Tech Plurals: Data and Datum

This conversation is on irregular plurals in tech.

The Scenario: Reviewing the “Analytics Dashboard” PR

Maya: Hey Leo, do you have a sec? I’m looking at the feedback on my pull request. You mentioned my variable naming for the data distribution was “mathematically inconsistent.”

Leo: Ah, right! It’s a small thing, but precision matters. You named the array variable_datum. Since it’s a collection, it should be data.

Maya: I thought data could be singular in tech? Like “the data is loading.”

Leo: In common usage, sure. But in a strictly technical or academic context, datum is the singular, and data is the plural. If you’re referring to a single point, use datum. However, since you’re dealing with multiple indices—wait, did you write indexes in the comments?

Maya: I did. Is that wrong?

Leo: Not “wrong,” but indices is preferred in engineering. It follows the Latin root, similar to how the plural of matrix is matrices, not matrixes.

Maya: Got it. Indices and matrices. That feels more “senior dev” anyway. What about the user segment logic? I used the word criteria as a singular variable.

Leo: That’s a common trap. Criteria is plural. The singular is criterion.

Quick Tip: > * “The only criterion for this function is speed.”

“These three criteria must be met.”

Maya: Sighs. English is such a patchwork. I also have a list of “analysis” for the logs. Should that be analyses?

Leo: Exactly. Pronounced an-al-uh-seez. It follows the same rule as basis becoming bases and hypothesis becoming hypotheses.

Maya: Okay, so I’ll update the documentation. I’ll say: “We performed several analyses on the spectra of the signal data.”

Leo: Perfect. Wait, spectra?

Maya: Yeah, plural of spectrum! See? I’m learning. By the way, I noticed someone else wrote “a new phenomena” in the README.

Leo: (Wincing) Oof. Yeah, that needs a fix. Phenomenon is the singular; phenomena is the plural. It’s like automaton and automata.

Maya: One last thing—I’m grouped under “Staff” in the database. Is “staff” plural or singular?

Leo: It’s a collective noun. You can treat it as singular if you view the group as one unit (“The staff is great”), or plural if you mean the individuals (“The staff are all getting bonuses”). In tech, we usually stick to singular for the entity.

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Key Takeaways for Advanced Learners

Singular	Plural	Context
Criterion	Criteria	Requirements or standards.
Datum	Data	Points of information.
Index	Indices (or Indexes)	Database pointers or array positions.
Matrix	Matrices	Multi-dimensional arrays.
Phenomenon	Phenomena	Observed events or bugs.
Analysis	Analyses	Detailed examinations.

Maya: Thanks, Leo. I’ll go refactor these variables. My hypotheses about English being easy were clearly wrong.

Leo: Don’t worry. Even the automata we build struggle with these rules sometimes!

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