Center vs Centre | Meaning, Spelling & Examples
The correct spelling of center depends on where your audience is located. In American English, it is spelled center, and in British English, it is centre. This is true whether it is being used as a noun or a verb.
Despite the spelling differences, the meanings are the same.
The university is a center/centre of excellence for music teaching.
The marketing campaign would center/centre on the city rather than the suburbs.
Center or centre
The only difference between center and centre is whether you are using American English spelling or British English. Center/centre is both a noun and a verb.
Center/centre as a noun has a number of meanings, both physical (e.g., “Jules Vernes is famous for writing Journey to the Center/Centre of the Earth”) and figurative (e.g., “Petr knew that Benedetta was simply the center/centre of his universe”).
The play will take place at the new arts center/centre. [building used for activities]
Both parties had drifted from the center/centre. [the middle ground in politics]
Diane had been at the center/centre of local politics for longer than anyone could remember. [the figurative heart of something]
As a verb, it means “place something in the middle” (e.g., “Elise knew it was important to center/centre the drill properly to avoid problems”) or “place at the heart of something” (e.g., “From the outset, the party tried to center/centre their campaign on hope”).
With so much ground to cover, they decided to center/centre the search in the playground.
To help people find the house, Amy was careful to center/centre the map properly.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Some differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or. | Behavior or behaviour Color or colour Favor or favour Flavor or flavour Favorite or favourite Honor or honour Humor or humour Labor or labour Neighbor or neighbour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Center or centre Fiber or fibre Theater or theatre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Analyze or analyse Organization or organisation Realize or realise Recognize or recognise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Burned or burnt Dreamed or dreamt Kneeled or knelt Learned or learnt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt Spilled or spilt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Buses or busses Canceled or cancelled Counselor or counsellor Focused or focussed Labeled or labelled Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling |
| In British English, these same words are often spelled with a double consonant. | ||
| Dropping vs retaining the “e” | In American English, “e” is often dropped when forming a noun from a verb | Acknowledgment or acknowledgement Aging or ageing Judgment or judgement |
| In British English, the “e” is often retained. | ||
| Different verb and noun spellings | In American English, most words have identical verb and noun spellings. | License or licence Practice or practise |
| In British English, some words have different spellings for the verb and noun forms. | ||
| Other spelling differences | There are many other spelling differences between the two English variants. | Airplane or aeroplane Aluminum or aluminium Check or cheque Cozy or cosy Defense or defence Dependent or dependant Enrollment or enrolment Fulfil or fulfill Gray or grey Jewelry or jewellery Karat or carat Mold or mould Offense or offence Pajamas or pyjamas Program or programme Skeptical or sceptical Tire or tyre |
Other interesting articles
If you want to know more about job applications, research, or idioms, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Job applications
Research
Frequently asked questions about center or centre
- Is it exam center or centre?
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In American English, it is exam center, and in British English, it is exam centre. That simply reflects how the word center/centre is spelled in the two different variants of the language. This difference is also seen in word pairs such as theater/theatre and meter/metre.
Center/centre is a noun that refers to the literal or figurative middle of something or, as in the case of “exam centre/centre,” to a building that serves a particular purpose.
As a verb, center/centre means “place or be in the middle or at the heart of something.”
You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you use center or centre correctly.
- Is it data center or data centre?
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In American English, the spelling is data center or datacenter, and in British English, it is data centre. This simply follows how the word center/centre is spelled in the US and UK. This difference is also seen in word pairs such as theater/theatre and meter/metre.
Center/centre is both a noun and a verb, and the spelling remains consistent for those two word classes.
As a noun, center/centre can be a physical place (e.g., “London is a center/centre for dance and the arts”), a description of a mathematical point (e.g., “The center/centre of a circle”), or a figurative place (e.g., “From the day he was born, Hugo has always been at the center/centre of our world”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can ensure you are using the correct American or British English spelling of data center/centre.
