Is ize acceptable in British English?

Is ize acceptable in British English?

In British English either ending, -ise or -ize, is acceptable. It is simply a matter of preference or referring to a house style. The Oxford Style Guide prefers -ize spellings while many other universities prefer -ise spellings.

Why do Americans spell realize with AZ?

Our lexicographical forefather, Noah Webster, was a great believer in spelling reform, and was in a powerful position to make that reform a reality. Among his many contributions to distinctly American spelling was his insistence that words like realize have a “z” to match their \z\ .

Does Britain use S or Z?

The Oxford English Dictionary, preferred in UK, prefers ‘s’. The Cambridge English Dictionary, preferred in the US, prefers ‘z’. Note these are both UK University institutions.

Is American or British spelling better?

In the main, British English and American English are very similar, even with differences in spelling. In today’s world, American spelling is probably winning thanks to Microsoft’s spell checker. There are vocabulary differences and some can cause embarrassing situations if you only know one flavour.

Is American defense British?

It’s important that you keep your audience in mind when using defense vs. defence. Defence (spelled with a “c”) should be used in British English. Defense (spelled with an “s”) should be used in American English.

Is ize American spelling?

The –ise suffix comes from French, –ize from the earlier Greek. Popular lore says simplistically that -ize is American and -ise British. American English does mandate -ize, but it’s also standard in British usage and is the default for some publishers, including Macmillan and Oxford.

What is the difference between -Ise and -ize in British spelling?

British spelling mostly uses -ise, while -ize is sometimes used (organise/organize, realise/realize, recognise/recognize): the ratio between -ise and -ize stood at 3:2 in the British National Corpus up to 2002.

Why is the letter Z being removed from the English alphabet?

After carefully considering and debating the matter for over two years, the ELCC came to the conclusion that the letter “Z” should be removed from the English alphabet. The main objective of this change is to simplify the phonetic aspect of the language, and to unify the American and British spellings.

When to use the suffix ize in English?

The suffix ize should be used for verbs that connote transformation; when something is turned into something else or grows or becomes something. Usually, you can recognise the form whenever there is a simpler version of the word that pre-exists.

Is it OK to start a word with “Z”?

It depends on the word. According to the ELCC, words that started with a “z” will now start with an “x”. Examples include: Words that featured a “z” with the “s” sound, on the other hand, will now be officially written with the “s” (i.e., unifying the American and British spelling).