Insight or Insights – What is The Plural of “Insight”?

We will often see and hear the terms “insight” and “insights” used, which often poses the question – is “insights” the plural form of “insight”? In this article, we will be explaining the meaning of both of these terms, when to use them, and more.

“Insight” Or “Insights” – What Is The Plural Of “Insight”?

The plural form of “insight” is “insights”. This is because “insight” means to have the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing, with “insights” essentially being the ability to have intuition in regards to multiple people, situations, things, etc.

We can think of “insight” and “insights” as being quite similar to “perspective” and “perspectives”. When we say someone has “perspective”, we are saying that they are able to look at things from a good point of view. If we say someone has many “perspectives”, then we are talking about multiple points of view.

Therefore, we merely need to remember that “insight” is in regards to one specific person or thing, whereas “insights” is in regards to multiple people or things.

When Should I Use “Insight”?

We should use “insight” whenever we are discussing a deep understanding or intuitive feeling about a person or thing. We should only use “insight” in a singular sense – this means to discuss an understanding or feeling towards one person or one thing, as opposed to multiple.

When looking at Cambridge Dictionary, we are able to see that “insight” is defined as the ability to have a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation, or the ability to have such an understanding.

We will now go over some examples that showcase how to appropriately use this term in a sentence:

• Her work shows an abundance of originality and a deep level of insight.
• The documentary offers insight into the Second World War.
• He is a leader with great insight and understanding.
• She offered him insight into how his girlfriend felt.
• The research gave insight into the theory of evolution.
• She needed his insight but was unable to overcome her narrowmindedness.
• It’ll never be perfect, but any insight you can offer will be appreciated.
• With the insight of a genius, he seized the opportunity.
• She may have some insight, why not ask her?
• It’s a short book, but it is full of insight.

When Should I Use “Insights”?

We should use “insights” whenever we are discussing a deep understanding or intuitive feeling about multiple people, things, or situations. We should only use “insights” when we are speaking or writing in a plural sense, as using it in a singular sense would be incorrect.

“Insights” does share the same definition as “insight” – having the ability to have a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation.

 However, since “insights” is plural, we are discussing the understanding of multiple complicated problems or situations.

We will now look over various examples that highlight the use of this term in a sentence:

• That book is filled with fascinating insights into the human mind and body.
• Her report was recognized for her deep insights.
• The survey provides insights in regards to issues within the community.
• The training manual provides insights on how to use different methods.
• Her insights into the relationships of her family members provided assistance.
• The results of the experiment provided valuable insights to the laboratory.
• The session aimed to share the insights of multiple store managers.
• His insights were deemed valuable by his peers.
• The data provided excellent insights on the climate and different crises.
• Customer service reviewed multiple customers’ insights on potential improvements.

Is “Insight” A Countable Or Uncountable Noun?

The term “insight” is considered to be both a countable and an uncountable noun. This is because the singular form of “insight” is uncountable, while the plural form, “insights”, is countable. “Insight”, is the ability to see and understand the truth about a person or situation – which is uncountable.

When we say that we have “insights”, we are expressing the ability to see and understand the truth about multiple people or situations – which is then countable.

Is “Insight” Or “Insights” Used the Most?

When looking at the data provided by Google Ngram Viewer, we are able to see that “insight” is used more commonly than “insights”. However, it is important to recognize that the difference in use between “insight” and “insights” is not very overwhelming or vast.

While “insight” has been used more frequently from the 1800s into the present day, the use of “insights” had begun to tighten the gap around the mid-1900s. In the present day, the difference in use is quite marginal.

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