Offense vs. Offence
“Offense” is the standard US spelling and “offence” is the standard UK spelling for the same noun. The pair is a regional spelling distinction; choose the form required by the variety or house style you are following.
“Offense” is the standard US spelling and “offence” is the standard UK spelling for the same noun.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| US-English spelling of the noun | offense | Use “offense” in US English. |
| UK-English spelling of the same noun | offence | Use “offence” in UK English. |
| material governed by a named style, legal text, team terminology, or quotation | follow the governing source/style | Do not normalize fixed terminology solely by regional preference. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Is this ordinary prose governed by US or UK spelling conventions?
If yes: Use “offense” for US English and “offence” for UK English.
If no: If a quotation, proper name, legal term, or house style specifies a form, preserve that required spelling.
Caveat: This is principally a regional spelling choice. It is not a difference in the noun’s core meaning, and fixed terminology may need to remain unchanged.
Examples
The editor changed offence to offense for the US edition.
The noun uses the US spelling in the US edition.
The UK edition retained offence throughout.
“Offence” is the UK spelling of the same noun.
The quotation kept the original spelling unchanged.
Verbatim material can retain its source spelling regardless of the surrounding variety.
Further guidance
Core difference
“Offense” is the standard US spelling and “offence” 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 pair is a regional spelling distinction; choose the form required by the variety or house style you are following.
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.
- OFFENSE — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · US spelling of “offence”
- OFFENCE — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · UK spelling “offence”; US “offense”