An unpleasant experience thought of as a punishment from God.A formal legal decision by a judge in a court.The ability to grasp a situation well and make apt decisions.An opinion or a decision formed after careful thought.The word judgement is used as a noun in all English-speaking countries except the U.S. You refer to an opinion or decision arrived upon after due thought, the ability to make such a decision, or you think of something as retribution from God The ability to grasp a situation well and make apt decisionsĪn unpleasant experience thought of as a punishment from GodĪ formal legal decision by a judge in a court (Also used in non-American English) In the third and fourth, they are used to indicate a formal legal decision.ĭifferences between judgement and judgmentīelow is a quick overview of the differences between the words. In the first two examples, the words judgement and judgment are used to indicate a general opinion or decision. Hearing the judgment, the defendant and his family burst into tears. The jury delivered its j udgement after hours of deliberation.

The young man’s actions show good judgment.

Marcus lent his friend money against his better judgement. Since the two spellings have no significant differences in American English, it is safer to use judgment. In American English, the word judgement is usually considered a misspelling. However, some say that the word j udgement indicates a general opinion or decision, while judgment means a formal legal decision. If you are in an English-speaking country other than the U.S., you may see the interchangeable use of judgement and judgment.

Are you communicating in American English? If so, use judgment.

Are you discussing legal matters in an English-speaking country other than the U.S.? If so, use judgment.

Are you discussing a general opinion or decision in an English-speaking country other than the U.S.? If so, use judgement.

If you are having trouble choosing between judgement and judgment, ask yourself the following: Although both words may be acceptable in other English-speaking countries, judgement is not used in the U.S. Both words mean the same and follow the same grammatical rules. Sorry lawyers, it looks like the press might have won this latest power struggle.Judgement and judgment are often confused because they are the same word spelled differently. That’s standard practice, however important the author may be - and however good at spelling. James Turner QC November 11, :You will find that Lord Wilson uses both spellings in one paragraph in different contexts: see UKSC 10, at para 35>īut just when you thought that some certainty had arrived into an increasingly hard to understand world, Rozenberg - whose honorary QC status combined with his Twitter blue tick arguably places him above Turner in rank - chipped back in with the final word:īut house style always has the last word. Happily, as the debate continued to rage, barrister and judge James Turner QC was able to establish a consensus, which he illustrated with a helpful > Without the 'e' is the formal ruling of the court and with the 'e' is the evaluative process. Having been told by top journalist and Legal Cheek contributor Joshua Rozenberg that “both spellings are widely used”, Jones responded with a tale from personal experience:ĭerry once expressed himself with characteristic firmness on the issue when I drafted some submissions for him.ĭebate about spelling of judgment/judgement: most style guides seem to prefer former (as I do) but some publications insert the extra “e”. Indeed, 11KBW silk Sean Jones QC seemed to be struggling to come to terms with what had happened, as he tweeted:įinding it hard to believe that misspell 'judgment' Writing this morning in the Daily Mail, former Lord Chancellors Baron Irvine of Lairg and Baron Mackay of Clashfern used ‘judgement’ with an ‘e’ to describe the Brexit, er, judgment.ĭuring a week in which many have found their whole world view called into question by political events, there are fears that this could be the last straw for some. The legal profession has been rocked by what many view as an unpardonable misspelling by two highly esteemed lawyers. Row breaks out as two former Lord Chancellors keep the ‘e’

Judgement vs judgment