“Offence” and “offense” are different spellings of the same noun. “Offense” is standard for American English, while British English prefers to use “offence.”
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Alanna Madden
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January 19, 2021
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Grammar Tips
“Offence” and “offense” are different spellings of the same noun. “Offense” is standard for American English, while British English prefers to use “offence.”
The words offence and offense are different spellings of the same noun. The biggest difference between the terms is that “offence” is the preferred spelling for British English, while American English spells the noun as “offense.”
To illustrate, let’s compare the term’s differences in spelling between American and British publications:
The only time British English and American English uses “offense” or “offence” differently is for the topic of sports. In this case, the use of “offense” for sports plays is more common in American English (and esp. American football). For example,
In contrast, British sportswriters use a different arsenal of terms for ‘offensive sports plays.’ For example,
While American and British English spell “offense” and “offence” differently, there is only one standard spelling for “offensive,” the adjective derived from “offense” or “offence.” The same is true of the words “offend” (verb), “offended” (adjective), and “offender” (noun).
The word offense (sometimes spelled as “offence”) is a noun that describes:
Sentence examples include:
The word offense also appears in the informal phrase “no offense,” which means ‘do not be offended’ or ‘no offense intended.’ For example,
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, archaic or obscure definitions of offense include ‘a cause or occasion of sin’ (akin to “stumbling block”) or ‘an act of stumbling.’
[1] Breach, crime, debt, delinquency, error, felony, infraction, infringement, malefaction, malum in se, malum prohibitum, misconduct, misdeed, misdemeanor, misfeasance, misdoing, peccadillo, shortcoming, sin, transgression, trespass, violation, wrongdoing.
[2] Agitation, aggravation, anger, annoyance, antipathy, distress, enmity, indignation, irritation, outrage, peeve, perturbation, pique, resentment, umbrage, vexation, wrath.
[3] Affront, abuse, criticism, dig, diss, epithet, gird, indignity, injustice, insult, jeer, mock, outrage, put-down, sarcasm, shame, slap, slight, slur, sneer, taunt.
[4] Aggression, ambush, assault, attack, attempt, blitzkrieg, charge, coup de main, descent, foray, offensive, onset, onslaught, pillage, raid, rush, sally, siege, sortie, strike, storm.
[1] Innocence, irreproachability, noncrime.
[2] Appeasement, contentment, delight, gratification, happiness, pacification, pleasure, satisfaction.
[3] Acclaim, accolade, applause, commendation, compliment, flattery, praise.
[4] Defense, defensive, guard, opposition, protection, resistance, security, shelter, shield.
The noun offense is a late Middle English term that stems from Old French offens, (‘misdeed’), which originates from Latin offensus for ‘annoyance.’ According to The New Oxford American Dictionary, the terms are reinforced by French offense, which stems from Latin offensa and offendere. Latin offensa means ‘a strike against,’ ‘a hurt,’ or ‘a displeasure,’ while offendere means ‘strike against’ (“Offense” 1217).
If you live in North America (particularly the United States), you likely hear different pronunciations of offense in certain situations. American English pronounces the noun offense as “ah-fence” or “aw-fence” (ŏf’ĕns′) to describe sports plays, such as in the video “Intro to Football: Offensive Plays.”
For all other uses of “offense,” such as describing a crime, insult, or attack, Americans pronounce the noun like any other English speaker: “off-fence” (ə-fĕns). Any variation between American and British pronunciations likely involves a sharper “off” in the first syllable for British English. However, these differences are very subtle and generally sound the same.
If you enjoy learning the differences between American and British English, The Word Counter has your back. Check out our lessons on topics, such as:
Test how well you understand the difference between offence and offense with the following multiple-choice questions.
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