You’ve heard “license” used in conversation. Still, you may not be 100% sure what it actually means or its correct spelling—licence vs. license. License” refers to documentation that shows that somebody has permission to do a certain thing. In the United States, we always use the spelling “license.”
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What Is a License?
A license is a permit that enables a person to do a particular thing. For instance, someone might have a license that allows them to sell alcohol legally. Another form of license that you’re probably familiar with is a driver’s license—a card that shows authorities that a person is legally approved to operate a vehicle.
In those examples, we used license as a noun. However, license can also be used as a verb.
When used as an action word, license means granting someone a permit to do something. For instance, when you get your driver’s license, the employee at the DMV licenses you.
The word “license” originates from Old French, where the word evolved from the Latin word “license,” which refers to something lawful. It then turned into the word “licentia,” which refers to the idea of freedom/liberty, and finally became “license.”
Example sentences:
- I can’t wait to earn my boating license so I can get out on the water!
- She didn’t bring her driver’s license, so I had to drive for the whole road trip.
- Your driver’s license photo doesn’t look like you.
- I just got my pilot license! I can’t wait to fly a big, beautiful aircraft.
- The examiner refused to license Becky after she missed a stop sign.
- The aspiring doctor couldn’t get licensed, so she felt like all her years of schooling were a waste.
- The music artist licensed her songs—allowing other people to use them for a fee.
When and How to Use License
You can use “license” to refer to an actual certification that gives someone permission to do a certain activity. But you can also use it to describe the freedom that someone has informally been granted to do something.
For instance, if someone made a film based on an actual moment in history but the director decided to make things more dramatic than how they actually happened, they might defend their actions by saying they just took artistic license.
As we also mentioned before, you can use license as a verb to describe the literal act of granting someone a license or permit. But you can also use it in a less literal sense to mean the act of giving someone permission to do something.
For instance, an actor might avoid spoiling their new movie release during red carpet interviews because they’re not “licensed” to give any major details away.
What’s the Right Spelling?
When it comes to licence vs. license, both forms of this word are actually correct—it just depends on the country you are in.
License is the American spelling. You will always spell this word as “license,” no matter if you’re writing it as a noun or a verb. But when you’re in the United Kingdom, you should use the word licence when you’re using the word as a noun. Then, switch the spelling to “license” if you’re writing it as a verb.
Which One Should You Use?
When deciding which spelling of the word to use, simply consider which audience you are writing for.
If you are writing for an American audience, then you should stick to the spelling that is accepted in the United States—license. However, if you’re writing for an audience of people who speak and write in British English, such as those in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, you should use the licence spelling for the noun form and license for the verb form.
Tip: If you have a spell checker like Grammarly and you set the language to American English, it will flag “licence” as a misspelling.
Final Thoughts
Licence vs. license—it’s a common area of confusion, but we hope the guidance in this article has helped you learn which one to use. Remember, in UK English, the spelling license and license are both acceptable spelling variations. The former is the spelling for the noun form of the word, and the latter is for the verb form. In American English, we always use “license” for both noun and verb forms.
