The Plural Of "Hero" Is "Heroes", Not "Heros" - Today I Found Out

Maybe your like

The Plural of “Hero” is “Heroes”, Not “Heros”

May 28, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Now You Know You should know the plural of “hero” is “heroes”, not “heros”.

With it being Memorial Day and so many people posting on Facebook/Twitter/etc. about all the “heros” out there, I thought I’d do a quick post to help people avoid being murdered in their beds by Grammar Nazis, as I’ve nearly been on numerous occasions, only managing to fend them off by holding up my copy of Handbook of English Grammar and Usage and yelling “the power of Webster compels you!” So just remember, the plural of “hero” is “heroes”.

In case you’re curious, the word “hero” popped up in English around the 14th century from the Ancient Greek ἥρως (“heros”), meaning “hero, warrior, demi-god”. This Ancient Greek word is thought by some etymologists to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root “*ser”, meaning “to watch over, protect”.

Incidentally, the German “heroisch” (“heroic”) also has a similar origin and ultimately gave rise to the name of the Bayer drug “heroin”, which you can read more about here: The Pharmaceutical Company Bayer Coined the Name “Heroin” and Marketed the Drug as a Non-Addictive Cough Medicine

Expand for References

Hero
English Plural Nouns
Hero
Etymology Hero

Share the Knowledge!

Enjoy this article? Join over 50,000 Subscribers getting our FREE Daily Knowledge and Weekly Wrap newsletters: Subscribe Me To: Daily Knowledge | Weekly Wrap tagged with english guide, etymology hero, grammar, grammar tips, heroes vs heros, now you know, you should know

Know It

11 comments

CJ May 28, 2012 10:55 pm
Thank you for making my job easier.

Grammar Nazi Salute!
SUzanne May 29, 2012 10:28 am
Obviously people aren’t listening to enough old David Bowie.
Michelle June 20, 2012 12:49 pm
I thought everyone already knew this. Then again, I /am/ a huge fan of Bowie. That might have something to do with it.
Piers "Morgan" Moron August 17, 2012 3:04 am
Any half-wit would alredy know this. I did
Tony Quade February 23, 2013 6:25 pm
Thank you so much for clarifying. Auto correct sucks.
satori April 25, 2014 1:34 pm
But… why is it “heroes” to begin with, and not simply “hero + s”? Where is that e coming from? I find it hard to believe it was added to differentiate from the (transliterated from) Greek “heros” or something, as the creators of this language have never cared about such small forms of respect.
- Jan January 29, 2019 9:51 pm
  I noticed no answer…I agree with you. How did the ‘e’ get inserted.
Sue September 23, 2019 9:40 pm
I see “hero’s” all over the place – an apostrophe after the o. I had no idea of the amount of illiterate people.

Words fail me
Mb November 29, 2019 11:56 pm
Helpful. But would’ve avoided the reference to being a grammar ‘nazi’ directly after example of heroes on Memorial Day.