What’s the Plural of Crisis: Understanding English Grammar Rules

Crisis Becomes Crises — See the Pattern

Look at these words. Can you see what happens?

• one crisis → two crises
• one thesis → two theses
• one analysis → two analyses
• one basis → two bases

Did you see the pattern? The -is at the end changes to -es. This rule works for many English words that come from Greek.

Why It Is Crises and Not Crisises

Most English plurals just add -s or -es to the end of the word: cat → cats, box → boxes. But the word crisis comes from Greek. Greek words that end in -is follow a special rule. The -is changes to -es:

• crisis → crises (not “crisises”)
• thesis → theses (not “thesises”)
• analysis → analyses (not “analysises”)

A crisis is a very bad or difficult time when you must make important decisions fast. People talk about an economic crisis, a health crisis, or a personal crisis. You say it like “KRY-sis” for one, and “KRY-seez” for more than one.

Easy way to remember: Think of thesis → theses. They are like sisters. Crisis works the same way: crisis → crises.

How to Use Crisis and Crises in Everyday English

• My friend is going through a personal crisis after losing her job. (one problem)
• The news talked about two big crises in Europe last week. (more than one)
• The country is in an economic crisis right now. (one problem)
• Doctors are trained to handle medical crises in the hospital every day. (more than one)
• He stayed calm during the family crisis. (one problem)

You are doing great. Now let us look at the mistakes most learners make with this word.

The Most Common Mistakes With Crisis

Many learners write “crisises” because most English plurals just add -s or -es. That is a smart guess — but it does not work for words from Greek. Even advanced learners mix this up sometimes. So if you get confused, you are not alone.

How to remember: The word ends in -is. If you see -is at the end, change it to -es. Crisis → crises. Simple.

One small thing to watch: the spelling looks almost the same, but the sound changes. Crisis ends with a soft “sis” sound. Crises ends with a “seez” sound, like “bees” or “trees”. If you say “seez” at the end, you are using the plural.

Other words like this: thesis → theses, analysis → analyses, basis → bases, diagnosis → diagnoses, axis → axes.

Test Yourself: Crisis or Crises?

Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned that crisis becomes crises. That is one more plural you will never get wrong again.

But here is something interesting. University students all over the world write a thesis — a big research paper — before they graduate. The word thesis follows the same Greek rule as crisis. Can you guess how to say it when you mean two of them? The answer might surprise you.

Next lesson: What Is the Plural of Thesis?

Sources

1. Definition of crisis — Merriam-Webster
2. Crisis — Oxford Learner’s Dictionary
3. Etymology of crisis — Online Etymology Dictionary

Khamis Maiouf

My name is Khamis Maiouf. I am the creator of the English Teacher Site, dedicated to providing valuable resources and insights for students around the world. With a passion for education and a commitment to helping students enhance their skills, I aim to make English teaching more effective and enjoyable for both educators and students.