Plural of “waltz”

The plural of waltz is waltzes.

Why

"Waltz" was borrowed into English in the late 18th century from German "Walzer," itself from "walzen," meaning to roll, turn, or revolve — describing the dance's distinctive turning, rotating steps, which scandalized some observers at the time for allowing partners to hold each other so closely while spinning. Its unusual ending cluster "-ltz" contains the sibilant sound "z," which requires the standard -es plural, giving "waltzes," with no further doubling needed since the consonant cluster is already distinctive.

The waltz was considered a genuinely radical dance craze when it swept across Europe in the early 1800s, precisely because its closed-hold turning position was far more physically intimate than the more formal, distanced group dances that had dominated ballrooms before it — a cultural shock that's easy to forget given how staid and traditional the waltz feels in modern popular imagination.

Usage note

"Waltzes" refers both to the dance itself (learning several waltzes for a wedding) and to the musical compositions written in waltz time, typically a distinctive three-beat rhythm (Strauss composed hundreds of waltzes) — both senses use the identical plural without distinction.

The verb "to waltz" also conjugates with the same -es ending ("she waltzes across the floor effortlessly"), and the word has additionally picked up a casual figurative sense meaning to move confidently or presumptuously ("he just waltzes in late every day"), which conjugates the same way. The waltz eventually lost its scandalous reputation entirely and became a staple of formal ballroom dancing worldwide, taught today in wedding preparation classes and dance schools as one of the more approachable partner dances for beginners, a far cry from the controversy it once caused in early 19th-century ballrooms.

Common real mistakes

Writers occasionally drop the necessary e, writing "waltzs" instead of "waltzes" — incorrect; the sibilant z-ending requires the full -es regardless of the unusual preceding consonant cluster.

The wider pattern

"Waltz" pairs with "buzz" as one of the two words on this list ending in an unusual consonant-plus-z cluster that nonetheless follows the ordinary sibilant -es rule without any additional doubling, showing that the rule cares only about the final sibilant sound, not about how many consonants precede it. Beyond the ballroom, "waltz time" (three beats to a measure) became a foundational rhythm in classical composition well beyond actual dance music, appearing in symphonies and chamber works by composers who had no intention of the piece ever being danced to at all, showing how thoroughly the word's musical sense outgrew its origins as a literal dance description.

Examples

• The orchestra played three waltzes before the evening's other dances began.
• Both waltzes were composed by the same 19th-century Viennese composer.
• She learned two waltzes specifically for her sister's wedding reception.
• The dance instructor taught several waltzes over the course of the workshop.
• Strauss wrote hundreds of waltzes during his prolific career.
• The ballroom competition included traditional waltzes alongside modern styles.
• Two contrasting waltzes closed out the concert's first half.
• The film's soundtrack features waltzes recorded by a full live orchestra.
• Guests were taught the basic steps of several waltzes before the reception began.
• Music historians trace how waltzes evolved from folk dances into concert pieces.
• The dance school's beginner class covers two simple waltzes first.
• Several waltzes were played back to back during the anniversary party.
• The composer's early waltzes sound noticeably different from his later work.
• Couples practiced their waltzes for weeks before the competition.
• The symphony's second movement borrows the rhythm of classic waltzes.
• She choreographed three new waltzes for the upcoming ballet.
• The music box played a medley of short waltzes when wound.
• Two contrasting waltzes bookended the evening's formal dance program.
• The wedding band learned three waltzes specifically for the reception.
• Her composition borrows the structure of classic 19th-century waltzes.