General Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
Realise v realize

At school I was taught to write: realise, orginise, compromise - now I find it: realize, orginize and compromize. My memory's gone wrong, or did something change which I missed?

Re: Realise v realize

The ones with the "z" in them are US spellings, and the ones with the "s" are UK. Which you should use depends on where you are.

Where did you go to school?

Re: Re: Realise v realize

Chris is correct. I would also point out that the BBC uses the Z version though. They use the first version that appears in the Collins Dictionary, and they list it: Organize, Organise.

Therefore, the BBC use organize. Eeek.

Re: Re: Realise v realize

I started primary (11+) school at Escola Britanica in Sao Paulo and finished secondary education at Terra Santa College in Cyprus. As far as I can recall, it was always "realise, orginise," etc.
I did of course speak with the Yankees, but it was rather hard to guess whether they were pronouncing the "z" from a written "z" or a "s".
Thanks for the hint, Chris! I had an irksome feeling that them Yankees had somethin' to do with it, though!

Re: Re: Re: Realise v realize

Hi, GM!
Share your disgust on this side of the line, double EEK!
Thanks for your support, GM!

Re: Re: Re: Realise v realize

No problem!

When you said "...but it was rather hard to guess whether they were pronouncing the "z" from a written "z" or a "s"", it made me think that I should point out that, even though, in the UK, they spell these words with an "s", I'm pretty sure that they, like the Americans, also pronounce them with a /z/ sound.

So I suppose even if you didn't have that problem, it wouldn't have helped you anyway! Oh well!