Realise vs. Realize – How to Use Each Correctly

/ September 24, 2019/ Usage

What’s the Difference Between Realise and Realize?

Realise and realize are both alternate spellings of the same word.

Realise is a common alternate spelling in British English. It shares the same definition as realize.

• The woman apologized for walking out of the store without paying for the item. She claimed she hadn’t realised it was in her purse.

Realize is the preferred North American English spelling. It means to suddenly know or understand something or to make something reality.

• The man suddenly realized that his car wasn’t broken. Rather, it merely had run out of gas.

Now, let’s go over the history and usage of these two words to use them correctly.

Using Realise in a Sentence

When to use realise: Realise is a verb that means to understand clearly or to make something, such as a hope or dream, a reality. This spelling is common in British English.

For example,

• The man realised he had invented an important cure for a strain of the flu. (first definition)
• The woman celebrated realising her dream of becoming a homeowner. (second definition)

Saying that realise is the preferred British English spelling would be an oversimplification. Indeed, it is a common way of spelling this word, but it is still less common than realize in British English.

The reason behind realise and realize both being common in British English relates to the Greek origins of the word. Many Greek words use the z ending rather than the s ending in their English counterparts, and many recognized British publishers and dictionaries, such as Oxford Dictionary, follow this rule. Also, the z ending was the original ending.

However, because most British English words end with the s ending, many other major publishers choose to use the ise ending. Therefore, British English writers should follow the style guide of their school or business, since both spellings are correct and frequently used.

Using Realize in a Sentence

When to use realize: Realize has the exact same definition and usage as realise. The only difference is the spelling and the fact that this is by far the most common spelling in North American English. This means that American English and Canadian English both use this spelling as their standard.

For example,

• The book’s hero realized that all he had to do to defeat the villain was to fight the forces of evil with love and goodness.
• If you want to realize your goals, you must work towards them regularly and never give up!

Because of the fact that British writers often use realise, many people assume that realize is an invention of American spelling. This is not the case. Americans simply adopted the British spelling of the word at the time of colonization. The word changed from realize to realise in Britain.

Remembering Realise vs. Realize

Although both spellings are correct, it is still important to remember to only use realize when using North American English, since that is the standard spelling there.

To help you remember to do this, you can use the spelling of each form of the word as a mnemonic device.

Think about how to arrange realise and realize alphabetically. Z comes after s in the alphabet, just as North America was colonized by the English after Britain was already established. This can help you remember that the later country uses the later word, alphabetically: realize.

Also, you can recall that despite the fact that British people colonized America, and Britains and Americans used the realize spelling initially, people in Britain began using realise more over time.

Outside Examples

• Other female MPs agreed that parliament’s system needed reform. Rachel Reeves, a Labour MP, said she was shocked to open her payslip and realise that her wages had suddenly been slashed with no warning after her staff asked for permission to sign off letters for her soon after she had given birth. –The Guardian
• The Liberal Democrat leader said they realise the UK does not have a strong hand in the talks and are “worried about the future of the country”. –The Independent
• What the stumble against the Sooners does do is eliminate Ohio State’s margin for error. Maybe it could become the first two-loss team to earn a playoff bid — this would hypothetically happen with a loss to either Penn State or Michigan that doesn’t prevent the Buckeyes from winning a Big Ten title and is coupled by a chaotic year elsewhere. But Ohio State might have to run the table now to realize its national title hopes. –The Washington Post
• RussBus is an organization dedicated to helping homeless people. They realized Houston’s homeless population likely lost all of the few possessions they may have had. –Houston Chronicle

Quiz: Realise vs. Realize

Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the correct word, either realise or realize, in the correct form.

• I never _______________ how handsome you were until I saw you in that tuxedo! (British English)
• The idea of flight was finally ____________ by the Wright brothers. (American English)
• Do you _______________ that you are a genius! (Canadian English)

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use realise or realize? These words are both correct, yet alternate, spellings of the same word.

• Realise is an acceptable spelling in British English, although it is a new spelling, and a less common spelling, than realize.
• Realize is the standard spelling in North American English, meaning American English and Canadian English.

When in doubt, just use the spelling with the z, since that is more common across English in general. However, do try to follow the style guides for your school or place of work.

Answers

• realised or realized (either is correct)
• realized
• realize