Have you ever wondered whether the plural of referendum is referendums or referenda? Both forms are correct, but Referendums vs Referenda can be confusing because they follow different approaches to forming plurals.
Referendums is the standard English plural of referendum, while referenda is the traditional Latin plural. Both words refer to votes in which people decide directly on a specific question, proposal, or issue.
Examples:
- Several referendums were held to decide important national issues.
- The country has held multiple referenda on constitutional changes.
The confusion is understandable. People often search for referendums vs referenda, referendum plural, plural of referendum, or is referenda correct because English uses both the traditional Latin form and the regular English form. And here’s the kicker: choosing between them often depends on the style, audience, and context you’re writing for.
In this guide, you’ll learn the complete difference between referendums and referenda, their meanings, plural forms, pronunciation, and correct usage. You’ll also discover which form is more common in modern English, when to use each one, and see clear examples of referendums and referenda in sentences.
Referendums vs Referenda: The Quick Answer
The simplest answer is this:
Referendums and referenda are both plural forms of referendum.
Merriam Webster lists referenda and referendums as the two plural forms of referendum. Cambridge does the same and identifies referenda as the formal option.
That means these sentences are both grammatically correct:
- Several referendums were held during the decade.
- Several referenda were held during the decade.
The meaning is essentially the same. Each sentence refers to more than one referendum.
The choice comes down largely to register. Referendums sounds more natural in everyday American English. Referenda can sound more formal, academic, or traditional.
Which Form Should You Use?
For most readers, referendums is the safest choice.
Use it when you’re writing:
- General web content
- News for a broad audience
- Everyday correspondence
- School assignments
- Informal explanations
- General American English
Use referenda when the formal tone fits the context or when a publication, institution, or style guide prefers it.
There’s no need to force referenda into a sentence simply because it looks more sophisticated. A Latin derived plural isn’t automatically a better plural.
What Does Referendum Mean?
A referendum is a vote in which people decide or express their opinion on a particular issue.
The issue might involve:
- A proposed law
- A constitutional change
- Government policy
- Taxes
- Public spending
- Independence
- Local government
- Another significant political or social question
Cambridge defines referendum as a vote in which people in a country or area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question.
Merriam Webster gives a closely related definition. It describes a referendum as the practice of submitting a measure to a popular vote or the vote itself.
For example:
The government held a referendum on the proposed constitutional amendment.
That’s one referendum.
If several such votes take place, you need a plural:
The government held several referendums on constitutional issues.
Or:
The government held several referenda on constitutional issues.
Both sentences work.
Referendum vs. Election
A referendum isn’t simply another word for an election.
In a typical election, voters choose people to represent them. In a referendum, voters usually decide a particular question or proposal.
For example:
- An election might ask voters to choose a mayor.
- A referendum might ask voters to approve a proposed tax.
- An election might determine which legislators take office.
- A referendum might ask whether a constitutional change should be accepted.
The distinction matters because referendum focuses on direct voting on an issue, rather than primarily choosing representatives.
What Does Referendums Mean?
Referendums is the regular English plural of referendum.
It means two or more referendums.
For example:
The state held three referendums on transportation funding.
Here, referendums simply tells the reader that more than one referendum occurred.
The form is especially straightforward because English normally creates plurals by adding -s or -es to nouns.
Consider:
- referendum → referendums
- election → elections
- proposal → proposals
- amendment → amendments
- question → questions
English speakers naturally apply this pattern to referendum, which is why referendums sounds completely ordinary.
Merriam Webster explicitly recognizes referendums as a correct plural.
Examples of Referendums
Here are some natural examples:
- Several referendums were held on local government reform.
- The country has held numerous referendums over the years.
- Two referendums appeared on the ballot that year.
- Voters rejected both referendums.
- The results of the referendums sparked further debate.
- Local referendums can give voters a direct say on specific proposals.
Notice how naturally the word fits ordinary English. There’s nothing informal or grammatically suspect about it.
What Does Referenda Mean?
Referenda is also the plural of referendum.
So:
- referendum = one
- referenda = more than one
Cambridge identifies referenda as the plural of referendum and labels the form formal.
Merriam Webster likewise lists referenda alongside referendums.
For example:
The legislature studied the results of several referenda.
The sentence means the legislature studied the results of several separate referendums.
The main difference is tone. Referenda can feel more formal than referendums, particularly in academic, political, or legal writing.
Examples of Referenda
- The constitution has been amended through several referenda.
- The government organized two referenda on the issue.
- Researchers compared voting patterns across several referenda.
- The results of previous referenda influenced the new proposal.
- The country has used referenda to decide major constitutional questions.
- Political scientists have studied the effects of referenda on public policy.
These sentences aren’t more correct than their referendums versions. They’re simply more formal in tone.
Why Are Both Referendums and Referenda Correct?
The answer lies in the way English handles borrowed words.
Referendum comes from Latin. Merriam Webster traces the English word to New Latin and ultimately to Latin referre, meaning “to refer” or “to bring back.” Its modern political meaning dates to the 19th century, and Merriam Webster gives 1847 as the first known use of referendum in that sense.
Because the word has Latin roots, English inherited a traditional Latin based plural: referenda.
But English doesn’t have to preserve the original plural system of every borrowed word.
Once a foreign word becomes established in English, speakers often reshape it according to ordinary English patterns. That’s exactly what happened with referendums.
Think of it as two roads leading to the same destination:
Latin tradition
referendum → referenda
English plural pattern
referendum → referendums
Both paths became established in English.
Merriam Webster makes the point particularly clearly: both referendums and referenda are correct.
The Latin Connection
The Latin background explains why referenda looks different from most English plurals.
The ending -a appears in a number of Latin and Latin derived plural forms. English has retained some of these forms, especially in formal or academic vocabulary.
You may already know examples such as:
- datum → data
- medium → media
- curriculum → curricula
- memorandum → memoranda
- referendum → referenda
However, this doesn’t mean every English noun ending in -um must take an -a plural.
English has its own rules, and established usage matters more than a simple etymological formula.
That’s why both of these are possible:
- referendums
- referenda
The history explains the variation. It doesn’t make one form right and the other wrong.
Referendums vs Referenda in American English
If your goal is clear, modern American English, referendums is generally the easier choice.
Cambridge’s US English entry for referendum lists referendums and referenda as plurals.
Dictionary.com also lists both forms.
That gives American English writers plenty of room to choose based on context.
When Referendums Works Best
Choose referendums when you want your writing to sound:
- Natural
- Direct
- Modern
- Accessible
- Conversational
- Suitable for a general audience
For example:
Voters rejected two referendums during the election.
There’s nothing unusual about this sentence. Most readers will understand it immediately.
When Referenda Works Best
Choose referenda when the context calls for a more formal register.
It can work especially well in:
- Academic articles
- Political science writing
- Constitutional discussions
- Formal reports
- Legal and institutional writing
- Scholarly analysis
For example:
The study examines voter participation across national referenda.
The sentence has a formal academic tone. Referendums would still be grammatical, but referenda fits comfortably into this register.
Referendums vs Referenda in Formal Writing
Formal writing often creates the impression that the most unusual word must be the most correct word. That’s a trap.
Clarity still matters.
If you’re writing for readers who aren’t specialists, referendums may communicate your meaning more quickly.
If you’re writing for a specialized academic audience, referenda may feel more conventional.
The important thing is to consider your audience and context, not just the word’s Latin ancestry.
A Useful Comparison
| Sentence | Assessment |
| Several referendums were held. | Correct and natural |
| Several referenda were held. | Correct and formal |
| The referendums produced mixed results. | Correct |
| The referenda produced mixed results. | Correct, more formal |
| The referendums was controversial. | Incorrect |
| The referenda was controversial. | Incorrect |
The last two examples reveal something important.
Changing the plural doesn’t change the need for plural subject verb agreement.
Because referendums and referenda both refer to more than one referendum, they take a plural verb:
The referendums were controversial.
The referenda were controversial.
Not:
The referendums was controversial.
And not:
The referenda was controversial.
Referendums vs Referenda: Is There a Difference in Meaning?
In ordinary English, there is no meaningful difference in what the two plural forms refer to.
Both normally mean more than one referendum.
For example:
Several referendums were held across the country.
and:
Several referenda were held across the country.
Both statements can describe the same events.
There is, however, an interesting specialized issue worth knowing about.
Some political science discussions have explored whether referendums and referenda could be used to distinguish different types of multiple votes or propositions. That distinction appears in specialized discussion, but it isn’t a general rule of English.
In other words, don’t assume that:
referendums = multiple votes
and:
referenda = multiple questions
That’s not a universal grammatical distinction.
For normal writing, treat both as plural forms of referendum.
Referendums or Referenda: Which One Should You Use?
The choice becomes easy when you consider your audience.
| Writing situation | Recommended form | Why |
| Everyday American English | referendums | Natural and familiar |
| General audience | referendums | Easy to understand |
| Blog posts | referendums | Straightforward |
| News writing | referendums or referenda | Depends on house style |
| Academic writing | referenda or referendums | Follow the required style |
| Legal writing | referenda or referendums | Follow institutional usage |
| Formal political writing | referenda can fit well | Traditional formal tone |
| Casual conversation | referendums | More natural |
If there’s no style requirement, referendums makes an excellent default for US English.
That doesn’t make referenda inferior. It simply makes referendums the more accessible choice for a broad audience.
Referendums vs Referenda Examples
Seeing the two forms side by side makes the distinction much easier.
Examples With Referendums
Referendums works naturally in general writing:
- The state held several referendums on tax policy.
- Voters rejected both referendums.
- The results of the referendums surprised political analysts.
- Several referendums were scheduled for the same election.
- The country has held national referendums on major constitutional questions.
- Local referendums allow voters to decide certain issues directly.
- The newspaper analyzed the results of recent referendums.
The word doesn’t need special treatment. Add -s, and you have a standard English plural.
Examples With Referenda
Referenda often appears in more formal contexts:
- The constitutional reforms were approved through national referenda.
- Scholars compared the results of several referenda.
- The report examines voter behavior in European referenda.
- Previous referenda influenced the government’s approach to constitutional reform.
- The committee reviewed the legal framework governing referenda.
- The researchers analyzed participation rates across multiple referenda.
- The history of constitutional referenda reveals significant differences in voter turnout.
Again, the meaning doesn’t fundamentally change. The tone does.
Side by Side
| With referendums | With referenda |
| Several referendums were held. | Several referenda were held. |
| Voters rejected the referendums. | Voters rejected the referenda. |
| The results of the referendums mattered. | The results of the referenda mattered. |
| Researchers studied the referendums. | Researchers studied the referenda. |
In each pair, the basic meaning remains the same.
Referendum vs. Referendums
The distinction between referendum and referendums is simple.
Referendum is singular.
The referendum was held in June.
Referendums is plural.
The referendums were held in June.
The verb changes because the subject changes from singular to plural.
| Number | Correct form | Example |
| Singular | referendum | The referendum was successful. |
| Plural | referendums | The referendums were successful. |
This is the easiest plural form for most general writing because it follows the familiar English -s pattern.
Referendum vs. Referenda
The same number distinction applies to referendum and referenda.
Referendum means one.
Referenda means more than one.
Compare:
The referendum was controversial.
The referenda were controversial.
The noun changes from singular to plural, and the verb changes with it.
One small detail can make this confusing: referenda doesn’t look like a typical English plural, but its grammatical function is still straightforward.
It is a plural noun.
That’s the key point.
Is Referenda a Proper English Word?
Yes.
Referenda is an established English plural of referendum. Cambridge explicitly lists it as the plural form and labels it formal.
Merriam Webster also lists referenda as a plural form.
So you don’t need to put quotation marks around it, treat it as a mistake, or replace it automatically with referendums.
For example:
The researchers examined several referenda.
That’s perfectly legitimate English.
The word may sound more formal than referendums, but formality isn’t the same thing as correctness.
Is Referendums a Proper English Word?
Yes.
Referendums is also a fully accepted plural.
Merriam Webster explicitly gives:
plural referenda or referendums
Cambridge likewise lists referendums and referenda.
So the idea that referendums is “wrong because referendum is Latin” doesn’t hold up.
English routinely absorbs words from other languages and gives them English plural forms. Once speakers adopt a borrowed noun into English, regular English morphology can become perfectly normal.
Merriam Webster’s discussion of multiple plural spellings specifically uses referenda and referendums as an example of this phenomenon.
Other Plural Forms Like Referenda
Referendum isn’t the only English word with competing traditional and English style plurals.
Consider these examples:
| Singular | Traditional or classical plural | English style plural |
| referendum | referenda | referendums |
| memorandum | memoranda | memorandums |
| curriculum | curricula | curriculums |
| symposium | symposia | symposiums |
| forum | fora | forums |
However, don’t turn this into a rigid rule.
Not every noun ending in -um behaves in exactly the same way. English has developed individual conventions for individual words.
That’s why it’s better to learn the accepted forms of a word rather than assume that every Latin derived noun must follow one formula.
Why English Allows This Variation
Languages aren’t museums. They change as people use them.
When English speakers encounter a borrowed word, they don’t always preserve every feature of its original language.
Referendum is a good example of this process.
The traditional form referenda remains established, especially in formal contexts. The English plural referendums also became standard.
The result isn’t linguistic chaos. It’s simply variation.
Common Mistakes With Referendums and Referenda
Most mistakes involving these words come from assuming there’s only one acceptable plural.
Treating Referenda as the Only Correct Plural
This is the most common misconception.
Because referenda looks more Latin, some writers assume it must be the only correct form.
It isn’t.
Major dictionaries recognize both forms.
Assuming Referendums Is Incorrect Because the Word Is Latin
This mistake confuses word origin with modern English grammar.
A word can have Latin roots and still develop a regular English plural.
English does this constantly.
The fact that referendum came from Latin doesn’t require modern English speakers to use only the Latin based plural.
Using Referenda Just to Sound More Formal
A formal word isn’t automatically a better word.
If your audience expects plain, modern American English, referendums may be the stronger choice because readers process it effortlessly.
Don’t make readers climb a linguistic hill when the sidewalk works perfectly well.
Switching Between Forms Without a Reason
Both forms are correct, but random switching can make writing feel inconsistent.
For example, a paragraph might say:
Several referendums were held. The referenda produced different results. These referendums attracted considerable attention.
Nothing is grammatically wrong here. Still, the sudden alternation isn’t necessary.
Choose a form that fits your style and use it consistently unless there’s a specific reason to change.
Confusing Referendum With Election
A referendum usually puts a specific issue or proposal directly before voters.
An election usually focuses on choosing candidates or representatives.
They can occur at the same time, but they aren’t the same thing.
A Simple Rule for Remembering the Difference
If you need a quick rule, use this:
One referendum. Two or more referendums or referenda.
Then choose based on style:
General US English → referendums
Formal or traditional writing → referenda
That’s enough for most situations.
You don’t need to memorize an elaborate Latin grammar rule to use these words correctly.
What Dictionaries Say About Referendums and Referenda
The dictionary evidence is unusually clear here.
| Source | Plural forms recognized | Notes |
| Cambridge Dictionary | referendums, referenda | Labels referenda formal |
| Merriam Webster | referenda, referendums | Recognizes both as plurals |
| Dictionary.com | referendums, referenda | Lists both plural forms |
Cambridge’s main referendum entry lists referendums or formal referenda.
Merriam Webster lists referenda or referendums and explains that the word entered English from New Latin.
Dictionary.com also lists both referenda and referendums as plural forms.
So the evidence isn’t based merely on what sounds right. Established dictionaries support both forms.
A Brief History of the Word Referendum
The history of referendum explains some of the confusion surrounding its plural.
Merriam Webster traces the word to New Latin, ultimately connecting it with Latin referre, meaning “to refer.” Its political sense emerged in the 19th century. Merriam Webster records 1847 as the first known English use of referendum in the modern political sense.
The word became associated with the idea of referring a question to voters for a decision.
That history helps explain why referenda exists. It preserves a traditional Latin based plural pattern.
But English usage did what English usage often does: it developed a regular plural as well.
Thus:
Traditional form:
referendum → referenda
Regular English form:
referendum → referendums
Neither development erased the other.
Case Study: Choosing the Right Form for Different Audiences
Imagine that the same basic information needs to appear in three different publications.
General News Article
Voters will decide three referendums during the November election.
This sounds direct and accessible. A general audience can read it without stopping to think about the noun.
Academic Paper
The study compares voter turnout across constitutional referenda.
Here, referenda fits naturally into a more formal academic register.
Everyday Explanation
The country has held several referendums over the past decade.
Again, referendums is the obvious choice for ordinary communication.
None of these examples is more grammatically correct than the others. The audience changes, so the stylistic choice can change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is referendums or referenda correct?
Both are correct. Referendums is the regular English plural, while referenda is the traditional Latin based plural and is often more formal.
What is the plural of referendum?
The plural can be referendums or referenda.
Is referenda more formal than referendums?
Generally, yes. Cambridge specifically labels referenda as formal.
Which is better for American English?
Referendums is usually the easiest default for general American English because it follows the regular English plural pattern.
However, referenda is also correct American English.
Can I use referenda in academic writing?
Yes. In fact, its formal tone can fit naturally into academic and political science writing.
Always follow any specific style guide or publication preference when one exists.
Is referenda a Latin plural?
The form comes from the Latin based history of referendum, and it reflects the traditional plural pattern associated with the word. However, modern English usage recognizes referenda as an English plural as well.
Is referendums grammatically correct?
Yes. Major dictionaries recognize referendums as a correct plural.
Should I use referendums or referenda in a formal document?
Either can work. If the document has a house style, follow it. Otherwise, referenda can suit a formal register, while referendums offers greater familiarity.
What is the singular of referenda?
The singular is referendum.
- One referendum
- Two referenda
What is the difference between referendum and referenda?
Referendum is singular. Referenda is plural.
The referendum was successful.
The referenda were successful.
Can referendums and referenda be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English, yes. Both generally refer to multiple referendums.
The main difference is stylistic rather than semantic.
Final Verdict: Referendums vs Referenda
The debate over Referendums vs Referenda has a much simpler answer than it first appears.
Both are correct.
- Referendum = singular
- Referendums = plural
- Referenda = plural
Referendums follows the regular English plural pattern and is usually the clearest choice for general American English.
Referenda preserves the traditional Latin based plural and often has a more formal or scholarly tone. Cambridge explicitly identifies it as formal, while both Cambridge and Merriam Webster recognize it as a legitimate plural.
The best choice depends on your audience.
If you’re writing for everyday readers, referendums is a safe, natural option. If you’re writing in a formal academic or political context, referenda may fit the register better.
Most importantly, don’t treat one as the “real” plural and the other as a mistake. English has room for both.
One referendum. Several referendums. Several referenda.
That’s the whole story.
