English is known for its seemingly minute discrepancies that nonetheless provoke significant confusion. One such instance is the variance between “defence” and “defense.” We dedicate this article to discern the intricacies of these two spellings and understand their correct contexts of use.
When to use “defence” or “defense”
Technically, both spellings are correct and mean the same thing. If you’ve been keeping up with your regularly scheduled articles here on Grammarflex, then you’re likely to catch on by now: the common denominator is whether you’re writing in American English or British English.
The defence of the castle was impenetrable.
The team’s defense was their strongest asset.
The defence strategy was a complete failure in the US.
The company’s defense against the lawsuit was weak in the UK.
The difference between defence and defense is the spelling preferences and conventions of British English and American English:
- Defence ending in “-ce” is the UK English spelling.
- Defense ending in “-se” uses US English spelling.
What does “defense” mean?
Both are correct spellings of the word meaning, “protection against attack”, or “something that provides protection against attack from enemies, the weather, illness, etc.” The difference, as you may guess (if you’ve been keeping up with your grammarflex posts), has to do with where either spelling is appropriate from a geographical standpoint.
Originating from Latin via Old French, the word “defence” evolved through time, and appears in expressions like “national defence” or “self-defence”, “defense attorney” or “defense mechanism”.
Associate “defence” with the extra “e” as representing British English, while “defense” is the simpler US spelling.
Other “-ce”/”-se” words
Other words that share the “-ce” / “-se” suffix follow the same spelling convention based on US English and UK English:
| UK English | US English |
| defence | defense |
| offence | offense |
| licence | license |
Other forms of defence/defense
| noun | defence/defense |
|---|---|
| verb | defend (verb forms: defends, defended, defending) |
| adjective | defenceless (or defenseless), defensive |
| Commonly misused words | UK English vs. US English |
| former vs. latter | burned or burnt? |
| bear with vs. bare with | color or colour? |
| breathe or breath | favorite vs. favourite |
| compliment vs. complement | smelled or smelt? |
| effect vs. affect | gray or grey? |
| elude or allude | favor vs. favour |
| it’s or its | analyze or analyse? |
Worksheet
According to the post, which spelling is preferred in British English?
The post states that the spelling ending in “-se” is typically used in which country’s English?
Which example from the post shows an incorrect usage of the spelling in the given region?
If you are writing in American English, which spelling should you generally use for “defense” or “defence”?
Based on the list of other words provided, which spelling of “license” is used in UK English?
The football team focused heavily on improving its for the next game (US English).
Learning martial arts can be a good form of self- (UK English).
You need a valid driving to drive on the roads in the UK (UK English).
The lawyer specializing in criminal prepared for the trial (US English).
The country’s national budget was increased this year (UK English).
FAQs
Is “defence” or “defense” the correct spelling?
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What is the difference between defence and defense?
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Provide a US English example for defense.
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Provide a UK English example for defence.
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Are there other words like defence/defense?
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- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of defend.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/defend. Accessed 11 February, 2024.
- Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, defence.
Yash, D. "Defence or Defense, Which is the Right Word?." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/defence-or-defense-which-spelling-is-correct/.
