Heroes Vs. Heros (Grammar Rules) - Writer's Digest

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Write Better NonfictionHeroes vs. Heros (Grammar Rules)

Learn when to use heroes vs. heros with Grammar Rules from the Writer’s Digest editors, including a few examples of correct usages.

Robert Lee Brewer

Published Jan 6, 2020 6:00 PM ESTShare this story

Many people are familiar with Bonnie Tyler's "Holding out for a Hero," and are familiar with her calling out, "I need a hero." And most people know the correct way to spell hero in the singular, but what if one hero is not enough? What if we need more than one of these heroic people? What do we call them?

(The Difference Between Heroin vs. Heroine.)

Let's courageously dive in!

Heroes vs. Heros

Heroes is the plural form of hero. So if Bonnie Tyler were to need more than one hero (let's say two), then she'd call out, "I need two heroes!"

Heros is a genus of fish native to South America. I'm not sure if any Heros happen to be heroes, but they are definitely fish.

Make sense?

Let's go through a few examples:

Correct: He doesn't need a hero; he needs five heroes.Incorrect: He doesn't need a hero; he needs five heros.

Correct: The Avengers is a team comprised of several heroes.Incorrect: The Avengers is a team comprised of several heros.

Correct: There are many fish species I don't understand, including the Heros of South America.Incorrect: There are many fish species I don't understand, including the heroes of South America.

Remember to add an "-es" to hero when you need more than one. While South America surely has its fair share of heroes, it's the only place (outside of an aquarium) that you're likely to find Heros.

*****

Learn more in the online course, Grammar and Mechanics, from Writer’s Digest University:

Share this storyGrammar Rulesgrammar tipsRobert Lee BrewerAuthor Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of Solving the World's Problems, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.Related StoriesRomanceLauren Connolly: I Live To Make People Laugh With My WritingRobert Lee BrewerYoung AdultNancy Banks: On the Reliability of EditingRobert Lee BrewerMystery/ThrillerDown a Rabbit Hole: From Zelda Sayre to Murder in 1920s ManhattanJulie MulhernChildren'sJon-Erik Lappano: Be Irrational in Your PersistenceRobert Lee BrewerInterviews/JournalismWriting Beyond Borders: How I Learned to Reach a Global Audience With StorytellingClaudia CataldiGrammar9 of the Most Important English Capitalization RulesMatthew AdamsRelated StoriesRomanceLauren Connolly: I Live To Make People Laugh With My WritingRobert Lee BrewerYoung AdultNancy Banks: On the Reliability of EditingRobert Lee BrewerMystery/ThrillerDown a Rabbit Hole: From Zelda Sayre to Murder in 1920s ManhattanJulie MulhernChildren'sJon-Erik Lappano: Be Irrational in Your PersistenceRobert Lee BrewerInterviews/JournalismWriting Beyond Borders: How I Learned to Reach a Global Audience With StorytellingClaudia CataldiGrammar9 of the Most Important English Capitalization RulesMatthew Adams

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