Licence or License? The C Is the Noun in Britain
A licence is official permission; to license is to grant it. British English separates the spellings; American English uses license for both.
A licence is permission granted by an authority, and to license is to grant it. British English keeps the noun and verb apart with a single letter — a driving licence, but a licensed premises. American English spells both *license*. The same rule governs *practice* and *practise*, and the memory trick is that the noun has the c, like *ice*.
- Official permission (noun). *A fishing licence.*
- To grant permission (verb). *The council licensed the venue.*
- Poetic licence — freedom to break the rules for effect. *A little poetic licence.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (UK) | licence | A TV licence. |
| Verb (UK) | license | Licensed to sell alcohol. |
| Both (US) | license | A driver's license. |
| Adjective | licensed | A licensed premises. |
| Person | licensee | The licensee of the pub. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Renew your licence before it expires.British noun.
- The bar is licensed until midnight.Verb form, both varieties.
- He took some poetic licence with the dates.A polite way of noting invention.
Noun and verb pairs with the same trick
- Licence / license — permission and to permit
- Practice / practise — the noun with c, the verb with s
- Advice / advise — here the sound changes too
- Device / devise — the same pattern
- Prophecy / prophesy — the noun ends in cy
From Old French *licence*, from Latin *licentia*, freedom to act, from *licere*, to be permitted — the same root as *leisure*.
How do I remember which is which?
The noun licence has a c, like the noun ice. The verb license has an s, like the verb use. This applies in British English only.
What is poetic licence?
Departure from fact or from normal rules of language for artistic effect, such as changing a date to make a story work.