Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Spelling/Words ending with "-ise" or "-ize"
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This sub-page of Wikipedia:Manual of Style (spelling) is intended to be an extensive list of English-language words ending with the suffixes "-ise" or "-ize".
Words ending with "-ise" or "-ize"
[edit]The following is a list of common words sometimes ending with "-ise" (en-GB) especially in the UK popular press and "-ize" in American English (en-US) and Oxford spelling (en-GB-oxendict; formerly en-GB-oed) as used by the British Oxford English Dictionary, which uses the "-ize" ending for most of the same words as American English. Commonwealth countries follow British English, except Canada which follows American English spellings more closely.
| en-GB | en-GB-oxendict | en-US |
|---|---|---|
| agonise | agonize | agonize |
| alphabetise | alphabetize | alphabetize |
| apologise | apologize | apologize |
| authorise | authorize | authorize |
| bastardise | bastardize | bastardize |
| capitalise | capitalize | capitalize |
| carbonise | carbonize | carbonize |
| categorise | categorize | categorize |
| characterise | characterize | characterize |
| civilise | civilize | civilize |
| colonise | colonize | colonize |
| colorise, colourise | colorize, colourize | colorize |
| computerise | computerize | computerize |
| criticise | criticize | criticize |
| customise | customize | customize |
| demonise | demonize | demonize |
| dramatise | dramatize | dramatize |
| empathise | empathize | empathize |
| emphasise | emphasize | emphasize |
| energise | energize | energize |
| equalise | equalize | equalize |
| finalise | finalize | finalize |
| fossilise | fossilize | fossilize |
| generalise | generalize | generalize |
| globalise | globalize | globalize |
| harmonise | harmonize | harmonize |
| homogenise | homogenize | homogenize |
| hospitalise | hospitalize | hospitalize |
| hypnotise | hypnotize | hypnotize |
| imperialise | imperialize | imperialize |
| institutionalise | institutionalize | institutionalize |
| legalise | legalise | legalize |
| localise | localize | localize |
| materialise | materialize | materialize |
| maximise | maximize | maximize |
| mechanise | mechanize | mechanize |
| memorise | memorize | memorize |
| minimise | minimize | minimize |
| modernise | modernize | modernize |
| normalise | normalize | normalize |
| optimise | optimize | optimize |
| organise | organize | organize |
| oxidise | oxidize | oxidize |
| pasteurise | pasteurize | pasteurize |
| patronise | patronize | patronize |
| personalise | personalize | personalize |
| philosophise | philosophize | philosophize |
| polarise | polarize | polarize |
| popularise | popularize | popularize |
| pressurise | pressurize | pressurize |
| prioritise | prioritize | prioritize |
| prise[1] | prise[1] | prize/prise[1] |
| privatise | privatize | privatize |
| publicise | publicize | publicize |
| realise | realize | realize |
| recognise | recognize | recognize |
| regularise | regularize | regularize |
| revolutionise | revolutionize | revolutionize |
| sanitise | sanitize | sanitize |
| scrutinise | scrutinize | scrutinize |
| sensitise | sensitize | sensitize |
| socialise | socialize | socialize |
| specialise | specialize | specialize |
| stabilise | stabilize | stabilize |
| standardise | standardize | standardize |
| sterilise | sterilize | sterilize |
| summarise | summarize | summarize |
| synchronise | synchronize | synchronize |
| symbolise | symbolize | symbolize |
| sympathise | sympathize | sympathize |
| synthesise | synthesize | synthesize |
| tantalise | tantalize | tantalize |
| tenderise | tenderize | tenderize |
| terrorise | terrorize | terrorize |
| theorise | theorize | theorize |
| theorise | theorize | theorize |
| utilise | utilize | utilize |
| vandalise | vandalize | vandalize |
| virtualise | virtualize | virtualize |
| visualise | visualize | visualize |
| vocalise | vocalize | vocalize |
Words always ending with "-ize"
[edit]The following words end with "-ize" in every variety of English:
- assize
- Belize
- capsize
- maize
- prize[1]
- seize
- size
Words always ending with "-ise"
[edit]The following words end with "-ise" in every variety of English:
- advertise
- advise
- anise[2]
- anticlockwise[3]
- appraise
- apprise
- arise
- chastise
- circumcise
- clockwise
- comprise
- compromise
- concise
- counterclockwise[3]
- demise
- despise
- devise
- disguise
- enterprise
- excise
- exercise
- expertise
- franchise
- imprecise
- improvise
- incise
- likewise
- merchandise
- otherwise
- paradise
- practise[4]
- praise
- precise
- premise
- promise
- revise
- rise
- supervise
- surmise
- surprise
- televise
- wise
The suffix "-wise" is never spelt "-wize", as in "spelling-wise, everything is good".
- ^ a b c d The verb "prise", meaning to lever, is usually spelt "prize" in American English but not in British (or Oxford) English. The verb "prize", meaning to value, cannot be spelt "prise", nor can the noun or adjective "prize".
- ^ The American English word "anise" is "aniseed" in British English.
- ^ a b The opposite of clockwise is anticlockwise in British English and counterclockwise in American English
- ^ The verb "practise" is spelt "practice" in American English but not in Oxford English. In all varieties of English, the noun is "practice".