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Plural of Crisis
The Quick Answer
The plural of "crisis" is "crises."The Plural of Crisis
The plural of "crisis" is "crises."- Crises are abrupt negative changes in security, economic, political, or environmental affairs.
- Natural crises such as tsunamis or volcanoes are inherently unpredictable.
How to Pronounce "Crises"
"Crises" is pronounced [KRY]+[SEEZ].
"Crisis" Comes from Ancient Greek
The noun "crisis" has a Greek root, which is the derivation of the plural "crises." There is no alternative English plural form. The noun "crisis" adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below).Table of Contents
- Are You Good at Plurals?
- The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals
- Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Crisis?
- Ready for the Test?

Are You Good at Plurals?
Here's a quick test.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 | ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z | ![]() ![]() |
add es | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [consonant] o |
![]() ![]() |
add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.) |
![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [vowel] o | ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [consonant] y | ![]() ![]() |
change the y to an i and add es | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending [vowel] y | ![]() ![]() |
add s | ![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending f or fe | ![]() ![]() |
ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.) |
![]() ![]() |
Nouns ending is | ![]() ![]() |
change the "is" to "es" | ![]() ![]() |
Exceptions | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change | ![]() ![]() |
More exceptions | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns do not change at all | ![]() ![]() |
Foreign rulings | ![]() ![]() |
some nouns adopt foreign rulings | ![]() ![]() |
Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Crisis?
"Crises" is the only way to make the noun "crisis" 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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