Plural of Emphasis

The Quick Answer

The plural of "emphasis" is "emphases."

The Plural of Emphasis

The plural of "emphasis" is "emphases."
  • Each course is taught with different emphases within the broad field of sport, exercise, health and rehabilitation. correct tick
  • Stories are told from many different perspectives and emphases. correct tick
The noun "emphasis" has a Greek root, which is the derivation of the plural "emphases." There is no alternative English plural form. The noun "emphasis" adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below).

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The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals

The table below shows the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English.
Type Example of Type Forming the Plural Plural
Most Nouns lamp
scythe
add s lamps
scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z box
dress
add es boxes
dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o zero
tomato
add either s or es
(There are no rules for this - you have to know.)
zeros
tomatoes
Nouns ending [vowel] o patio
ratio
add s patios
ratios
Nouns ending [consonant] y story
penny
change the y to an i and add es stories
pennies
Nouns ending [vowel] y donkey
chimney
add s donkeys
chimneys
Nouns ending f or fe dwarf
hoof
ves and/or s
(There are no rules - you have to know.)
dwarfs
hooves or hoofs
Nouns ending is emphasis
thesis
change the "is" to "es" emphases
theses
Exceptions man
louse
some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change men
lice
More exceptions salmon
sheep
some nouns do not change at all salmon
sheep
Foreign rulings fungus
medium
some nouns adopt foreign rulings fungi
media
Read more about English spelling rules.

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of emphasis?

"Emphases" is the only way to make the noun "emphasis" plural.

Confusion arises because some mistakenly believe that all nouns ending in "s" should form a plural that adds "es" to the end of the word. When a noun ends with "is," you need to replace the "is" with an "es" to form the plural. This is because its plural form derives from Greek.
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This page was written by Craig Shrives.