Is ending words with 'ised' versus 'ized' just a UK vs US thing?

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I thought I was spelling all the words ending in 'ised' wrong, eg realised, but is that in fact correct UK spelling? I was basing my belief 'ised' was wrong on a US spellchecking program

― Amity (Amity), Friday, 16 January 2004 05:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Well it is wrong on US programs, just like honour or centre. But it's right in the Queene's English.

― Leee Majors (Leee), Friday, 16 January 2004 06:04 (twenty-two years ago)

SOWPODS

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 16 January 2004 07:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Ha!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 16 January 2004 07:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I once read that it's not as simple as '-ise' = UK spelling. That we all use '-ise' for everything here but in fact it should depend on whether the word is Latinate or not. But I never investigated this further because it seemed too much like hard work.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 16 January 2004 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Jane Austen used "-ize". But "-ise" looks so much classier.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 16 January 2004 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Morse once solved on a murder on the basis that the killer had left a message using 'ise' instead of 'ize', concluding that he was dealing with someone badly educated.

― run it off (run it off), Friday, 16 January 2004 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Was the killer referring to the stuff that melts and turns into water?

(Just let me know if it gets too lame.)

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Friday, 16 January 2004 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

"Morse once solved on a murder on the basis that the killer had left a message using 'ise' instead of 'ize', concluding that he was dealing with someone badly educated"

Yes, it was viewed by the pedantic Dexter/Morse as a barbaric Americanism which would not be used by an English academic. Ironically, the reverse of the current assumption by many would-be English pedants that ize is the barbaric Americanism.

― ArfArf, Friday, 16 January 2004 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

also program vs programme

― Ed (dali), Friday, 16 January 2004 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

The z comes from the Latin izo ending, and is therefore sort of more correct in many words. That doesn't make America all correct, of course, as they tend to use the z on some where it hasn't the Latin roots to validate it, as opposed to the Brits who do the converse. I don't care, myself.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 16 January 2004 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

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