“Unauthorized” or “Unauthorised”—What's the difference?

Usage by country

Where each spelling is used

Of the 12 countries below, 7 prefer “unauthorized” and 3 prefer “unauthorised”. Usage levels are out of 100; the more common spelling in each country is in bold.

Usage level out of 100 (if available).
Country	unauthorized	unauthorised	Preference
United States	98	2	“unauthorized”
United Kingdom	35	65	“unauthorised”
India	56	44	“unauthorized”
Philippines	97	3	“unauthorized”
Canada	95	5	“unauthorized”
Australia	40	60	“unauthorised”
Liberia	0	0	Not enough data
Ireland	48	52	“unauthorised”
New Zealand	53	47	“unauthorized”
Jamaica	100	0	“unauthorized”
Trinidad & Tobago	83	17	“unauthorized”
Guyana	0	0	Not enough data

Usage

Examples in context

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

“unauthorized”

…malware written to both issue unauthorized SWIFT messages and to conceal…
…an outlawed organization and the unauthorized possession of guns and fake
…access via a backdoor, permitting unauthorized access to, for example, steal…
…alleged that Awan had had unauthorized access to classified government data,…
…the lower misdemeanor option of unauthorized access to a computer.
…to report attempts to bring unauthorized vehicles in for inspection, and…
…process is documented on the unauthorized Critical Times - Fishbone's Hen…
…lost positions for his unsuccessful, unauthorized sales.
…down and sometimes outright banning unauthorized export of consumer goods through…
…released on CD, but several unauthorized versions have (Rhino Entertainment currently…

“unauthorised”

…CONFIDENTIAL: information and material the unauthorised disclosure of which could harm…
…they had to resort to unauthorised means, as indeed anatomists sometimes…
…for taking part in an unauthorised demonstration, claiming she was found…
The Clause 38 states that unauthorised access to the Central Identities…
…a report was presented outlining unauthorised branches built by Raby, and…
…the aim of spreading terror, unauthorised use and theft of ammunition…
…Kokiri attempted to arrange an unauthorised overseas loan for Māori businesses.
Jimmy Cliff: An Unauthorised Biography (2011)
Tamper-evident, making unauthorised access to a protected object…
…of deaths at sea, and unauthorised boat arrivals.

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license.

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