'Congratulation' or 'Congratulations': What's the Difference?

You’ve probably seen this word in your everyday life, but is it ‘congratulation’ or ‘congratulations’? And what’s the difference between the two? We’ll go over that, plus teach you how to use both in a sentence correctly.

In short, the difference is:

• ‘Congratulation’ is a noun and refers to the sentiment itself.
• The plural of ‘congratulation’ is ‘congratulations.’

You might not see the singular version too often, but you’ll likely see ‘congratulations,’ as it’s the only correct way to express this term verbally when congratulating someone.

Is It ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Congradulations’?

Another thing some people seem to do is spell the word the way it sounds. We don’t pronounce the ‘t’ hard, and as a result, it sounds more like a ‘d.’

That could be the reason so many people think it has a ‘d’ in it.

But the truth is, the only correct way to spell the word is with the ‘t.’

In the movie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Ben turns to Andy in one of the final scenes in the movie after finding out she was using him for a magazine article with the same name as the movie and says:

"You wanted to lose a guy in 10 days? Congratulations. You just lost him."

‘Congratulation’ vs. ‘Congratulations’ – What’s the Difference?

Now, let’s take a closer look at what the difference is between these words.

• Without the ‘s,’ the word is in its singular form.

When something meaningful or important happens to someone, you’ll likely say:

“Congratulations!”

You wouldn’t tell them, ‘Congratulation.’

However, you might say that you gave someone a ‘congratulation.’

Definition and Meaning of ‘Congratulation’ and ‘Congratulation’

According to Merriam-Webster:

• ‘Congratulation’ is a congratulatory expression or the act of congratulating.
• ‘Congratulations’ as having the same definition.

The words mean very similar things. The only difference is the way they’re used.

Pronunciation: How to Pronounce ‘Congratulations’

Are you wondering how to pronounce this word correctly? Here’s a short guide.

• To pronounce these words correctly here’s the phonetic spelling: kuhn-GRACH-uu-LAY-shuhns

How to Use ‘Congratulation’ and ‘Congratulations’ in a Sentence

Now that we’ve got the definition and pronunciation out of the way let’s see some examples of how to use the words in a sentence correctly.

• Congratulations! You’ve won the Writer’s Digest annual award.
• Since I didn’t win this fair and square, please don’t say congratulations to me.
• I think congratulations are in order for Charles for winning that businessman of the year award last week.
• Couldn’t you have said ‘congratulations’ a little quieter? You’re going to wake up the baby.
• I didn’t think to say congratulations to my little sister after doing so well at her ballet recital.
• Damn, congratulations! You killed it out there on that field. You’re a real superstar.

Concluding Thoughts on ‘Congratulation’ and ‘Congratulations’

 To recap, we learned that:

• The singular form of the word is a noun and refers to the sentiment itself.
• The plural of ‘congratulation’ is ‘congratulations.’

You might not see the singular version too often, but you’ll likely see the plural version, as it’s the only correct way to express this term verbally when congratulating someone.

If you ever get stuck on anything, don’t be afraid to come back to revisit what you learned. We’ve got a ton of content on confusing words and phrases you might see in the English language while you’re learning. Feel free to check it out anytime.