Confusing Words: Alumnus (noun), Alumni (noun), Alumna (noun), and Alumnae (noun).
Meaning:
Alumnus (a graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university.)
Alumni (a graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university. – plural)
Alumna (a female graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university.)
Alumnae (a female graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university. -plural)
Clarification: All of these words refer to graduates with differences of male/female and singular/plural.
Alumnus, Alumni, Alumna and Alumnae – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
English speakers and writers mostly get confused between two words. Today, we have a special case. We are going to face four different words that are close enough to create confusion among writers and speakers. The words are alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae.
I am sure that from the above four words, you have heard the word ‘alumni’ the most. Actually, all of these words are correct to use. Nothing is wrong with any of these words. Alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae are nouns that you can use within sentences. Two of them are plural nouns while rest of the two are singular nouns.
Now, I will let you know the definitions and the usage of these words. I will explain them one by one to give a more clear image. Moreover, you can read how to use these words in AP style.
Meanings and Examples of Alumnus, Alumni, Alumna and Alumnae:
The above confusing words are used to refer people and by people means ‘graduates’.
Alumnus
Alumnus is used to refer a graduate and it should be a male graduate. It is a singular noun. So, it means that this particular word is for a singular male graduate.
Alumnus means a male graduate.
1. My father is a Harvard alumnus.
2. As an alumnus of the school, Mark frequently donates to the scholarship fund.
3. After years of hard work, Sarah now stands as a distinguished alumnus of her law school.
Alumni
Unlike alumnus, alumni is a plural noun. So, it means that it does not refer to a single graduate. Actually, alumni is the plural of alumnus but it can alse be used to refer to a male and female graduate group. At one side, alumnus means a male group of graduates. On the other side, it can also mean a group in which there are male as well as female graduates.
Alumni cannot be used to refer only a group of female graduates.
1. The university organized a reunion for its alumni to celebrate their achievements.
2. Many successful entrepreneurs are alumni of the business school.
3. Alumni from various years attended the charity gala to raise funds for future students.
Alumna
This word is the opposite of alumnus. It is also a singular noun but unlike alumnus, alumna means a female graduate. You cannot use this word for a group or for a male graduate. Alumna is only used to refer a graduate who is, especially, a female.
1. My mother is a Harvard alumna.
2. As an accomplished alumna, she frequently mentors young women in her field.
3. Being an alumna of the school, she feels a deep connection to its ongoing success.
Alumnae
Unlike Alumna, alumnae is a plural noun. Though it is used to refer female but not a single female graduate. As, this word is a plural of alumnae, it means that alumnae means a group of female graduates. It is not like alumni; alumnae is only used for a female group who should be graduates of any institute.
1. The alumnae of the all-women’s college gathered for their 20th reunion this weekend.
2. Several alumnae have become leaders in the tech industry, inspiring current students.
3. A group of alumnae donated funds to renovate the university’s science building.
Do You Get The Difference?
I know it is a bit confusing to remember these words but it is very important to differentiate between these words i.e. alumnus vs. alumni vs. alumna vs. alumnae. Two of them are singular nouns (i.e. alumnus and alumna) whereas, two of them are plural nouns (i.e. alumni and alumnae).
Singular nouns = Alumnus & Alumna
Plural nouns = Alumni & Alumnae
What Did You Learn?
The four words alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae are used to refer graduates. Alumnus is a singular noun that means a male graduate. Alumni is a plural noun which is used to refer a group of male graduates or it can also be used to refer a group consisting of both male and female graduates.
Alumna is a singular noun used to refer a female former student or graduate. Alumnae, on the other hand, is the plural noun of alumna.