“Defense” is the standard US spelling and “defence” is the standard UK spelling for the same noun. The difference is regional spelling rather than a difference in the underlying noun meaning.
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
“Defense” is the standard US spelling and “defence” is the standard UK spelling for the same noun.
Key details
Confusion Familyregional-spelling
Noun Variant ScopeThe difference is regional spelling rather than a difference in the underlying noun meaning.
Rule Familyregional-orthography
Termsdefense, defence
Further guidance
Core difference
“Defense” is the standard US spelling and “defence” is the standard UK spelling for the same noun.
Fast Test
Choose the form that matches the intended meaning, grammatical role, and documented regional convention; do not treat a standard regional variant as an error.
Variant Boundary
The difference is regional spelling rather than a difference in the underlying noun meaning.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“Aging” and “ageing” are established regional spellings. Cambridge labels aging as US and ageing as UK, so the choice should follow the intended variety or house style.
“Analyze” is the standard US spelling and “analyse” is the standard UK spelling of the same verb. The distinction is regional spelling; use the form that matches the target variety or editorial style.
“Behavior” is the US spelling and “behaviour” is the UK spelling. Use the form consistent with the regional variety or editorial style of the document.
Both “canceled” and “cancelled” are standard past-tense spellings of “cancel”; US English usually uses one l, while UK English normally uses two. Cambridge records the -ll- forms and notes that US English usually uses -l-, so the difference should be presented as a regional preference rather than a correctness split.
