What’s the plural of “tableau”?
The plural of tableau is tableaux or tableaus.
The scene ended with a dramatic tableau on stage.
The exhibit displayed several historical tableaus depicting life in the 1800s.
The artist created many striking tableau for the installation.
We carefully arranged each tableaux for the photo shoot.
What’s the singular of tableau?
Tableau is singular.
What does the word tableau mean?
Tableau is defined in the dictionary as:
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“A picture, as of a scene.” Tableau is also understood as “a picturesque grouping of persons or objects; a striking scene.” |
The plural “tableaux,” visualize a collection of scenes (tableaux) rather than a single one (tableau).
Other French nouns in English
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | The houses are grouped together in a charming tableau.
The tableau of the troops crossing the river is one of the most famous paintings in the world. John Doyle’s Assassins, now playing off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company, has his assassins form their final tableau in front of footage from the January 6 Capitol riot. Dean gave the tableau a wide berth as he continued back to Bird Song, whistling the entire trip. They admired the tableau of the Nativity. |
“Tableaus”/”tableaux”, used in sentences
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | Its overture and eight historic tableaux have come down in disarray.
It’s difficult to see tableaux in a sentence. The tiny tableaus chronicling the boys’ flight fittingly range from extraordinarily realistic to fantastical, alternately portraying the vastness and claustrophobic aspects of their ordeal. As in the Goya sequence, these tableaux are not fixed. His direction was daringly restrained, almost like a series of tableaux. |
Origin of the word tableau
From etymology online on tableau (n.):
|
1690s, “a picturesque or graphic description or picture,” from French tableau “picture, painting” (12c.), from Old French table “slab, writing tablet”. |
What’s the difference between they’re, their, and there?
Worksheet
What is one correct plural form of “tableau” according to the post?
Which word represents the singular form?
Based on the dictionary definition provided, what does “tableau” mean?
According to the post, which of these other French words follows a similar pluralization pattern to “tableau”?
Based on the usage notes in the post, which sentence is grammatically correct?
The exhibit displayed several historical depicting life in the 1800s.
The houses are grouped together in a charming .
His direction was daringly restrained, almost like a series of .
The scene ended with a dramatic on stage.
As in the Goya sequence, these are not fixed.
FAQs
What’s the plural of tableau?
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What is the singular of tableau?
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What does tableau mean?
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Example of singular tableau use?
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Example of plural tableaus use?
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Yash, D. "What’s the Plural of Tableau?." Grammarflex, Jul 15, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-plural-of-tableau/.
Sources
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Definition of tableau.
