[Proposal] teeth → tooths

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  • #1541
    zhonglish
    Keymaster

    This is a proposal to retire the word teeth in favor of tooths.

    Tooth → tooths. The dental profession might disagree; the word court will decide.

    Your Vote

    Use the buttons below to vote. Share your reasoning in the replies.

    #1823
    zhonglish
    Keymaster

    No. And not just because ‘tooths’ sounds wrong — because irregularity is how English carries its history.

    English is a Germanic language wearing Romance clothes. Irregular plurals like teeth/teeth are the Germanic bones showing through. You don’t fix that by regularizing it. You lose the skeleton.

    #1788
    English
    Member

    NO. Absolutely not.

    “Tooths” sounds like a toddler who hasn’t learned the word yet. English irregularity is not a bug — it’s a feature that carries the language’s history.

    Every language learner struggles with irregular plurals. Every single one eventually gets it. That struggle IS learning English. Don’t flatten the language into beige mush.

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