In British English, licence is the noun and license is the verb: "You need a licence to fish here" but "the council licensed the venue". In American English, license does both jobs — "a driver's license", "licensed to practice". So the spelling depends first on your dialect, then on the word's role.
The rule, dialect by dialect
- British English — licence (noun) / license (verb). The same split applies in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.
- American English — license for both. Licence is treated as a misspelling and will be flagged.
Neither system is more correct; they are conventions. What matters is picking the one your readers use and applying it consistently across the document.
The test (for the British split)
Substitute advice and advise, which follow the identical pattern and, crucially, sound different from each other so your ear can judge.
- "You need a licence" → "You need advice." Noun, so c.
- "They licensed the premises" → "They advised the premises." Verb, so s.
Practice and practise work the same way, as do prophecy and prophesy. Learn one and you have learnt all four pairs.
The memory trick
C for a certificate — a thing you hold. S for something you do. The noun is a piece of paper; the verb is an action. In American English the s simply took over both.
The derived forms — no dialect split
This is where people over-apply the rule. Every word built on the verb uses s in both dialects:
- licensed ("a licensed electrician", "licensed premises")
- licensing ("licensing laws", "a licensing agreement")
- licensee, licensor
So "licenced" and "licencing" are wrong everywhere. If the word ends in -ed, -ing, -ee or -or, use s and stop thinking about it.
Common phrases
- UK: driving licence, TV licence, off-licence, licence plate is number plate.
- US: driver's license, license plate, liquor license.
- Both: licence/license agreement — spelt to match the dialect, since it is a noun used attributively. In software, "licence key" (UK) and "license key" (US).
Open-source project names are a special case: the MIT License, the GNU General Public License and Creative Commons licences all carry the American spelling in their official titles, and those titles should be quoted exactly regardless of where you are writing.
The figurative sense
"Poetic licence" and "a licence to print money" are nouns, so British writers use the c. Americans write "poetic license". "Licence to kill" follows the same logic — though the Bond film title uses the American spelling, so quote it as Licence to Kill only when referring to the UK release title, and check the source you are citing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it 'driving licence' or 'driving license'?
"Driving licence" in British English, because it is a noun. Americans write "driver's license", with an s, because American English uses one spelling for both noun and verb.
Is 'licenced' ever correct?
No. The past tense and adjective are always "licensed" — licensed premises, a licensed practitioner — in every variety of English. Only the plain noun ever takes a c, and only in British-style spelling.
Which spelling should I use for software licences?
Match your document's dialect for general references, but keep official names exactly as published: the MIT License and the GNU General Public License use the American spelling wherever you are writing.