Word Confusion: Alumna versus Alumnus

I got confused wondering what the difference was between alumna vs alumnae vs alumnus vs alumni, so I decided it would make a good word confusion . . . but four columns wide?!

Who knew it could settle down to just two?

It was so much simpler when I discovered that alumnae is the plural for alumna, i.e., more than one female graduate for the former and a single female graduate for the latter with the same holding true of alumni, as the plural for more than one male graduate with a single male being an alumnus.

Our male-centric society also allows for a group of male and female graduates to be referred to as alumni as well. Or you can opt for the more informal alum to refer to either/both sex(es).

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Exploring Later . . .

You may also want to explore other gender-based word confusions such as “Blond(e)s & Brunet(te)s“, “Chargé d’affaires vs Chargée d’affaires“, “Cher, Chéri versus Chère, Chérie“, “Fiancé versus Fiancée“, “Frances versus Francis“, “Petit versus Petite“, and/or “Protégé versus Protégée“.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Alumna	Alumnus
—	—
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: alumnae	Noun Plural: alumni (gender neutral for solely men or a mix of men and women)
FEMALE [Mainly US and Canadian] A woman who is a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university A former member of a group, company, or organization	MALE A man who is a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university A former member of a group, company, or organization
Examples:
She was a Harvard alumna. There was a mixture of news about the University and articles by alumnae. She was a Royal Ballet alumna. The Pop Idol alumna revealed a hitherto hidden basso.	He was a Harvard alumnus. There was a mixture of news about the University and articles by alumni. He was a Royal Ballet alumnus. The Pop Idol alumnus revealed a hitherto hidden falsetto.
History of the Word:
Late 19th century from the Latin, a feminine of alumnus.	Mid-17th century from the Latin meaning nursling, pupil, from alere meaning nourish.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Alumna versus Alumnus

Apple Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com: alumna

Lexico.com: alumnus

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

China Lake Honors Record Number of ESDP Graduates, 28 May 2019, by Ron Rodriguez is courtesy of the US Navy, via NAVAIR, <https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/China-Lake-honors-record-number-ESDP-graduates/Mon-06032019-1137>.

Revised as of 17 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie