How many bonds can a sulfur atom form?

This answer depends on how technical of an answer you are looking for. Most of the time a sulfur atom can form two bonds. It is in the same column of the periodic table of elements as oxygen is and oxygen will form two bonds. Most people would say that sulfur will do the same thing because it has six valence electrons. That means it has two more spots to fill in order to have a full outer shell. Of course sulfur is not oxygen, so it does not behave exactly the same way that oxygen behaves. For example, sulfur can form up to six bonds, which is what is the case in something like sulfuric acid -- (H2)SO4.