# optimise vs optimism

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### optimise
*verb · frequency rank #47,235*
Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of optimize.

### optimism
*noun · IPA /ˈɑptɪmɪzəm/ · frequency rank #11,926*
a tendency to expect the best, or at least, a favourable outcome

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/optimise-vs-optimism