Hypothesises

Hypothesises is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb hypothesise, meaning to propose or put forward a hypothesis or set of hypotheses. In American English, the corresponding form is hypothesizes. The related noun is hypothesis, with the plural hypotheses. The term is mainly used in scientific and analytical writing.

Etymology and variants: hypothesise comes from the Greek hypothesis, meaning a put forward proposition, combined with the English verb suffix -ise (or -ize in American spelling). The noun hypothesis derives from the same root and has the plural form hypotheses. Spelling conventions differ by region: British English generally uses hypothesise and hypothesises for the verb forms, while American English uses hypothesize and hypothesizes. The noun remains hypothesis/hypotheses in both varieties.

Usage and meaning: hypothesise denotes the act of proposing an explanation or tentative proposition that can be tested through observation or experiment. It is a central activity in the scientific method and in critical inquiry. In writing, one might say, for example, “The researchers hypothesise that increased dietary fiber will reduce cholesterol,” or “They hypothesise several alternative explanations.” A hypothesis is a testable statement, whereas a theory is a well-supported framework, and a law describes consistent natural phenomena. The verb form hypothesise is therefore typically used when describing the process of forming testable propositions.

Notes: be mindful of regional spelling differences. Hypothesises is correct in British English as the present tense form of hypothesise; in American English, the equivalent is hypothesizes. The noun form remains hypothesis with the plural hypotheses.