Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Institutional Links

 

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

spelling: words ending in -ise and -ize

The following are the only common words ending in –ise (apart from words ending in the suffix -wise):

  • advertise
  • advise
  • apprise
  • arise
  • chastise
  • circumcise
  • comprise
  • compromise
  • demise
  • despise
  • devise
  • disenfranchise
  • disfranchise
  • disguise
  • enfranchise
  • enterprise
  • excise
  • exercise
  • franchise
  • guise
  • improvise
  • incise
  • merchandise
  • mortise
  • premise
  • reprise
  • revise
  • supervise
  • surmise
  • surprise
  • televise

Note that the suffix -ise cannot be replaced with -ize in the words listed above.

Use the suffix -ize for most other words, including civilize, criticize, italicize, itemize, memorize and organize.