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