Recognise or Recognize | Meaning, Explanation & Examples
The verb recognize/recognise has two spellings. Which one is correct depends on where your audience is located.
In American English, the correct spelling is recognize. In British English, it is usually spelled recognise, but recognize is not incorrect (see the Note below for more details).
Good management involves making sure you recognise/recognize your colleagues’ successes.
Doctors are trained to recognise/recognize the early signs of many diseases.
Recognise or recognize
Recognize/recognise is a verb that means “identify someone or something previously encountered” (e.g., “It only took the first few bars for Miki to recognize/recognise the song”) or “acknowledge” (e.g., “It felt good to see my boss recognize/recognise my efforts). It is a regular verb and forms the simple past tense and past participle by adding “-d” to the infinitive (e.g., “I was glad no one recognized/recognised me at the hospital”).
Generally speaking, use recognize when using American English and recognise when using British English.
If you can recognise/recognize the first signs of trouble, you can act to prevent it.
Clementine wasn’t sure what dress she wanted, but she knew she would recognise/recognize it when she saw it.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Noah Webster, the first great American lexicographer, wanted to introduce distinctive American spellings, and he wanted them to reflect pronunciation and etymology more than the standard spellings of the time.
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 |
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Frequently asked questions about recognise or recognize
- Is recognise a word?
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Recognise is the more common British English spelling of recognize. It is considered incorrect in American English.
Most words that end in “-ize” are more usually spelled “-ise” in British English, although the Oxford University Press and Oxford English Dictionary prefer “-ize.”
Whichever way you spell it, recognise/recognize is a regular verb that means “identify something or someone that is already known” (e.g., “Hai wasn’t sure his teacher would recognise/recognize him after so long”) or “acknowledge someone’s efforts or achievements” (e.g., “The award was given every year to recognise/recognize the most community-minded student”).
You can select the regional variation in the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you have the correct spelling of recognise or recognize.
- What is the UK spelling of recognize?
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In the UK, the more common spelling is recognise, although recognize is also correct.
In American English, only recognize is correct. In British English, it can be spelled either way, but make sure you choose one or the other and stick with it.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker lets you select American English or British English, so you can ensure that you have the correct regional spelling of recognise or recognize.
