Acknowledgement vs Acknowledgment | Spelling & Examples
The noun that derives from the verb “acknowledge” is spelled differently in British English and American English. The spelling is almost identical; the only difference is what happens to the final “e” in “acknowledge.” The pronunciation and meaning remain the same.
British English keeps the “e” and uses acknowledgement, while American English drops the final “e” and uses acknowledgment.
Jenny’s first rule of management was to make sure her colleagues received due acknowledgement/acknowledgment for their hard work.
Along with the email came an acknowledgement/acknowledgment of receipt of my payment.
Acknowledgement vs Acknowledgment
It isn’t always easy to remember what spellings are used in British and American English.
Some people like to use the rule of thumb that, in general, American English uses fewer letters (e.g., honour/honor, colour/color, traveller/traveler). It’s probably not 100 percent accurate, but it’s a good starting point. And it is true of acknowledgement and acknowledgment, where the British English has the extra “e”.
The most obvious similar pair of words is judgement/judgment, but beware of specific uses of “judgment” in the UK legal system.
The most important thing is to follow the style guide of your academic institution, and if there is none, to remain consistent.
- Serena was accorded the honor of receiving a public acknowledgement of her work at the conference.
- Serena was accorded the honour of receiving a public acknowledgement of her work at the conference.
- The elderly gentleman sat down without any acknowledgement of his fellow travelers.
- The elderly gentleman sat down without any acknowledgment of his fellow travelers.
Frequently asked questions about acknowledgement vs acknowledgment
- What does acknowledgement mean?
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Acknowledgement is a noun that means “recognition” (e.g., “Phil’s bonus was in acknowledgement/recognition of his successful campaign”).
Acknowledgement is spelled differently in British English (acknowledgement) and American English (acknowledgment).
If you are following a style guide, then make sure you use the correct form. If you are not following a guide, then the important thing is to be consistent in your use of British or American spellings.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you maintain consistent spelling in your writing.
