What’s the Proper Way to Use Them: Criteria vs Criterion?

In English, words can be singular or plural in form. Both singular and plural terms have a specific spelling pattern that makes it easy to distinguish them from each other. Some singular-plural word combinations, however, may not be that easy to discern.

The word “criterion” denotes “standards or rules” that help arrive at a decision or ascertain a particular outcome. The term “criteria” is the plural of “criterion”. “Criteria” is not singular, and “criterias” is not its plural variant. Similarly, “criterion” cannot be pluralized as “criterions”.

If any or all of the above seems confusing, read on to learn more about the meanings of the respective words, how they get and should be used in texts, why they do not adopt the standard English singular-plural rule, etc.

Defining “Criteria” and “Criterion”

The term “criteria” means the same as “criterion”; it is just the latter’s plural form. The term “criterion” denotes “a rule or standard to judge or evaluate things” or a “characterizing trait or mark”. Synonyms for the word include “standards”, “requirements”, and “benchmarks”.

“Criteria” are typically the specific requirements something or someone should meet to qualify or be considered for something. For instance, a job applicant could be assessed based on multiple criteria, which include their education, work experience, references/recommendations, etc. Each one of those criteria is a “criterion”.

Grades in school could be based on specific criteria, including your test scores, assignment and homework scores, class participation, etc. Similarly, the score of a gymnast is based on various criteria.

A Brief History of “Criterion”

The word “criterion” has its roots in the Greek term “kritérion”, which means “a standard”. The word itself is believed to have been derived from a couple of other Greek terms: “krités”, meaning “judge”; and “krinien”, which means “to decide”.

The words “criterion” and “criteria” were documented to be first used during the 1600s. The word “critic” and the words related to it, such as “criticism” and “critical”, share the same root as “criterion”.

Using “Criteria” and “Criterion” in Sentences

The term “criteria” is invariably used in contexts that entail some form of judgment, decision, or evaluation. It’s used in official/formal texts or conversations and also in casual correspondence. For instance, the word shows up quite frequently in discussions related to shopping.

Also, the term is commonly used in conjunction with “meet”. For example:

• Your application meets all the criteria mentioned in the exhibit.

A few other words that invariably get used with “criteria” in the same sentence include:

• meet
• inclusion
• ideal
• select
• judge
• measure
• eligible, etc.

As mentioned above, “criteria” is plural, and “criterion” is its singular version. But since it’s easy to mistake “criteria” as the singular term and “criterion” as plural, using them interchangeably in sentences is quite common. For example, both sentences below use the two words incorrectly:

• The criteria was announced and implemented with immediate effect.
• The team met all criterion.

Another common mistake many writers make is assuming “criteria” as singular and “criterias” to be its plural form. Luckily, online word processing tools, such as Word, highlight the error. But if you write the old-school way, the incorrect term will easily get through, to your chagrin.

Then some people affix the letter “s” to the word “criterion”, assuming “criterions” to be the plural variant of the word. Such an assumption or usage of the word “criterions” is incorrect.

“Criterion” and “Criteria”: The Singular-Plural Rule

The English language has imported several words from ancient/classical languages, such as Latin, Greek, etc. Though almost all of those terms have been anglicized to suit or fit into the English lexicon, some may stick to the root languages’ grammar rules. In other words, the endings of particular words could be the same between English and the ancient language.

Plural versions of almost all eligible singular terms in English have an additional “s” attached. Therefore, it’s not that difficult to fall for the “criterion/criterions” trap. The grammar rule is a bit different for “criterion” because of the term’s Greek roots, wherein singular terms typically end with “-ion” and the plural versions conclude with “-ia”. Such upholding of classical language traditions is a bit more commonplace in scientific and academic writings.

“Criteria” and “criterion” aren’t the only two terms using “-ion” and “-ia” for the singular and plural versions, respectively. “Ganglia” and “ganglion” follow the same singular-plural rule too. The words “phenomenon” and “phenomena” also ditch the letter “s”.

A few more word pairs that do not conform to standard English singular-plural rule are:

• Alga; algae
• Bacterium; bacteria
• Stimulus; stimuli
• Species; speciei
• Radius; radii
• Genus: genera
• Appendix; appendices

Words that did not carry over their ancient or root language traditions to modern English also exist. For example, “gymnasium” is singular, and “gymnasia” is plural. However, “gymnasium” is rarely pluralized as “gymnasia” in modern-day texts. The term “gymnasiums” is used instead.

Using “Criteria” in the Singular Sense

By now, it should be clear that “criteria” is the plural of “criterion”. However, there have been and are instances of “criteria” being used as a singular word. The usage is akin to how the terms “data” and “agenda” get used as a singular word, though they typically denote a “set of or multiple things”.

The word “data”, for instance, initially only denoted “collective pieces of information”. The now pretty much obsolete “datum” was employed as the singular form of “data”. The word “data” is now used both in the singular and plural. “Datum” is not completely out, but its usage is much rarer than the singular “data”.

Another word that has had a similar transition or outcome as “datum” is “agendum”. The word “agenda”, which is currently ascribed as both singular and plural, initially was only a plural term. The word denoted “a list of things requiring attention and/or completion”. One of those things or items on the list was referred to as “agendum”. Over a period, “agendum” fell out of favor and got replaced by “agenda”.

“Criteria” hasn’t assumed the singular connotation as “data” and “agenda”. And the purists of the language hope it stays the same, or “criterion” doesn’t go out of regular use as “agendum” and “datum” did.

Distinguishing Between “Criteria” and “Criterion”

To ensure you don’t use “criteria” instead of “criterion” (or vice versa) in your texts, employ the following mnemonic trick.

The word “criterion” has the letter “o” in it. Associate the letter to “one”, which is singular. You may even consider the letters “on” and relate it to “one”, if that helps with remembering the word’s grammatical number.

On the other hand, “criteria” leaves out “o” or “on” and uses the letter “a” instead. Link the letter to “all”, which refers to more than one thing. Therefore, “criteria” denotes multiple things too.

Example Sentences with the Term “Criteria”

The following are sentences that use the word “criteria”:

• To apply for membership, you should meet specific criteria.
• We met all criteria that were put before us.
• The teacher clearly laid out the criteria on which the essays will be graded.
• All contestants should sign the form that delineates the criteria for participating in the beauty pageant.
• The judges will assess the performers on multiple criteria.
• There are several important criteria to follow to join the military.
• The loan request was not approved because the various criteria were not met.
• She couldn’t meet the stringent criteria.
• The bank is currently reassessing its criteria for loaning money to businesses.
• People employ various criteria to judge or define academic success.
• The athletes were judged on different criteria, which included difficulty, landing, amplitude, and execution.
• The selection criteria will not be altered.

Example Sentences with the Word “Criterion”

The following is a list of sentences using the word “criterion” correctly:

• The entrance test isn’t the only criterion for admission.
• The students found the criterion pertaining to the essay’s length unclear.
• If the major criterion to become a successful womenswear company was comfort, most fashion brands won’t be in business today.
• By this criterion, only a handful of people will make it through.
• Our criterion for evaluating the models is quite simple.
• I don’t mind which restaurant we go to dine, but it should meet the important criterion of serving only vegetarian.
• As my shopping budget is tight, “cost” will be the sole criterion for every item we choose to purchase.

Conclusion

The words “criteria” and “criterion” confuse more than its fair share of writers, including native English speakers. Generally, plural words have the letter “s” added to their singular versions, or they typically have more letters than the singular form. In the case of “criteria” and “criterion”, however, the former is the plural term, and that is why the two are so confusing.

However, the increased likelihood of “getting confused” won’t be pardoned or overlooked. If you interchange the terms or use “criteria” in place or “criterion”, it will be deemed as incorrect. If the error occurred in formal correspondences, such as in an email conversation, the recipient will judge your writing skills, i.e., if they know better.