Acknowledgement vs Acknowledgment: Correct Spelling

Acknowledgment and acknowledgement are the same word with the same meaning. Acknowledgment, without the e after the g, is the standard spelling in American English, while acknowledgement, with the e, is more common in British and Australian English.

Both spellings are correct, and both appear in respected dictionaries in all three countries. The real question is which one fits your readers, and how to stay consistent once you have chosen. That is what this guide covers, along with the reason the e drops out, the related words that behave the same way, and some traps in formal writing.

Quick answer: Write acknowledgment for American readers and acknowledgement for British and Australian readers. Both are correct. In Australia, the phrase Acknowledgement of Country is nearly always spelled with the e.

On this page

1. What acknowledgement means
2. Why there are two spellings
3. US vs UK vs Australia
4. How to choose
5. Grammar and usage patterns
6. Example sentences
7. Common mistakes
8. A memory trick
9. Practice quiz
10. The practical takeaway

What acknowledgement means

The word is a noun formed from the verb acknowledge. It has several closely related senses:

1. Admission or recognition that something is true: His acknowledgment of the mistake came too late.
2. Confirmation that something has been received: You will receive an acknowledgement within two working days.
3. Thanks or credit given to someone: In acknowledgment of her twenty years of service, the team planted a tree.
4. A section of a book or thesis thanking contributors: usually plural, the Acknowledgements.
5. A gesture of recognition: She gave a small nod of acknowledgement as he walked past.

It is usually countable when it refers to a specific receipt or statement (two acknowledgments) and uncountable when it means recognition in general (a lack of acknowledgment).

Pronunciation

Both spellings sound identical: ak-NOL-ij-ment, stressed on the second syllable. The silent e does not change the pronunciation at all, which is exactly why American spelling reformers felt it could go.

Why there are two spellings

The verb acknowledge goes back to Middle English, built from an older verb related to knowledge and know. Adding the suffix -ment produced acknowledgement, and for a long time that was the usual spelling everywhere.

In most English words, a silent e at the end of a stem drops before a suffix beginning with a vowel (make becomes making) but stays before a suffix beginning with a consonant (hope becomes hopeful). Since -ment starts with a consonant, the traditional rule keeps the e: acknowledgement, judgement, abridgement.

Words ending in -dge are a special case. The dg combination already makes the g sound soft, so the final e does no real work. American dictionary makers in the nineteenth century, including Noah Webster, favored dropping letters that served no purpose, and over time American usage settled on acknowledgment and judgment. British usage kept both forms in circulation, with the e-spelling remaining more common in general writing.

Words that follow the same pattern

Note that not every pairing behaves identically. In British legal writing, for instance, judgment without the e is the normal spelling for a court's decision, even though judgement is common elsewhere in British English. Our page on judgement vs judgment explains that exception. Acknowledgement has no comparable legal split; British lawyers use the e-spelling about as often as other British writers do.

US vs UK vs Australia

United States

American dictionaries give acknowledgment as the main spelling, and the major American style guides follow their house dictionaries. You will see acknowledgment on US government forms, in book front matter (Acknowledgments), in legal documents and in business email. The e-spelling is not wrong in American writing, but an American editor would usually change it for consistency.

United Kingdom

British dictionaries list both spellings, and acknowledgement is the more common in general use. Many British academic publishers and universities use Acknowledgements as the heading for the thanks section of a book or thesis. Some British publishers prefer the shorter form, so if you are writing for a specific publisher, check their guidelines.

Australia

Australian English follows British patterns here, and acknowledgement is the normal spelling in government documents, universities, schools and the media. The word also carries particular weight in Australia because of the Acknowledgement of Country, a statement recognizing the Traditional Owners of the land on which an event or meeting is held. It appears at the start of meetings, in email signatures, on websites and in official reports, and it is almost always spelled with the e. Writing it without the e in an Australian context would look out of place. An Acknowledgement of Country is different from a Welcome to Country, which is given by a Traditional Owner.

How to choose

1. Match your audience. American readers: acknowledgment. British or Australian readers: acknowledgement.
2. Match your other spellings. If your document uses colour, organise and centre, use acknowledgement. If it uses color, organize and center, use acknowledgment.
3. Follow the house style. Universities, publishers, journals and companies often specify one form.
4. Keep set phrases intact. Use Acknowledgement of Country as written, and copy the spelling of form names, legal documents and official titles exactly.
5. Be consistent within the word family. If you write acknowledgment, you will usually also want judgment for the same audience, though check any legal exceptions.

Our British vs American vs Australian spelling guide covers dozens of similar choices, including ageing vs aging, which turns on the same silent-e question.

Grammar and usage patterns

Spelling aside, the word comes with a few patterns that are worth getting right, especially in formal and academic writing.

Common collocations

The preposition after the noun is almost always of: you make an acknowledgement of something, not for it. The exception is when you thank a person: with acknowledgement to the volunteers or acknowledgements to my family are both natural in book front matter.

Singular or plural heading?

In books and theses, the thanks section is usually plural, Acknowledgements or Acknowledgments, because it thanks several people. A singular heading is not wrong, and some short reports use Acknowledgement when they thank one funder or organization. Whatever you choose, list it the same way in the table of contents.

Writing the thanks section

The acknowledgements section is one of the few parts of an academic document where a warmer, more personal tone is welcome. Common openings include "I would like to thank…," "I am grateful to…" and "This project would not have been possible without…". Keep it reasonably short, name people accurately, and check spellings of names and institutions carefully. If you need fresh wording, our list of other ways to say "thank you for your help" has phrases that suit formal writing.

Acknowledgment vs recognition vs admission

These words overlap but are not identical. Admission suggests owning up to something negative (an admission of guilt). Recognition often suggests praise or official status (recognition for her charity work). Acknowledgement sits between them: it can mean admitting a fact, confirming receipt or giving credit, and it is usually more neutral in tone than either neighbor.

Example sentences

Everyday

1. Ellie gave a quick wave of acknowledgment as she jogged past the bakery in Columbus.
2. A simple acknowledgement of how hard he had worked would have meant a lot to Tom.
3. My cousin in Perth still hasn't sent any acknowledgement that the parcel arrived.
4. There was no acknowledgment from the landlord after three emails.
5. The kids' thank-you cards were a lovely acknowledgment of their grandparents' help.

Workplace and email

6. Thank you for your application. This email is an automatic acknowledgment of receipt.
7. Please send an acknowledgement once you have read the updated safety policy.
8. We'll start processing the refund as soon as we receive your signed acknowledgment.
9. Hi Marcus, a quick acknowledgement would be great so I know the files reached you.
10. The meeting in Sydney opened with an Acknowledgement of Country.
11. Our team in Leeds received a formal acknowledgement of the complaint the next day.

If you are looking for warmer ways to confirm you have received a message, our guide to other ways to say "well noted" has practical options.

Academic

12. The author thanks her supervisors in the Acknowledgements section of the thesis.
13. In the acknowledgments, the researchers credit the Ohio field team for collecting the samples.
14. The paper's acknowledgement of its limitations strengthens its argument.
15. Proper acknowledgment of sources is essential to avoid plagiarism.
16. The Melbourne study includes an acknowledgement of the Wurundjeri people as Traditional Owners.

News-style

17. The minister's acknowledgement of the backlog was welcomed by Glasgow residents.
18. Advocates called the apology a long-overdue acknowledgment of the harm caused.
19. The Queensland council issued an acknowledgement after the flood warning was delayed.
20. The senator's acknowledgment of the error came during Tuesday's hearing in Washington.
21. There was little acknowledgement from the club that fans had been inconvenienced.
22. Investors noted the company's acknowledgment of weaker sales in the Midwest.

Common mistakes

Mixing both spellings in one document.

❌ See the Acknowledgements on page iii. Further acknowledgments appear in the appendix. ✅ See the Acknowledgements on page iii. Further acknowledgements appear in the appendix.

Misplacing the e.

❌ acknowlegement, acknowlegdement ✅ acknowledgement (or acknowledgment)

Many misspellings come from forgetting the d in -dge. Remember that the word contains knowledge: ac + knowledge + ment.

Dropping the e from an Australian set phrase.

❌ The conference opened with an Acknowledgment of Country. (in an Australian document) ✅ The conference opened with an Acknowledgement of Country.

Assuming one spelling is incorrect.

❌ "Acknowledgement is a typo." ✅ Acknowledgement is standard in British and Australian English and accepted in American dictionaries.

Confusing the noun with the verb.

❌ Please acknowledgement this email. ✅ Please acknowledge this email. / Please send an acknowledgement.

Doubling a letter.

❌ acknowledgemment, acknolledgment ✅ acknowledgment / acknowledgement

A memory trick

Use the word knowledge as your anchor. The noun is simply ac + knowledge + ment. If you keep the whole word knowledge intact, you get acknowledgement, the British and Australian form. If you take away the e, the "extra" letter Americans removed, you get acknowledgment.

Another way to remember it: American spelling is lighter, so it travels without the e, just as it does in judgment.

Practice quiz

Choose the best spelling for the audience given.

1. (US book) The author's ______ section runs to three pages.
2. (Australian council report) The report begins with an ______ of Country.
3. (UK university thesis) ______ (section heading)
4. (US customer email) You will receive an ______ of your order within an hour.
5. (UK news site) The company issued an ______ of the data breach.
6. (Any audience) Please ______ receipt of this letter. (verb or noun?)

Answers

1. acknowledgments — American English drops the e.
2. Acknowledgement — the Australian set phrase is written with the e.
3. Acknowledgements — British academic writing usually keeps the e, unless the university specifies otherwise.
4. acknowledgment — standard American spelling for a confirmation of receipt.
5. acknowledgement — the usual British form in general news writing.
6. acknowledge — the sentence needs the verb, not the noun.

The practical takeaway

There is no wrong answer between these two spellings, only a better fit for your readers. Choose acknowledgment for American audiences and acknowledgement for British and Australian ones, keep the same form in headings, body text and plurals, and leave set phrases and official names exactly as they are written. If you are unsure, look at how you spell color or colour elsewhere in the document and let that decision guide this one.