# Recognise/Recognize, realise/realize (-ise / -ize)



## Lourdes Luna

Hello everybody,

Which one is the correct? or which one is the most common?
*recognise or recognize
* 
Can I indistinctly use both?

Thanks in advance!

Lulú


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## Outsider

Recognize. --> American spelling, but accepted elsewhere.
Recognise. --> British spelling, used throughout the Commonwealth, but frowned upon in the U.S.


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## Fernita

Outsider said:


> Recognize. --> American spelling, but accepted elsewhere.
> Recognise. --> British spelling, used throughout the Commonwealth, but frowned upon in the U.S.


 
Good point!


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## Lourdes Luna

Outsider said:


> Recognize. --> American spelling, but accepted elsewhere.
> Recognise. --> British spelling, used throughout the Commonwealth, but frowned upon in the U.S.


 
Thank you Outsider

It's very complete your explanation. I already understood.

Saludos


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## Joby91467

I would say if you're writing/speaking to Americans, use "recognize".


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## caballosgirl

Joby91467 said:


> I would say if you're writing/speaking to Americans, use "recognize".



yep, recognize to Americans, recognise to a Brit.  

saludos


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## Bienvenidos

I know that a lot of European countries use the British "recognise". For example, if you view the Spanish embassy's site in English, they spell it "recognise".

 Saludos


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## ksequen

Hi there. I asked the same question about the word "apologize" / "apologise". I found out that both were correct. Brittish English uses -ise endings, while American English uses -ize endings. 

So, which is more common, "recognise" or "recognize" ? It all depends if you're on Europe or in America.


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## geostan

Outsider said:


> Recognize. --> American spelling, but accepted elsewhere.
> Recognise. --> British spelling, used throughout the Commonwealth, but frowned upon in the U.S.



Recognise is not used in Canada. In this case, we do as the Americans. But we do have formal preferences for the British spelling in other situations, e.g. colour as opposed to color.


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## mariente

It must be the same as the case with realise and realize


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## geostan

mariente said:


> It must be the same as the case with realise and realize



Yes. On the other hand, we write advertise, even though advertize is given as an alternative in American dictionaries.


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## PixieLady

If you're learning English use the 'ise' ending as it is considered grammatically correct in English, whereas the American ending is often frowned upon by the English and learners of English.


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## geostan

PixieLady said:


> If you're learning English use the 'ise' ending as it is considered grammatically correct in English, whereas the American ending is often frowned upon by the English and learners of English.



I'm sorry but I don't think that is good advice. It may be frowned upon by the English, but not by all speakers of English. 

As with many other matters, geography plays a role!

Cheers!


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## ksequen

PixieLady said:


> If you're learning English use the 'ise' ending as it is considered grammatically correct in English, whereas the American ending is often frowned upon by the English and learners of English.





geostan said:


> I'm sorry but I don't think that is good advice. It may be frowned upon by the English, but not by all speakers of English.
> 
> As with many other matters, geography plays a role!
> 
> Cheers!



I agree with Geostan. To those who live on this side of the world (America), it is very odd -and "incorrect"- to use the -ise endings. I've been in touch with a group of British lately, and I'm finally getting used to reading this kind of spelling. I even try to write like that 'for them'. But I still like the -ize spelling.

Mods Note
_Comment spam is not welcome in these forums.  Do not post 'come to my site' links._


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## PixieLady

I know, and that I why is put 'often' frowned upon. I didn't genrealise to the extent of all English. Nonetheless, if you are using English English, and not American or Candadian English you should use the 'ise' ending otherwise it will be gramatically incorrect.


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## trevorb

As a matter of fact, the preferred spelling in the Oxford English dictionary (and most other British dictionaries) is -ize, which recognizes it's greek origins. The -ise spelling is a French influence. It is equally correct in British English (and seems to be generally prefered by the media) but it looks like some (British) academics (and presumably other speakers) prefer the older etymology.

However, be aware that some words of genuinely French origin actually require the -ise ending - at least in Britain. You'll have to check you're dictionaries to know which, I'm afraid!


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## trevorb

Wikipedia is good on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-ise#-ise_.2F_-ize

Trevor.


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## Loob

trevorb said:


> Wikipedia is good on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-ise#-ise_.2F_-ize
> 
> Trevor.


 
Very interesting posts, Trevor.  

I always use -_ise; _but have on occasion been criticised by (1) Americans (2) Canadians and (3) Brits for doing so.  No Australian has commented as yet on my spelling, but I watch this space.... 

I still think _-ise _is the "safest" spelling for European Spanish speakers to learn; though learners on the other side of the Atlantic are undoubtedly better advised to use _-ize._

¡Saludos!

Loob


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## Redline2200

I do not think that anyone should criticize anyone for their spelling in the case of the "ise" and "ize" endings. Sure, the latter is more common in the US and the former more common in the UK, but we both know that the other country writes the endings differently.
It's not like anyone would really make a big deal out of it (or maybe better said "It's not like anyone _should _really make a big deal out of it). Neither is correct and neither is incorrect, it is just a simple matter of where you are, and even then, if you use the 'non-standard' one for the country you are in, it's not like the people won't understand you!

_You say "tomato" I say "tomato" let's call the whole thing off!_
(After looking at that written, it appears that little phrase doesn't have the same meaning written as it does spoken haha)

Does anyone know what they use in the land down under?? I would be curious, although I imagine they align themselves with the British.


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## Loob

Well said, brother!

Loob


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## parknmart

I would just like to add, the sound of both is the same but it sounds like the English ''z'' pronunciation.


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## Bienvenidos

Well, realistically speaking, it's better for European learners to learn the British way...since Britain is so close! 

It's odd for me to see it spelled  "recognise," since of course the American English standard "recognize" is not frowned upon at all.


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## Outsider

Bienvenidos said:


> Well, realistically speaking, it's better for European learners to learn the British way...since Britain is so close!


It depends. Spanish and Portuguese spelling, for example, is closer to the American one (_recognize,_ _realizar_). For French speakers, the British spelling may be easier (_recognise,_ _réaliser_).


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## nurifran

Arg!!!! what a mess!!!
What do I write if I am writing a research paper for a German teacher?????? 
I'm very surprised, and a little bitt stressed! In catalan or spanish things are correct or not, but not correct in Barcelona and incorrect in Valencia hahahaa...
sniff...


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## Loob

Well, you could either ask the teacher which (s)he prefers - or simply opt for "recognize".

As far as I know, nobody thinks the "-ize" ending is incorrect - even those of us who don't use it


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## Ynez

If someone has a preference, or they consider one form is better because it is the one generally used in their country, they may pay attention to all this. But as long as both spellings are in dictionaries (and they are) nobody should say one of them is incorrect.

I probably should pay more attention and try to keep a homogeneous use when writing, but the truth is that I never think of all this.  Even if my word processor underlines some z/s word in red, I won't usually change it.


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## ajo fresco

geostan said:


> Yes. On the other hand, we write advertise, even though advertize is given as an alternative in American dictionaries.



Interesting!  We write "advertise" here, too.  In fact, I've never seen "advertize" nor ever been taught that it's an alternative spelling.


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## VivaReggaeton88

ajo fresco said:


> Interesting!  We write "advertise" here, too.  In fact, I've never seen "advertize" nor ever been taught that it's an alternative spelling.



I've never heard of 'advertize' either. Firefox underlines it as wrong though


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## acme_54

I don't know if anyone is still following this thread, but as a UK English speaker I'd like to note that whereas I don't mind using the "z" form in words like "digitalization" or "parametrize", I find that "advertize" or "recognize" stick in my craw, simply because I don't like the look of them. My American friend feels the same way about my "ise/isation" endings so in the end we have to agree to differ. I think the best option is to always write for your target audience.


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## bblightnin

Both the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries list -ize, though Cambridge note that -ise is the usual UK spelling. I have heard that it rather depends on which university you prefer. There is also the Oxford 'and' which allows a comma before it for clarity. Cambridge doesn't recognisze this...


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## dawdaw

nurifran said:


> Arg!!!! what a mess!!!
> What do I write if I am writing a research paper for a German teacher??????
> I'm very surprised, and a little bitt stressed! In catalan or spanish things are correct or not, but not correct in Barcelona and incorrect in Valencia hahahaa...
> sniff...



A little late but just for info: 
- It clearly does not really matter but: *ALWAYS BE CONSISTENT.* Once you use British (American) spelling in whatever way, using the opposite in the same text later-on is actually wrong (or at least really ugly).
-If you really want to do "the right thing", wikipedia helps (thanks for the link, since I'm a new member I am not allowed to post it, the wikipedia page is called "American and British english spelling differences"), direct link available in above posts.


Quoting above page:

-Worldwide, _-ize_ endings prevail in scientific writing and are commonly used by many international organizations ...

-The spelling _-ise_ is more commonly used in UK mass media and newspapers, (...) , _-ize_is used in some British-based academic publications _...

_-American spelling, the _-ize_ spelling is often incorrectly seen in the UK as an Americanism. The dominant British English usage of _-ise_ is preferred by Cambridge University Press. The minority British English usage of _-ize_ is known as Oxford spelling and is used in publications of the Oxford University Press, most notably the _Oxford English Dictionary_.

- ... the _-ise_ form is preferred in Australian English at a ratio of about 3:1 ... .

-The European Union switched from _-ize_ to _-ise_ some years ago in its English language publications ...

So there it is


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## PhilOfPerth

Redline2200 said:


> I do not think that anyone should criticize anyone for their spelling in the case of the "ise" and "ize" endings. Sure, the latter is more common in the US and the former more common in the UK, but we both know that the other country writes the endings differently.
> It's not like anyone would really make a big deal out of it (or maybe better said "It's not like anyone _should _really make a big deal out of it). Neither is correct and neither is incorrect, it is just a simple matter of where you are, and even then, if you use the 'non-standard' one for the country you are in, it's not like the people won't understand you!
> 
> _You say "tomato" I say "tomato" let's call the whole thing off!_
> (After looking at that written, it appears that little phrase doesn't have the same meaning written as it does spoken haha)
> 
> Does anyone know what they use in the land down under?? I would be curious, although I imagine they align themselves with the British.



In Australia, we generally use the English spelling (recognize) but in recent years there has been an increase in the use of American spelling for this and other words, like "color". Some of these changes have come as a result of American (or American-influenced) computer programs (programmes) such as HTML which are written to recognise the word "color" and not "colour" etc.


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## More od Solzi

_Recognize _is Oxford spelling.



> recognize ˈrɛkəgnʌɪz ♫ verb1. Also -ise. lME.


 (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary,  2007)



> *Oxford spelling* (or *Oxford English Dictionary spelling*) is the spelling used by Oxford University Press (OUP), including in its _Oxford English Dictionary_ (OED), and other publishers who are "etymology conscious", according to Merriam-Webster.[1] Oxford spelling is best known for its preference for the suffix _-ize_ rather than _-ise_. Apart from OUP, British dictionary publishers that use it include Cassell, Collins, and Longman.


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## fangirl1903

Redline2200 said:


> I do not think that anyone should criticize anyone for their spelling in the case of the "ise" and "ize" endings. Sure, the latter is more common in the US and the former more common in the UK, but we both know that the other country writes the endings differently.
> It's not like anyone would really make a big deal out of it (or maybe better said "It's not like anyone _should _really make a big deal out of it). Neither is correct and neither is incorrect, it is just a simple matter of where you are, and even then, if you use the 'non-standard' one for the country you are in, it's not like the people won't understand you!
> 
> _You say "tomato" I say "tomato" let's call the whole thing off!_
> (After looking at that written, it appears that little phrase doesn't have the same meaning written as it does spoken haha)
> 
> Does anyone know what they use in the land down under?? I would be curious, although I imagine they align themselves with the British.



As an Australian I can tell you that we have recoginse. If you should ever happen to go to school in Australia, make sure to spell it with an 's' because the teachers get *very*​ angry...


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## donbeto

fangirl1903 said:


> As an Australian I can tell you that we have *recoginse*. If you should ever happen to go to school in Australia, make sure to spell it with an 's' because the teachers get *very*​ angry...



Hi fangirl1903 and welcome.

I knew everything was upside down in Australia, but now backwards too! (Sorry, couldn't help myself).

Very interesting thread, especially that a single letter at the end of relatively few words can generate such a long discussion. But somehow overlooked in all of this I think is that both spellings are pronounced exactly the same, and that pronunciation is "z". The Spanish don't have this sound, the closest would be the "s" in words like desde or mismo.

Anyway, thanks for warning and I'll be sure to stay out of Aussie schools. We Canadians do about half American and half British, and in this case the yanks win. USA! USA!


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## percyporcelain

I find trevorb's comment very interesting because I've read elsewhere that UK English's use of the French-style -ise and -isa in preference to -ize and -iza only dates from World War II - could there be a cultural connection?


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## mnguiri

I learned my Spanish in Spain and barely talk to Spaniards in the U.S. I generally don't change my Spanish unless I think the people I am talking to will not understand what I'm saying. If you haven't chosen what regional accent you prefer, I would choose what you see most often in your classes until you live abroad. Before living in Spain most of my teachers were Latín Americans and so it made sense to do things their way. Once I lived in Spain I became so used to that Spanish that it would sound wrong to say things like Latin Americans do (not because one is better, just one is more familiar to me). If you still are not sure, I feel like most of Europe tends to use British English and most people in the Americas use American or Canadian English variations, so when in Rome... Whatever you choose, just be consistent. I would say that in U.S. colleges, I don't think most professors would look down on seeing British English being used in a paper they are reading if they know that is the variation you use.


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## mexerica feliz

Some words like _capsize _cannot be written with -ise, not even in New Zealand (the ''ise''-exclusive country).


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