Plural of Phenomenon

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The Plural of Phenomenon

The plural of "phenomenon" is "phenomena."

• The phenomena of light refraction and reflection are still being studied.
• The phenomena observed in this study were significant.

The noun "phenomenon" has a Greek root, which is the derivation of the plural "phenomena."

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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	dog scythe	add s	dogs scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z	box dress	add es	boxes dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o	hero zero tomato	add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.)	heroes 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
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	phenomenon medium	some nouns adopt foreign rulings	phenomena media

Read more about English spelling rules.

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Phenomenon?

Confusion arises over the plural of "phenomenon" because its original plural form ("phenomena") derives from Greek, and native English speakers are drawn to "phenomenons," which adheres to the standard ruling for forming plurals.

While many will consider "phenomenons" a spelling error, the situation is more complicated than that because "phenomenons" is gradually creeping into the language as an acceptable plural. The confusion is compounded by the following guidance, which is offered by a number of sources (most notably the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary): "Phenomenon" has two possible plurals, depending on the meaning of "phenomenon":

• "Phenomena" is the far more common plural. It is used when "phenomenon" means "an observable fact or event."
• "Phenomenons" is a rare plural. It is used when "phenomenon" means "an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, things, or occurrence."

This view is not widely shared. The major grammar references (e.g., Oxford Canadian Dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style) only list "phenomena" as the plural of "phenomenon." Our advice? Use only "phenomena."

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