Analyze vs Analyse: Same Word, Two Spellings, One Rule
To analyze something is to break it down and examine its parts. Analyze is the American spelling; analyse is used in Britain and most of the Commonwealth.
To analyze is to examine something by separating it into parts and studying how they relate. You analyze a sentence, a sample, a market or a defeat — anything that has structure worth taking apart.
- To examine in detail. *Analyze the data before deciding.*
- To test chemically. *The lab analyzed the water.*
- To psychoanalyse. *Do not analyze me.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (US) | analyze | We analyze it weekly. |
| Verb (UK) | analyse | We analyse it weekly. |
| Past | analyzed / analysed | The sample was analysed. |
| Noun | analysis | The analysis took a week. |
| Person | analyst | A market analyst. |
| Adjective | analytical | An analytical approach. |
How it is used in a sentence
- They analyzed a decade of match data.The core sense.
- Do not over-analyze a single bad review.A very common collocation.
- The soil was analysed for lead.Laboratory use.
Analyze, examine, evaluate
- Examine — look at closely, without necessarily taking apart
- Analyze — break into parts to see how it works
- Evaluate — judge the value or quality, usually after analysing
From Greek *analysis*, a loosening or undoing, from *ana* (up, throughout) and *lyein* (to loosen). The image is untying a knot, not looking at it.
Which spelling should I use?
Match your audience: analyze for the United States, analyse for the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and most of the Commonwealth. Be consistent.
What is the plural of analysis?
Analyses. The singular ends in a hissing s, the plural rhymes with *seas*.