Which to use
“authorise” and “authorize” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,329
- “authorise” frequency rank
- #17,545
- “authorize” frequency rank
- 54874
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | authorise | authorize |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of authorize. | To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to. |
Letter map: authorise vs authorize
Shared letters muted; letters that set authorise and authorize apart highlighted. Shared run: 8.
Spelling & dictionary notes on authorise vs authorize
authorise and authorize are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by a single letter - s in “authorise” becomes z in “authorize”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54874, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
authorise is recorded at frequency rank #37,329, classified as averb. authorize is at rank #17,545, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 54874, this pair ranks #137,818 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of authorise vs authorize
Shared letters: aehiortu. Private to "authorise": s. Private to "authorize": z.
"authorise" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCVCV · "authorize" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "authorise" and "authorize" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "authorise" or "authorize" show up more?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "authorise" and "authorize".
- Full dictionary entry for "authorise" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "authorize" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #137,818 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "authorise" and "authorize" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "authorise vs authorized". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #137,818 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.