Which to use
“criticise” and “criticize” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,337
- “criticise” frequency rank
- #12,396
- “criticize” frequency rank
- 34733
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | criticise | criticize |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of criticize. | To find fault (with something). |
Letter map: criticise vs criticize
Shared letters muted; letters that set criticise and criticize apart highlighted. Shared run: 8. criticise and criticize follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Spelling & dictionary notes on criticise vs criticize
criticise and criticize 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 “criticise” becomes z in “criticize”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
criticise is recorded at frequency rank #22,337, classified as averb. criticize is at rank #12,396, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈkɹɪtɪsaɪz/.
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 34733, this pair ranks #318,180 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of criticise vs criticize
Shared letters: ceirt. Private to "criticise": s. Private to "criticize": z.
"criticise" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV · "criticize" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "criticise" and "criticize" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "criticise" or "criticize"?
After this comparison
Pair "criticise" vs "criticize" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "criticise" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "criticize" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #318,180 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "criticise" and "criticize" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "criticise vs criticism". 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 #318,180 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.