Concensus or Consensus? Which is correct?

Concensus or Consensus? Which is correct?

Vocabulary / By

Consensus is the correct spelling of the word that means a general agreement.  Concensus is incorrect and should not be used in English.

Concensus

Concensus is a common misspelling of consensus. People probably make this mistake because of the word “census” which is an unrelated word that means to count the population.

Consensus

“Consensus” means to reach an agreement among a group of people. A “consensus” is usually not very specific and is used when exact numbers of votes are not necessary.

There seemed to be a consensus among the group that we should keep going.

A consensus has been reached that all students must wear a uniform. 

What does it mean to reach a consensus?

“To reach a consensus” is a common collocation in English. A collocation is when certain words are often used together like “to fly a kite”.

“To reach a consensus” means that there is a general agreement after a discussion within the group. 

The teachers reached a consensus to go on strike. 

Consensus vs majority

“Consensus” and “majority” have very similar meanings. The main difference is that a “majority” is usually used when a formal vote(like an election) takes place. A “consensus” is less formal and specific. 

Conor
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