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“Colonization” or “Colonisation”

Colonization is predominantly used in American (US) English (en-US) while colonisation is predominantly used in British English (used in UK/AU/NZ) (en-GB).

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Usage by country

Where each spelling is used

Of the 12 countries below, 8 prefer “colonization” and 4 prefer “colonisation”. Usage levels are out of 100; the more common spelling in each country is in bold.

Usage level out of 100 (if available).
Country colonization colonisation Preference
United States 98 2 “colonization”
United Kingdom 37 63 “colonisation”
India 56 44 “colonization”
Philippines 99 1 “colonization”
Canada 79 21 “colonization”
Australia 18 82 “colonisation”
Liberia 100 0 “colonization”
Ireland 49 51 “colonisation”
New Zealand 24 76 “colonisation”
Jamaica 83 17 “colonization”
Trinidad & Tobago 100 0 “colonization”
Guyana 100 0 “colonization”
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“colonization”

  • Factors facilitating Lessepsian migrant colonization and expansion
  • …the point of the first colonization, Indigenous Australians had not developed…
  • …1883 as the Thunder Bay Colonization Railway, the line changed its…
  • Iran and Red and Black Colonization
  • Military colonization
  • Following colonization by Russia, pastoralism was gradually…
  • …Brodnax spoke in favor of colonization of free African Americans.
  • …consequences of intermarriage, migration and colonization for the composition of modern-day…
  • Craig was president of the Colonization Society for Verchères County and…
  • …purpose of trade, exploration, and colonization.

“colonisation”

  • …and the Kingdom of Italy's colonisation of Libya beginning in 1911.
  • European colonisation of New Zealand, particularly by…
  • Besides the Catholic Church, the colonisation was supported by the still…
  • The period of the British colonisation of India may have introduced…
  • …d'Afrique du Nord avant la Colonisation," in Yod, Revue des Etudes…
  • …a British politician and a colonisation commissioner for South Australia.
  • French Colonisation of Algeria
  • …in South Australia of the Colonisation Commission, having responsibility independent of…
  • …laid the blame for the colonisation of the country at the…
  • He actively superintended the colonisation of Georgia, withholding ‘neither money,…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license.

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