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" can also be spelt "prize" in American English but not in Oxford English. The verb is different from the noun "prize", which cannot be spelt "prise".
- ^ 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".
