Recognise vs Recognize: Spotting the Difference

Recognise vs Recognize: Spotting the Difference

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Recognise and recognize are two words that mean the same thing. Recognise is mainly used in British English, while recognize is used in American English.

**Recognise** is how people in the United Kingdom write the word. People in Canada and Australia also use this spelling. The ‘s’ is the key difference.

1. **I recognise that voice from somewhere.**
2. **Can you recognise this song?**
3. **I always recognise the sound of my mom’s car.**
4. **It’s easy to recognise him with his bright red hat.**
5. **She can recognise faces very quickly.**

**Recognize** is how people in the United States write the word. Other English-speaking countries also use this spelling. This time it has a ‘z’ instead of an ‘s’.

1. **I recognize my friend’s handwriting.**
2. **Do you recognize this famous actor?**
3. **I always recognize that smell from the bakery.**
4. **It’s hard to recognize her with her new haircut.**
5. **He can always recognize a good movie when he sees one.**

**Trick to Remember the Difference:**
In general, you should use recognise in British English and recognize in American English.

In summary, the difference is a letter – the ‘s’ in recognise in British English and the ‘z’ in recognize in American English.

That’s all you need to know about these words!