Ionisation or ionization?
ionisation is a noun meaning “Alternative spelling of ionization”; ionization is a noun meaning “Any process that leads to the dissociation of a neutral atom or molecule into…”. Wiktionary gives them as spellings of the same word. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) ionization is about 11 times as common as ionisation.
What is the difference between ionisation and ionization?
| ionisation | ionization | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun |
| Meaning | Alternative spelling of ionization | Any process that leads to the dissociation of a neutral atom or molecule into charged particles ions; the state of being ionized |
| Example | none recorded | none recorded |
| Forms | ionisations | ionizations |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˌaɪənɪˈzeɪʃən/ |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words | 1.1 times per million words |
Sources: ionisation and ionization in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of ionisation and ionization
ionisation
- 1
Alternative spelling of ionization
ionization
- 1
Any process that leads to the dissociation of a neutral atom or molecule into charged particles ions; the state of being ionized
- 2
Alternative form of Ionicization
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, ionisation or ionization?
ionisation appears about once in every 10 million words; ionization 1.1 times per million words.
ionisation about once in every 10 million wordsionization 1.1 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).