Offence vs. offense
Offence and offense mean the same thing and refer to a crime or violation; being insulted, or the sports position to score on an opponent.
In the UK, committing a traffic offence can result in points on your license.
His rude comment caused great offense to the audience.
In Britain, police often deal with public order offense.
The defendant was charged with a serious criminal offence in the American court.
The spelling varies on whether you’re writing in UK or US English:
- UK English spells “offence” with a “c”.
- US English spells “offense” with an “s”.
| UK English | US English |
| We were stopped by the police for a traffic offence. | His conduct is an offense to public decency. |
What does offence mean?
Offence (or offense in US English) is a noun that can refer to:
- An illegal act; e.g., “These people have been charged with public order offences“.
- The feeling of being upset or angry at something that somebody has said or done; e.g., “I’m sure he meant no offence when he said that“.
For “offense” vs. “offence,” remember US English uses ‘s’ (like ‘United States’), while UK English uses ‘c’ (like ‘Commonwealth’).
Other words with “-ce”/”-se”
| UK English | US English |
| defence | defense |
| offence | offense |
| licence | license |
Other forms of offence/offense
| noun | offence/offense |
|---|---|
| verb | offend (verb forms: offends, offended, offending) |
| adjective | offended, offensive |
| 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? |
Sources
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of offence.” Online Etymology Dictionary Accessed 13 February, 2024.
- Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, offence.
Work Sheet
According to the post, what is the main difference between “offence” and “offense”?
In which country is “offence” the standard spelling for referring to a crime or violation?
Which spelling is correct when writing in US English?
The word “offence” (or “offense”) is primarily used as what part of speech according to the post?
The study tip for remembering the spelling difference relates US English ‘s’ to “United States”. What word does it relate UK English ‘c’ to?
In the UK, committing a traffic can result in points on your license.
His rude comment caused great to the audience in the US.
The defendant was charged with a serious criminal in the American court.
We were stopped by the police for a traffic (UK context).
His conduct is an to public decency (US context).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does offence/offense mean?
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Offence vs offense spelling rule?
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When to use offence vs offense?
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Tip for offence vs offense spelling?
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Are other forms of offence/offense spelled same?
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Yash, D. "Offence vs. Offense (Explanation & Examples)." Grammarflex, Jun 14, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/offence-vs-offense-explanation-examples/.
