Zeroes or Zeros?

You may have found some contradictory  plurals for the term zero in some places on the internet. Luckily, in this article I  put to rest these contradiction and give you a definitive answer

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary both “zeroes” and “zeros” are acceptable plural forms of the term zero. E.g., “The password was a combination of letters and zeroes.”

I am going to give more examples on the usage of “zeros” in this guide

But first take a look at the different forms of zero in the next table

Form	Example
Singular	Zero
Plural	Zeros/ Zeroes
Singular Possessive	N/A
Plural Possessive	N/A

Now, let’s look at some examples to understand the usage:

Singular: After the setback, he expressed zero disappointment. (In this case, zero is  used as an adjective)

Plural: In their calculations, they encountered several zeros.

Plural: When typing a password, don’t forget to include the zeroes.

You can see from the first example I gave that you can use the term zero as an adjective.  With that in mind, you may also also use it as a verb;

• Soldiers practiced zeroing their rifles to hit targets with precision during their training.

If you have doubts about using the different forms  of “zero” correctly, read on for more explanations and examples.

Zeros

The term “Zeros” is the standard plural version of “zero” and can be used to refer to multiple zero digits.

This version is the widely used version both in the American and the British English over zeroes. according to Google Ngram.

Zeros can also be used in many contexts. When you choose to use this version, ensure to stick with it through your document to maintain consistency. 

Take a look a the following example (Usage by a major news publication)

• The player scanned the ticket again, this time taking a closer look, and saw four zeros following the five, officials said. (Miami Herald)
• In binary code, ones and zeros represent different values.

Zeroes

Zeroes another plural for the term Zero. This is the least used of the two forms according to Google Ngram

See example (usage from major publications) 

When used as a verb.

• IRS zeroes in on corporate jet usage as it cracks down on wealthy tax cheats (CNN). 

• The final result contained several zeroes.

Another common usage is:

• The bank statement had zeroes in the balance after a withdrawal.
• The clock blinked three zeroes when the power went out.