Defence vs Defense | Meaning, Spelling & Examples
Defence and defense are two ways of spelling the same noun, which is used to refer to the legal plea of someone on trial for a crime, to a sports tactic used to prevent the other team from scoring, and to the act of protecting something.
The spelling depends on the type of English you use.
- In British English, “defence” is standard.
- In American English, “defense” is the only correct spelling.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
I was rooting for the defence/defense to stop the opponent from scoring.
Lorelei came to her friend’s defence/defense when he was accused of shoplifting.
In my defence or defense
The same spelling difference applies to the phrase in my defence or in my defense, which is used to excuse something you have done.
- In British English, “in my defence” is standard.
- In American English, “in my defense” is most common.
You can also use the phrase with a different possessive adjective, such as his, her, or their, when you’re justifying something someone else has done.
In his defence/defense, he didn’t know his ex was going to show up to the party.
In their defence/defense, they’ve never played hockey before.
Defensive, defensiveness, and defensible
The spelling difference doesn’t apply to versions of defence or defense whose suffix begins with “i.” In these cases, the American and British versions of the word are both spelled with an “s.”
Examples are:
- Defensive (adjective): Used or intended to protect
- Defensiveness (noun): The trait of being avoidant or unaccepting of criticism
- Defensible (adjective): Justifiable by argument
But the spelling difference does carry over to other related words, such as defenceless/defenseless and defenceman/defenseman.
Hannah’s constant defensiveness in the workplace created a tense and uncooperative atmosphere.
Tom’s actions were controversial, but some considered them morally defensible under the circumstances.
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 defence and defense
- Is it PhD defense or defence?
-
Defence and defense are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
- In American English, “defense” is most common, so it’s “PhD defense.”
- In British English, “defence” is standard, so it’s “PhD defence.”
The same difference applies to similar words, such as offence or offense, licence or license, and pretence or pretense.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
- Is it thesis defense or defence?
-
Defence and defense are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
- In American English, “defense” is most common, so it’s thesis defense.
- In British English, “defence” is standard, so it’s thesis defence.
The same difference applies to similar words, such as offence or offense, licence or license, and pretence or pretense.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
- Is it self-defense or self-defence?
-
Defence and defense are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
- In American English, “defense” is most common, so self-defense is correct.
- In British English, “defence” is standard, so self-defence is correct.
In both cases, also make sure to hyphenate the term.
The same distinction applies to similar words, such as offence or offense, licence or license, and pretence or pretense. It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
