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How to Spell “Judgement”? (Judgement or Judgment?)

Judgment or judgement?


Judgment and judgement are two different spellings of the same word and noun meaning “to form an opinion”, the opinion itself or the “capacity to form opinions”.



Judgement vs. judgment

The spelling varies on whether you’re writing using UK English or US English:


  • UK English spells “judgement” with “e”.


  • US English spells “judgment” without the “e”.


Exceptions: The standard spelling for most contexts (in UK English) is to include the vowel ‘e’. The main exception being its use in legal contexts; e.g., “the court’s judgment“. It’s recommended to stick to the US spelling (without the ‘e’) in legal contexts.



Word forms of judgement/judgment

word classspelling
verbjudge, judges, judging, judged
nounjudgment/judgement
adjectivejudgemental
adverbjudgmentally



UK English vs. US English spelling differences

There are various spelling differences and preferences between US and UK English. A few common patterns include the single or double ‘L’ in certain verbs, or US English’s preference for the standard past tense conjugation (which just adds “-ed”). See the chart below.


UK EnglishUS English
labelled, labelling,
cancelled, cancelling
modelled, modelling
travelled, travelling
labeled, labeling,
canceled, canceling
modeled, modeling
traveled, traveling
burnt, spelt, smeltburned, spelled, smelled



“Judgement”/ “judgment”, used in sentences

Against my better judgment/judgement, I drove with a flat tire.

She showed a lack of judgment/judgement when she gave Mark the job.

It’s not something I can give you rules for; you’ll have to use your judgment/judgement.

He achieved his aim more by luck than judgment/judgement.

The accident was caused by an error of judgment/judgement on the part of the pilot.



“Judgement”/ “judgment”, used in the media

At its root, reinforcement learning is learning from your mistakes in judgment.

—From Singularity Hub

At some point, it becomes a judgment call, which is why jurisdictions’ rules vary so much.

—From FiveThirtyEight

The treatment involves applying electrodes to a spot in the brain called the internal capsule, and works by stimulating connections to the prefrontal cortex to improve cognitive functions such as perception and judgment.

— From Fortune



Judgement, synonyms

  • assessment
  • conclusion
  • belief
  • opinion
  • view
  • analysis
  • ruling
  • finding
  • sentence
  • conclusion



Phrases with judgement

  • Judgement Day
  • The Day of Judgement
  • reserve/hold your judgment
  • value judgement
  • judgement call
  • good/poor/sound judgement
  • against my better judgement



Origin of judgement

From Etymonline:


Mid-13c., jugement, “action of trying at law, trial,” also “capacity for making decisions,” from Old French jugement “legal judgment; diagnosis; the Last Judgment”



Learn more about US English vs. UK English



Sources

  1. Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of judgement.” Online Etymology Dictionary Accessed 13 February, 2024.
  2. Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, judgement.


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