Published on
July 1, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
May 1, 2025
Judgment and judgement are two ways of spelling the same noun, which means “opinion,” “the act of forming an opinion,” or “the ability to form an opinion.”
Published on
July 1, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
May 1, 2025
Defence and defense are two ways of spelling the same noun, which is used to refer to the legal plea of someone on trial for a crime, to a sports tactic used to prevent the other team from scoring, and to the act of protecting something.
The spelling depends on the type of English you use.
In British English, “defence” is standard.
In American English, “defense” is the only correct spelling.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Examples: Defence vs defenseCarl was granted a new trial after his defence/defense was deemed incompetent.
I was rooting for the defence/defense to stop the opponent from scoring.
Lorelei came to her friend’s defence/defense when he was accused of shoplifting.
Published on
July 1, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
May 1, 2025
Travelling and traveling are both correct spellings of the present participle and gerund of the verb “travel,” which means “go from one place to another.”
Published on
July 1, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
May 1, 2025
Kneeled and knelt are two ways of spelling the past tense and past participle of the verb “kneel,” which means “to place one or both knees on the ground.” People often kneel to respect or worship an entity, which makes it similar to genuflecting.
In American English, “knelt” and “kneeled” are both used, but “knelt” is preferred.
In British English, “knelt” is standard.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Examples: Kneeled or knelt in a sentenceDamian kneeled/knelt to pick up the wallet that someone dropped.
Published on
July 1, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
May 1, 2025
Smelled and smelt are two ways of spelling the past tense of the verb “smell,” which means “to produce an odor” or “to detect something’s scent.” The spelling depends on the variant of English you use.
In American English, “smelled” is standard.
In British English, “smelled” and “smelt” are both used.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Examples: Smelled or smelt in a sentenceThe books I found in the attic smelled/smelt musty.
The burned food smelled/smelt so bad!
The dog smelled/smelt something interesting and ran off into the woods.
Published on
July 1, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
May 1, 2025
Offence and offense are two ways of spelling the same noun, which refers to a sports tactic aiming to score on the opponent, a breach of rule or illegal act, or a state of resentment due to a perceived insult.
The spelling depends on the type of English you use:
In British English, “offence” is standard.
In American English, “offense” is most common.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Examples: Offence vs offenseThe offence/offense of the losing team just wasn’t good enough.
Committing a criminal offence/offense can result in various penalties.
Despite his good intentions, I took offence/offense to his comment.
Published on
July 1, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
May 1, 2025
Realise and realize are two ways of spelling the same verb, which means “become aware of” or “make (something) happen.” The spelling depends on the type of English you use.
In British English, both “realise” and “realize” are acceptable. Oxford style requires “realize.”
In American English, “realize” is the only correct spelling.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Examples: Realise or realize in a sentenceLeo didn’t realise/realize the value of time management until he missed a deadline.
After two months, Logan started to realise/realize how much he loved his girlfriend.
Debbie went to Scotland to realise/realize her dream of petting a Highland cow.
Published on
June 29, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
July 29, 2025
Former is used to refer to the first item mentioned in a list of two or more things, and latter is used to refer to the last item in a list. This way, repetition can be avoided.
Former refers back to the first thing or person in a previously mentioned list. It can also be used to refer to a past state or to mean “previous” (e.g., “my former coworker”).
Latter refers back to the last thing or person in a previously mentioned list. It can also refer to a later time or period (e.g., “the latter half of this life”).
Examples: Former in a sentence
Examples: Latter in a sentence
I could choose between a free bag or belt, but I chose the former.
Samsung and Apple are both nice brands, but the latter is much more popular.
My former girlfriend is now competing on The Voice!
We will focus on paid marketing in thelatter half of the year.
You can remember the difference between “former” and “latter” by looking at the letters they start with. “Former” and “first” both start with “f,” and “latter” and “last” both start with “l.”
Published on
June 28, 2024
by
Julia Merkus, MA
Revised on
February 19, 2025
Flier and flyer are two versions of the same noun that refers to a leaflet or to a person or thing that flies. They are often used interchangeably, but there is a common distinction:
Flier is generally used to describe someone or something that flies.
Flyer is generally used to describe a brochure or advertising leaflet.
However, different style guides give different opinions on the matter. If you’re not following a specific style guide, use “flyer” for a leaflet and “flyer” or “flier” for someone or something that flies.
Examples: Flier in a sentence
Examples: Flyer in a sentence
Rogan saves frequent flier miles because of his business trips.
The flyer advertised a neighborhood block party this weekend.
The superhero soared through the sky like a fearless flier.
She handed out flyers promoting her art exhibition at the local gallery.
The dragonfly is an agile flier.
A colorfulflyer announced the upcoming school fundraiser.
