What’s the Plural of Synopsis: Understanding Correct Usage
Quick Answer
The plural of synopsis is synopses. You change the -is ending to -es. One synopsis, two synopses.
Synopsis and Synopses — See the Pattern
The word synopsis comes from Greek. That is why the plural does not follow the normal English rule. Instead of adding -s or -es, you change the ending. Look at these examples:
- I read the synopsis of the film before watching it. (one summary)
- The teacher asked us to write synopses for three books. (more than one summary)
- Each synopsis should be one page long. (one summary)
- We compared the synopses of five different stories. (more than one summary)
Did you see the pattern? When you talk about one, use synopsis. When you talk about more than one, change the -is to -es and say synopses.
| Singular (one) | Plural (more than one) |
|---|---|
| synopsis | synopses |
Why Synopsis Becomes Synopses
In English, most words become plural by adding -s or -es. But synopsis comes from Greek, and many Greek words that end in -is change to -es in the plural.
Here are some other words that follow the same rule:
- crisis becomes crises
- thesis becomes theses
- analysis becomes analyses
- basis becomes bases
Easy way to remember: If an English word ends in -sis or -psis, the plural almost always changes that -is to -es.
The Rule in One Line: One synopsis, two synopses — change the -is to -es.
Real-Life Examples With Synopsis and Synopses
- I always read the synopsis before I pick a film to watch. (a short summary of the film)
- The website shows synopses for every episode of the show. (summaries of each episode)
- She wrote a one-page synopsis of her research project. (one summary)
- The publisher asked all the writers to send their synopses by Friday. (more than one summary)
- Can you give me a quick synopsis of what happened in the meeting? (a brief summary)
You are doing great. Now let us look at the mistakes many learners make.
Two Mistakes to Avoid With Synopsis
Even advanced learners get the plural of synopsis wrong sometimes — so if you have made this mistake before, you are not alone.
Mistake 1: Adding -es to make “synopsises”
✗ The students wrote synopsises for their books.
✓ The students wrote synopses for their books.
How to remember: Do not add -es to the end. Replace the -is with -es. Synopsis becomes synopses, not synopsises.
Mistake 2: Using “synopsis” when you mean more than one
✗ All three synopsis were too long.
✓ All three synopses were too long.
How to remember: If a number or word like “all”, “many”, “several”, or “these” comes before the word, you need the plural form: synopses.
Other words that follow this same Greek pattern: thesis → theses, crisis → crises, diagnosis → diagnoses, parenthesis → parentheses.
Test Yourself: Synopsis or Synopses?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.
1. She wrote two _______ for her class last week.
2. Please write a short _______ of the film.
3. The website shows the _______ of all ten episodes.
4. Each student must hand in a _______ by Friday.
5. All three _______ were very well written.
Keep Going — You Are Building Something
You just learned the plural of synopsis. That is one more tricky plural you will never get wrong again.
Synopsis follows the Greek -is to -es rule. The word thesis follows the exact same pattern — but do you know what it becomes in the plural? Is it thesises or theses? And what does thesis actually mean?
Next lesson: What’s the Plural of Thesis?
Sources
Harper Douglas, “Etymology of synopsis,” Online Etymology Dictionary.
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.
