Concensus or Consensus: Which Is Correct?

The only correct spelling is "consensus"; "concensus" with two Cs is a misspelling. "Consensus" refers to a general agreement or widespread acceptance among a group of people regarding a particular issue, decision, or idea. It signifies that the majority of individuals in the group are in harmony or have come to a shared understanding or decision.

For instance, all members of the human resources team in a company can come to a consensus to have a Christmas tree in the lobby for the whole month of December. That means every person on that team agrees that there should be a Christmas tree in the company lobby for the month of December.

"Consensus" is not to be confused with "census," which is a systematic and comprehensive count or survey of a population or a specific group of people within a defined geographic area. Although the two words "consensus" and "census" may look and sound similar, they are distinct terms with different means.

"Consensus" may be confusing to spell because "ce" is pronounced the same as "s," so some may incorrectly think one of the Ss is spelled as "ce." Furthermore, some may think you simply need to add the prefix "con-" in front of the word "census," but note that "consensus" and "census" are distinct words.

Examples

The consensus among the team members was that the project should proceed as planned.
After hours of discussion, they finally reached a consensus on where to go for dinner.
The board of directors couldn't reach a consensus on the budget, leading to delays in the decision-making process.
In a democratic society, laws are often shaped by the consensus of the people.
There was a consensus among scientists that climate change is a pressing global issue.
The family reached a consensus on the vacation destination, choosing a tropical island.
Despite initial disagreements, the committee members eventually found consensus on the best course of action.
The political leaders failed to establish a consensus on the contentious policy proposal.
Achieving consensus in a diverse group can be challenging due to differing opinions and perspectives.
The international community worked together to build a consensus on addressing the humanitarian crisis.

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