Analysis vs. Analyses: Meaning, Difference & Correct Usage Explained (2026 Guide) 🔍

If you are unsure whether to write analysis or analyses, the answer depends on whether you are talking about one examination or more than one. Analysis is singular, while analyses is the plural form.

This difference is especially important in academic, scientific, business, and research writing. In this guide, we’ll explain the meaning, grammar, pronunciation, origin, and correct usage of analysis vs. analyses, along with simple examples and memory tricks.

Core Definitions

The quickest way to understand the difference is:

Analysis = singular
Analyses = plural

Word	Number	Meaning	Example
Analysis	Singular	One detailed examination or study	The analysis was detailed.
Analyses	Plural	More than one examination or study	The analyses produced similar results.
Analysises	❌ Incorrect	Not a standard plural	Do not use it.

Major dictionaries, including Oxford and Cambridge, list analyses as the plural of analysis.

What “Analysis” Means (Singular)

Analysis is a singular noun meaning a detailed examination or study of something to understand it better.

For example:

The researcher conducted an analysis of the data.

Here, the researcher performed one analysis.

The word can refer to examining information, a situation, a substance, an argument, or a problem.

What “Analyses” Means (Plural)

Analyses is the plural of analysis. It means two or more separate examinations, studies, or evaluations.

For example:

The researchers conducted several analyses of the results.

This means that more than one analysis was performed.

Cambridge explicitly identifies analyses as the plural form of analysis.

Grammar Breakdown

The difference is a matter of number.

• One = analysis
• Two or more = analyses

Unlike regular nouns such as book → books, analysis follows an irregular plural pattern.

Singular vs Plural: The Rule Behind the Change

Words ending in -is can sometimes form their plural by changing -is to -es.

For example:

Singular	Plural
analysis	analyses
thesis	theses
hypothesis	hypotheses
crisis	crises
diagnosis	diagnoses

The spelling changes, and the pronunciation changes too.

Analysis: /ə-NAL-ə-sis/
Analyses: /ə-NAL-ə-seez/

Oxford and Cambridge both give different pronunciations for the singular and plural forms.

Why “Analysises” Is Never Correct

“Analysises” is incorrect.

English does not form the plural of analysis by simply adding -es to the complete singular word. Instead, the final -is changes to -es:

analysis → analyses

So avoid:

❌ The study included three analysises.

Use:

✅ The study included three analyses.

This is an irregular plural pattern inherited from the word’s Greek origin.

Greek Origin of the Word “Analysis”

The word analysis ultimately comes from Greek. Its history is connected with the Greek verb analyein, meaning roughly “to loosen,” “undo,” or break something down into its parts.

Merriam-Webster traces analysis through Medieval Latin to Greek análysis, associated with breaking something down into its elements or resolving a problem.

That historical background also helps explain its unusual plural form:

analysis → analyses

The word entered English centuries ago and has become an essential term in science, research, education, business, medicine, and everyday discussion.

Special Plural Patterns in English

English contains many words borrowed from Greek or Latin that retain older plural patterns.

Examples include:

• analysis → analyses
• basis → bases
• crisis → crises
• diagnosis → diagnoses
• hypothesis → hypotheses
• thesis → theses

These forms may seem unusual because they do not follow the simplest English rule of adding -s.

Dictionary.com notes that irregular plurals such as analyses are connected to their Greek and Latin origins.

American vs British English Usage

There is no difference in the spelling of the singular and plural forms between American and British English.

Both varieties use:

analysis → analyses

The pronunciation may be represented slightly differently in different dictionaries, but the written forms remain the same. Cambridge and Oxford both list the same singular/plural spelling pattern.

One related difference appears in the verb:

• American English: analyze
• British English: analyse

But this does not change the noun forms:

• analysis
• analyses

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Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Understanding the most frequent mistakes makes the rule easier to remember.

Error 1: Using “analyses” as a singular

Incorrect:

This analyses is incomplete.

Correct:

This analysis is incomplete.

Use analysis when referring to one examination or study.

Error 2: Using “analysis” to refer to multiple cases

Incorrect:

The researchers conducted several analysis.

Correct:

The researchers conducted several analyses.

The word several signals that the noun must be plural.

Error 3: Pronouncing them the same

The pronunciation is different.

Analysis: uh-NAL-uh-sis

Analyses: uh-NAL-uh-seez

The final sound changes from -sis to -seez. Cambridge and Oxford both provide these distinct pronunciations.

Practical Usage in Writing

Choosing between analysis and analyses is particularly important in formal writing because the wrong form can make a sentence grammatically unclear.

Using “Analysis” in Academic Work

Use analysis when discussing one examination, interpretation, or study.

Examples:

• This analysis examines the effects of social media.
• The analysis supports the original hypothesis.
• Our analysis revealed an important pattern.
• The paper provides an analysis of the results.

If you use an, one, this, or the to refer to a single study, analysis is normally appropriate.

Using “Analyses” in Research

Use analyses when describing multiple examinations or separate analytical procedures.

Examples:

• The researchers performed several analyses.
• The analyses produced consistent findings.
• Multiple statistical analyses were conducted.
• These analyses support the conclusion.

Scribbr specifically notes that analyses can refer to multiple examinations of one thing, multiple things, or both.

Why Proper Pluralization Matters in Research

Research writing frequently discusses multiple datasets, methods, experiments, or statistical procedures. Using the correct plural makes the number of analyses immediately clear.

Compare:

The study included one analysis.

vs.

The study included five analyses.

The distinction is small in spelling but important in meaning.

Tips for ESL Learners

For English learners, the easiest approach is to memorize analysis → analyses as a pair rather than trying to create the plural from scratch every time.

A few useful patterns are:

• one analysis
• two analyses
• several analyses
• multiple analyses
• an analysis
• the analyses

Also remember that analysises is not an alternative form.

Simple Memory Tricks

Try these quick techniques to remember the difference.

Visual Cue

Look at the ending:

analysIS → analysES

The final IS changes to ES.

Think:

IS → ES = plural

Pronunciation Trick

Remember:

Analysis = “sis”

Analyses = “seez”

So:

analysis → uh-NAL-uh-sis

analyses → uh-NAL-uh-seez

This helps distinguish both the spelling and pronunciation.

Quick Practice

Fill in the blanks:

1. The researcher completed one detailed ______.
2. The team compared several ______.
3. This ______ explains the main findings.
4. The statistical ______ was conducted last week.
5. The researchers reviewed multiple ______.

Answers:

1. analysis
2. analyses
3. analysis
4. analysis
5. analyses

A simple rule to remember is:

ONE = ANALYSIS
MORE THAN ONE = ANALYSES

Conclusion

The difference between analysis and analyses is straightforward once you remember that analysis is singular and analyses is plural. An analysis refers to one detailed examination, while analyses refers to multiple examinations or studies.

The spelling analysises is not correct. Because analysis comes from Greek and follows an older plural pattern, its plural changes from -is to -es. Use analysis for one and analyses for two or more, especially in academic and research writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is “analysis” singular or plural?

Analysis is singular. The plural form is analyses.

What is the plural of analysis?

The correct plural of analysis is analyses, not “analysises.”

Is “analysises” correct?

No. Analysises is incorrect; the standard plural is analyses.

How do you pronounce analysis?

Analysis is commonly pronounced approximately “uh-NAL-uh-sis.”

How do you pronounce analyses?

Analyses is commonly pronounced approximately “uh-NAL-uh-seez.”

What is the difference between analysis and analyses?

Analysis refers to one examination, while analyses refers to two or more examinations.

Can “analysis” be used for multiple things?

Yes, depending on meaning, analysis can describe an examination of multiple things as one analytical activity; the plural analyses is used when there are multiple separate analyses.

Why is the plural of analysis analyses?

The word comes from Greek and retains an irregular plural pattern in English, changing -is to -es.

Is analysis the same in American and British English?

Yes. Both American and British English use analysis for singular and analyses for plural.

What is the plural of analysis in research writing?

The plural is analyses, as in “The researchers conducted three analyses of the data.”

Is “analyses” a verb?

No. Analyses is the plural noun form of analysis. The related verb forms are analyzes in American English and analyses in British English.

What is an easy way to remember analysis vs analyses?

Remember: one analysis, multiple analyses. Think IS → ES when forming the plural.