. However, the line is much sharper, showing that it’s becoming even more popular.

“To-dos” is the best choice in the UK and the US. Overall, it seems like it is growing much quicker in British English, so you’re more likely to see it in the UK.

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