What Is the Plural of Axis? | Spelling & Examples

The plural of axis is axes, pronounced [ak-seez.] The word axis most often refers to a central line or point around which objects rotate or are symmetrically arranged.

Axis vs. axes

Some people wonder why forming the plural of axis isn’t as simple as adding “-es” to the end of the word to form “axises.” Axis is a Latin-derived irregular noun and doesn’t follow the common pluralization rules of simply adding “-s” or “-es” to the end of a common noun.

Latin pluralization rules state that words ending in “-is” are made plural by changing the “-is” to “-es” (e.g., crisis/crises and thesis/theses).

What are irregular plurals?

It’s common to wonder why the plural of the word “axis” isn’t “axises.” Axes is considered an irregular plural, which deviates from the standard rules of pluralization in English.

Regular plural nouns are typically made plural by adding “-s” or “-es” to the end of a word (e.g., river/rivers and bench/benches).

However, some nouns, like axis, follow different pluralization rules because of their Latin or Greek origins. Words of Latin origin are made plural by changing the “-is” to “-es” (e.g., ellipsis/ellipses, crisis/crises, and diagnosis/diagnoses).

There are other irregular plurals that come from other origins, like Old English or other linguistic origins.

Zero plurals are another type of irregular plural. Zero plurals are words that remain the same in the singular and plural forms.

Frequently asked questions about plural of axis

Is it axises or axis?

The plural of axis is axes, not “axises.”

The word axes is considered an irregular plural noun and is derived from Latin origins. This means it follows the Latin rules of pluralization, not the regular pluralization rules of adding “-s” or “-es.”

Latin-derived words that end in “-is” are made plural by changing the “-is” to “-es.”

Scribbr’s free Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using the correct plural forms of words.

Is axis singular or plural?

The word axis is singular; the plural form is axes.

Axes is a Latin-derived irregular plural noun and doesn’t follow the pluralization rules of regular plural nouns. Instead of adding “-s” or “-es” to the end of the word like regular plural nouns, you change the “-is” at the end of the word to “-es” to form the plural.

You can use Scribbr’s free Grammar Checker to ensure you’re using the correct plural of axis.

What is the x and y axis on a graph?

On a graph, the vertical axis is called the y-axis, and the horizontal axis is called the x-axis.

The x– and y–axes intersect with each other to form a coordinate plane (also called a Cartesian plane). The Cartesian plane is used to plot points, lines, and curves in algebra, geometry, and calculus.

Each point on the coordinate plane is represented by an ordered pair of numbers displayed as (x,y), where x is the horizontal position (measured along the x-axis), and y is the vertical position (measured along the y-axis).

Scribbr’s free Grammar Checker will ensure you’re using the correct form of the word axis.

What is the plural of “crisis”?

The plural of “crisis” is “crises.” It’s a loanword from Latin and retains its original Latin plural noun form (similar to “analyses” and “bases”). It’s wrong to write “crisises.”

For example, you might write “Several crises destabilized the regime.”