Plural of Syllabus | Spelling & Examples

The plural form of “syllabus” can be either syllabuses, pronounced [sil-uh-buhs-iz] or syllabi, pronounced [sil-uh-bye].

Most words in the English language have only one plural form. However, there are some words that have multiple plural forms (e.g., zeros/zeroes and cactuses/cacti), and “syllabus” is one of them.

Syllabuses or syllabi

The singular word “syllabus” is one of the handful of words in the English language that has more than one accepted plural form. Both syllabuses and syllabi are correct, but syllabi tends to be more commonly used in academic settings.

Syllabi follows Latin pluralization rules where singular nouns ending in “-us” are changed to “-i” in the plural form (e.g., alumnus/alumni and stimulus/stimuli). Syllabuses follows regular pluralization rules where “-s” or “-es” is added to the end of the singular to form the plural (e.g., book/books and watch/watches).

Latin has historically been the language of scholarship, and considering the word “syllabus” is most often used in an academic setting, syllabi tended to be used more often. As “syllabus” became more commonly used in English, it began to use the regular pluralization rules, and an “-es” was added to form syllabuses.

Today, both forms are widely accepted.

What are irregular plurals?

Some words in the English language are derived from other languages, such as Greek or Latin. These irregular plural nouns follow pluralization rules that differ from standard rules of pluralization of common nouns, which is to simply add “-s” or “-es” to the word.

The plural form of “syllabus,” syllabi, follows Latin pluralization rules, which change the “-us” at the end of the word to “-i.”

While “syllabus” is a word with two accepted plural forms, there are some words called zero plurals that are the same in both the singular and plural forms.

Frequently asked questions about the plural of syllabus

What does “syllabys” mean?

“Syllabys” is a common misspelling of the noun “syllabus.” The correct spelling is S-Y-L-L-A-B-U-S.

It is commonly typed like this because it’s either a misspelling (because of a mispronunciation of the word) or a typo (because the U and Y keys are right next to each other).

Scribbr’s free Grammar Checker will notice and correct typos like this in all of your online documents.

Is “sullabus” a word?

“Sullabus” is not a word. It’s a common misspelling of the word “syllabus.”

When you see “sullabus” written somewhere, it’s most likely a typo because the U and Y keys are right next to each other on a keyboard.

Scribbr’s free Grammar Checker will notice and correct typos like this in all of your online documents.

How do you spell “syllabus”?

The correct spelling is S-Y-L-L-A-B-U-S. Be careful not to confuse it with common misspellings like “syllabys” or “syllubus.”

The plural of syllabus is “syllabi” or “syllabuses.”

Scribbr’s free Grammar Checker notices and corrects common misspellings and typos like this in all of your online documents.