How do you pronounce it?
Say AL-uh-byes, with the main stress on AL and a z sound at the end. Merriam-Webster gives the singular alibi with a final bye sound and the plural alibis with byes. The word has three syllables.
Where the word comes from
Alibi comes from Latin alibi, meaning elsewhere. That origin explains the legal sense: someone was in another place when the event happened. The broader use for an excuse developed later. Alibis adds the English plural -s to alibi; its final IBIS is a coincidence of spelling, not the source of the word.
How is an alibi different from an excuse?
The legal meaning is specifically about location at the relevant time. A person's account that they were working in another town when a crime occurred could be an alibi. Cornell's Legal Information Institute defines the defense through that claim of being elsewhere.
Everyday usage is broader. Someone might call an explanation for missing a deadline an alibi, using the word to mean an excuse. Oxford lists both meanings. The context tells you whether the speaker means an account of someone's whereabouts or a general attempt to avoid blame.
Why is the plural spelled alibis?
The singular is alibi, and its regular English plural is alibis. Keep the final i and add s. For example: 'The investigators checked two alibis.' The plural needs no apostrophe.
That final s matters in this Connections puzzle. ALIBI ends in IBI, while ALIBIS ends in the complete bird name IBIS. The puzzle uses the letters printed on the tile, including the plural ending.
Why this word appears in Connections
ALIBIS appears in the purple group ENDING IN BIRDS in Connections #1226 on October 19, 2026. Read it as AL + IBIS. The other tiles use the same final-letter pattern: BAL + LOON, ES + CROW, and MO + HAWK. IBIS, LOON, CROW, and HAWK are the bird names that complete the group. The split is a spelling observation, not a syllable division or an etymology. Reading ALIBIS as a crime-related clue is reasonable initially, but the four matching endings establish the shared rule.
Puzzles featuring this word
Frequently asked questions
What does alibis mean?
Alibis is the plural of alibi. It can mean defenses of having been elsewhere when a crime occurred, or excuses in everyday usage.
Is alibis a real word?
Yes. Alibis is the standard English plural of alibi. Keep the final i and add s, with no apostrophe.
Why is ALIBIS in Connections #1226?
ALIBIS ends in IBIS. It joins BALLOON, ESCROW, and MOHAWK, which end in LOON, CROW, and HAWK, in the October 19, 2026 purple group ENDING IN BIRDS.
Does the word alibi come from ibis?
No. Alibi comes from a Latin word meaning elsewhere. IBIS appears at the end of the English plural ALIBIS as a spelling pattern.
Sources & further reading
- Merriam-Webster — alibi
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries — alibi
- Cornell Legal Information Institute — alibi
- Online Etymology Dictionary — alibi
- The New York Times — Connections