Criteria vs. Criterion – How to Use Each Correctly

/ September 24, 2017/ Usage

 criteria versus criterion

What is the Difference Between Criteria and Criterion?

Criteria and criterion have the same meaning and are simply the plural and singular forms of the same noun, respectively.

Criteria is the plural form meaning rules or principles used to judge something.

  • The teacher made sure to tell all the students the criteria that he would use to grade their final essays.

Criterion is the singular from meaning a rule or principle used to judge something.

  • Overall, the students understood the criteria for their essays. However, the criterion relating to length, the one which said the essay must be at least 50 pages, was one that most students found excessive.

Now, let’s go over the how to use both the singular and plural form of this noun.

Using Criteria in a Sentence

When to use criteria: Criteria is the plural form of criterion. It refers to the rules or requirements that one will use to judge or rate something.

For example:

  • All contestants must sign a waiver and another form agreeing to the beauty pageant criteria.
  • Each applicant must pay close attention to the criteria for filling out this job application.

The common errors that occur with criteria include using criteria as the singular form, or spelling criteria as criterias. Make sure that you only use ia as the ending for the plural form of this noun. This is the only appropriate ending, and it comes from the word’s Greek and Latin roots.

Using Criterion in a Sentence

When to use criterion: Criterion is the singular form of a noun that means a requirement for something that will be judged or rated.

For example:

  • There are a few criteria for entering this writing contest, but the most important criterion is to follow the prompt.
  • The dance competition will rate each dancer on several criteria. One criterion relates to style: each dancer must show a unique style that demonstrates his or her personality.

One common error that people make with criterion is trying to form the plural by simply adding s. Although adding s is the convention with regular plural nouns, criterion follows the Latin and Greek rules.

Remembering Criteria vs. Criterion

One other noun that follows the ia for plural and ion for singular rule is ganglia / ganglion.

To help you remember that some Latin words use the ia ending for singular words and the ion ending for plural words, you can use the following mnemonic device.

Criterion ends in the letters on, just as the word one starts with the letters on. This can help you remember that criterion means one criterion. Or, in other words, criterion is the singular form.

On the other hand, criteria ends in the letter a, which the word many also contains. This can help you remember that if something has criteria, there are many rules or requirements. Because many is only used for plural things, it can help you remember that criteria is the plural form.

Outside Examples

  • “If you can look at your credit card or debit card transactions and find a charge at a place where you can buy that product and it fits that criteria, then a lot of times that can be submitted as proof,” Hardy said. –USA Today
  • Local leaders across North America are suddenly competing to host the second headquarters of Amazon, one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms. But an analysis by The Washington Post shows that only a few dozen metropolitan areas fit the criteria set out by the technology giant in an announcement Thursday. –Washington Post
  • Another criterion that Amazon puts high on its list: Sustainability. Bringing in Amazon, with its Pacific Northwesty ways, could be a catalyst for Houston to develop in a more resilient fashion — especially in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which tested the city’s infrastructure to its limits. Amazon will probably want to see continued investment in mass transit and a commitment to clean energy that the city hasn’t yet totally demonstrated. –Houston Chronicle
  • If current trends continue through 2050, 14 of the lakes studied would exceed the EPA’s “aquatic life criterion concentration” of 230 milligrams per liter, the study authors predict. Another 47 would have a chloride concentration above 100 milligrams per liter. –Denver Post

Quiz: Criterion vs. Criteria

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either criterion or criteria, in the correct form.

  • There are many important ________________ to follow when becoming a member of the U.S. Navy.
  • When writing a grant proposal, there is never just a single _________________ that the decision makers will consider. Rather, there is a large number of _____________________.
  • Modern educational pedagogy states that teachers should give their students a list of requirements, or _______________, for the students to follow before receiving their grades.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use criteria or criterion? These words share the same meaning but differ in that one is plural and the other singular.

  • Criteria is the plural form, meaning requirements upon which something is judged or rated.
  • Criterion is the singular form, meaning a requirement or rule upon which something is judged.

Don’t let the irregular spelling of the plural form confuse you into making an error.

Quiz Answers

  1. criteria
  2. criterion, criteria
  3. criteria