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. Five important differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or.
In British English, these same words end in -our. |
Behavior or behaviour Labor or labour Favor or favour Favorite or favourite Color or colour Honor or honour |
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er.
In British English, these same words end in -re. |
Theater or theatre Center or centre Meter or metre Liter or litre Saber or sabre Fiber or fibre |
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize.
In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. |
Realize or realise Recognize or recognise Analyze or analyse Organisation or organization Minimize or minimise Finalize or finalise |
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed.
In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. |
Learned or learnt Burned or burnt Kneeled or knelt Dreamed or dreamt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt |
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant.
In British English, these same words are spelled with a double consonant. |
Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling Canceled or cancelled Labeled or labelled Buses or busses Focused or focussed |
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.
