Intermediate 🎯 Pronunciation & Mistakes · #100 of 111

Mistake: Licence vs License

British: noun licence, verb license.

Examples

  • A driving licence.

Key rules

  • British English uses licence as the noun and license as the verb
  • American English uses license for both
  • The verb is spelled with s in British English

Common mistakes

  • A driving license → A driving licence (British noun)
  • I licence my car → I license my car (British verb)

Use cases

  • Driving and business
  • Writing official documents
  • British vs American spelling
💡 Tip: Ask: is it a noun (licence) or a verb (license) in British English?
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Related Intermediate topics

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Intonation in Questions

Rising for yes/no; falling for wh-.

Connected Speech and Linking

Words blend in natural speech.

The Schwa Sound

The most common English vowel.

Weak Forms

Function words reduced in speech.

Minimal Pairs

Words differing by one sound.

TH Sounds

Voiced and unvoiced th.