“Uncivilized” or “Uncivilised”—What's the difference?

Usage by country

Where each spelling is used

Of the 12 countries below, 5 prefer “uncivilized” and 4 prefer “uncivilised”. Usage levels are out of 100; the more common spelling in each country is in bold.

Usage level out of 100 (if available).
Country	uncivilized	uncivilised	Preference
United States	98	2	“uncivilized”
United Kingdom	25	75	“uncivilised”
India	79	21	“uncivilized”
Philippines	100	0	“uncivilized”
Canada	94	6	“uncivilized”
Australia	37	63	“uncivilised”
Liberia	0	0	Not enough data
Ireland	30	70	“uncivilised”
New Zealand	45	55	“uncivilised”
Jamaica	100	0	“uncivilized”
Trinidad & Tobago	0	0	Not enough data
Guyana	0	0	Not enough data

Usage

Examples in context

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

“uncivilized”

…Indians were not at all uncivilized nor lacking social order; that…
…create the image of an "uncivilized Africa" However, a Carnival bandleader,…
…of human behaviours associated with uncivilized savages—impulses were curbed by inhibitions…
…stricter sense refers to the uncivilized tribes that dwell on the…
…Caetano Ferreira) as "mulattoes or uncivilized black savages", omitting the fact…
He considered West Prussia as uncivilized as Colonial Canada and compared…
…aversion" for speaking their so-called "uncivilized" native tongue and many speakers…
…approach to nations he considered "uncivilized".
…Homer's Odyssey, they are an uncivilized group of shepherds, the brethren…
…what they consider to be "uncivilized" and mystical.

“uncivilised”

…series of Australian movies including Uncivilised (1936), Lovers and Luggers (1937)…
Cruelty is uncivilised."
For instance, the "uncivilised" island of Babbetyboobledore is an…
…as sinful or at least uncivilised, including mandatory abortion (by massage)…
…that the evidence of an "uncivilised person or persons" was considered…
…people who were regarded as uncivilised and without a culture."
…disgusted, thinking the outsiders are uncivilised compared to the people in…
…the Dorians were regarded as uncivilised by the Athenians, 'Doric' came…
…"Circuses - Amusement for the Uncivilised".
…movie industry: for Charles Chauvel's Uncivilised (1936), Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940)…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license.

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