Should I use 'offence' or 'offense'?

Both ‘offence’ and ‘offense’ are correct and have the same meaning. The spelling ‘offense’ should be used in American publications, while ‘offence’ is better suited for publications in other English-speaking regions. The Cambridge Dictionary

Use of ‘offence’ and ‘offense’ in American English

This Ngram indicates the use of ‘offence’ and ‘offense’ in American books and magazines published from 1800 to 2000. As you can see, the spelling ‘offence’ has been decreasing in popularity for many years, resulting in ‘offense’ as the preferred spelling in America. The MLA Style Guide

Use of ‘offence’ and ‘offense’ in British English

This Ngram indicates the use of ‘offence’ and ‘offense’ in British books and magazines published from 1800 to 2000. As the graph indicates, the spelling ‘offence’ has always been the preferred spelling in British English. The Chicago Manual of Style

Example sentences which use ‘offence’

  • Under what law, and for what offence?
  • The offence was public, and everyone is already talking of it.
  • The prisoner has fled; let him escape - inaction is a pardonable offence.
  • The captain of the boat, knowing this offence, forfeits all his interest in the ship.
  • There are so many hints of offence forgiven, that we may believe the notes followed sharp on the facts.

Example sentences which use ‘offense’

  • Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving offense.
  • A stalwart darkey once gave offense at a negro ball in New Orleans by putting on a good many airs.
  • One would think, that a deliberate and practical denial of its authority was the only offense never contemplated by its government; else, why has it not assigned its definite, its suitable and proportionate, penalty?
  • His bachelor thesis was about "Necessary reforms of the offense of murder in the Peruvian Penal Code".
  • Completing a rehab program and getting a job after the first offense decreases the odds of re-arrest.
  • He subsequently received a full Presidential Pardon from Ronald Reagan, thereby nullifying the original offense.



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Example sentences which use ‘offence’

  • Besides which, you have been told that it is folly to take offence at merely hearing a bray.
  • Children,, as they cannot defend themselves, though they may receive offence cannot be insulted.
  • Between the offence and the insult there is this difference: the insult comes from one who is capable of offering it.
  • The offence may come from any quarter without carrying insult.
  • The general bade him say what he pleased, but not to expect pardon for his flagrant offence.
  • when you know that she took offence at the poor dear boy's ever being born at all. Yet I dared not express my anxiety, lest it should give her offence.
  • "No offence, sir," said the Griffin; "we have it asked for by so many names, I thought it might be."
  • I trust I give no offenceto the companion of my youth, in submitting this proposition to his cooler judgement?
  • He'd write letters by the ream, if it was a capital offence!
  • No, sir, said she, but I hope I may wear what I work for without offence.
  • He said that Husayen probably faces a sentence of between three months and three years for the offence.
  • A second offence was to be fined at double the rate, and a third or later offence at treble.
  • Each offence was allocated a specific punishment.
  • The task of the magistrate was to identify the proper name of the offence disclosed by the facts.
  • The chapel was set on fire and burned down as a criminal offence (by arson) on 23 August 1992.
  • Leontius tells us that the cause of offence was a denial to the Virgin Mary of the title Theotokos.
  • Eventually he was frozen out almost completely whereupon he took offence and severed his connections with the scheme.
  • However, it offers only a civil remedy for the offence.
  • Clarke had already given some offenceby his puritan tendencies.
  • Failure to produce an insurance certificate is an offence.
  • McGowan later apologised to anyone who took offenceto the remark.
  • Unlicensed production, supply or possession is a criminal offence.
  • However, Arunedra became the witness of the offence.
  • Originally, the proviso allowed the jury to find an alternative verdict of this offenceon a charge of murder.
  • An offenceunder section 60 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 could not be tried at Quarter Sessions.
  • For this offenceColepeper was imprisoned in the Marshalsea Prison, and subsequently condemned to lose his hand.

Example sentences which use ‘offense’

  • The jian part of the Doll is used for regular offense.
  • The Eskimos offense had 496 points for, while the defense had 445 points allowed.
  • She had an interception and every TD the Diamonds scored on offense came on the ground in Springer's hands.
  • The BayStars' offense in the '98 season became known as the "Machine Gun Offense" because of the quick succession of hits the Yokohama batters would get (mostly singles), and no game was ever over until the final out was recorded.
  • He threw three interceptions and fumbled once in a 24–17 loss to the Tennessee Titans, whose offense had struggled throughout the game mustering only 98 total yards of offense to the Jaguars' 396.
  • Carter continued to be the focal point of the Vikings' offense in 1997.
  • Louis to face the NFL's new hottest offense.
  • He owns most of the school’s passing and total offense records.
  • The Mustangs offense scored 147 points while the defense allowed 133 points.
  • The treaties gave great offense to the Boers, who refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of the native chiefs.
  • Under criminal law, a principal is any actor who is primarily responsible for a criminal offense.
  • It was not customary to sell them except for a serious offense, such as adultery with the wife of a freeman.
  • With Warren Sapp out with an injury, the Vikings totalled 192 yard of offense.
  • Bernal's offense was refusal to work in the fields cutting sugar cane.
  • This alignment is generally used when the defense is trying to confuse the offense by applying different blitz pressures on the offense while playing mostly zone or sometimes man coverage.
  • Teams that run the 3-3-5 generally use it because they are a relatively fast but smaller unit compared to the opposing offense, and they want to cause blocking assignment issues for that offense.
  • The offensescored 338 points while the defense allowed 160 points.
  • Those who abide by Bible principles would certainly not want to do anything that would cause unnecessary offense to their neighbors.
  • The Golden Bears' offense scored 510 points while the defense allowed 14 points.
  • He also added 875 yards and 19 touchdowns on offense.
  • Cleveland's offense struggled throughout the game, maintaining possession for just 40 plays and amassing only 125 yards of total offense.
  • The team's offense had its best game of the year, scoring six touchdowns.

Trends in the use of ‘offence’ and ‘offense’

This graph shows the trends in the use of ‘offence’ by country. You can compare with this graph which indicates the trends in the use of ‘offense’ by country. The APA Style Guide



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