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What’s the Plural of Focus?

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What’s the plural of “focus”?

The plural of focus is focuses or foci.

👍🏼Usage Note

The main focus of the discussion was budget allocation.

The research examined several foci related to urban development.

The three primary focus of the presentation were on marketing.

The document lists various focuses points for action.

What’s the singular of focus?

Focus is singular. Focuses or foci is plural.

What does the word focus mean?

The noun and word focus is described in the dictionary as “a center of activity, attraction, or attention: the focus of the meeting was drug abuse. Put immigration into focus as a hot topic for commentators.”

Other Latin nouns in English

singular plural
focus focuses or foci
octopus octopi (or octopuses)
radius radi (or radiuses)
fungus fungi (or funguses)
alumnus alumni (or almunuses)
syllabus syllabi (or syllabuses)
Latin nouns ending in –us/-i. Chart by Grammarflex.
💡Study Tip

Associate “foci” with similar Latin plurals like “radii” or “fungi” to remember one plural form of “focus.”.

“Focus”, used in sentences

1. His life lacks a focus.

2. Get the binoculars in focus.

3. I wasn’t able to focus the camera.

4. She has an amazing ability to focus for hours at a time.

5. He’s successful, but he feels that his life lacks focus.

“Focuses”/”foci”, used in sentences

1. The menu changes quarterly and focuses on food from coastal regions worldwide.

2. He focuses on Enron which was the real biggie.

3. Charles Manson’s “family” were the foci of many murder investigations.

4. The excitable foci of the cerebral cortex are well myelinated long before the unexcitable are so.

5. The foci of the paper were the many reasons why people came to the U.S. and the ways they immigrated.

Origin of the word focus

From etymology online on focus (n.):

1640s, “point of convergence,” from Latin focus “hearth, fireplace” (also, figuratively, “home, family”), which is of unknown origin.

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What’s the difference between they’re, their, and there?

Whose vs who’s?

Sources

  1. Definition of focus.
  2. Sentences using focus.
  3. Origin of focus.

 

Work Sheet

Question 1 of 10

According to the post, what is the correct plural form(s) of “focus”?



Which of the following sentences uses the plural form of “focus” correctly, based on the examples provided?



What is the singular form of the word “focus”?



What grammatical number are “focuses” and “foci”?



The post lists other Latin nouns with -us/-i plurals. Which listed word’s primary Latin plural form ends in -i, similar to ‘foci’?



The city council discussed the key for urban development.



The different of light converged at the focal point.



The main of the meeting was budget allocation.



The post advises avoiding redundant phrases like “ points”.



The academic paper presented two main of study.





Frequently Asked Questions

What are the plurals of focus?
+

Based on the post, the plural forms of the noun “focus” are “focuses” or “foci.” Both are considered correct and can be used to refer to more than one center of attention or activity.

How do I use focus plurals?
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Use the plural forms “focuses” or “foci” when referring to multiple items. For example, the post shows: “The research examined several foci related to urban development.” This correctly uses a.

What focus mistake is common?
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A common mistake is using the singular “focus” when a plural noun is needed. The post notes: “The three primary focus… (The plural noun focuses or foci is needed)”. Also, avoid redundant phrases.

What is the singular of focus?
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The singular form is “focus.” The post explicitly states that “Focus is singular.” You use “focus” when referring to one center of activity, attraction, or attention.

How to remember ‘foci’ plural?
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Remember “foci” by associating it with similar Latin plurals ending in “-i” derived from “-us” nouns. Examples include “radii” from “radius” and “fungi” from “fungus,” as shown in the post’s chart.

Yash, D. "What’s the Plural of Focus?." Grammarflex, Jun 21, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-plural-of-focus/.

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