The Spelling of Acknowledgment vs Acknowledgement | Which one is correct?

Acknowledgement vs acknowledgment? Which one is the correct spelling? As a matter of fact, both the spelling of acknowledgement and acknowledgment are used in the English-speaking world. However, the spelling of acknowledgement with the “e” in the middle is more commonly used. It is up to 24.5 times more popular in the top five English-speaking countries in the world.

That said, I am pretty sure acknowledgment, without the middle “e”, is preferred in American English, because I have Grammarly on (with US spelling) and it’s telling me it is the correct spelling of acknowledgment.

 You may hear people say the middle “e” is dropped in the United States or Canada, while people outside North America tend to keep it. But is it really the case? What about people from other English speaking countries, as well as all over the world?

Acknowledgement spelling with the middle “e” is more popular

We want to find out if it’s true. So we took a look at the countries with the most English speakers. Then we plugged in the search data of the last 5 years from Google Trends to see which variation is more commonly used.

Country	English speakers (million)	Use of Acknowledgement (5-year averaged index)	Use of Acknowledgment (5-year averaged index)	Ratio
United States	283	69	15	4.6
India	125	49	2	24.5
Pakistan	108	37	5	7.4
Nigeria	79	29	4	7.25
Phillippines	64	30	2	15
World		53	5	10.6

Across the board, the word “acknowledgement” has more search than “acknowledgment” in the past 5 years.

For instance, in the United States, while 69 people searched for “acknowledgement”, 15 would put “acknowledgment”. And that translates to “acknowledgement” being searched ( and arguably, used) 4.6 times more than “acknowledgement” over the past 5 years.

The preference is most obvious in India, where “acknowledgement” is searched/used 24.5 times more than its counterpart without the middle “e”.

And the ratio in the world is 10.6, which means the word “acknowledgement with the middle “e” is shy of 10 times more popular.

As you can see from the charts below, the blue line is the search volume of the word acknowledgement with the middle “e”. 

Definition of acknowledgement (noun)

When used as a noun, acknowledgement has four meanings:

1. An act of accepting that something exists or is true, or that something is there.
   e.g. This report is an acknowledgment of the size of the problem.

2. An act or a statement expressing thanks to someone; something that is given to someone as thanks.
   e.g. The flowers were a small acknowledgment of your kindness.
3. A letter saying that something has been received.
   e.g. I didn’t receive an acknowledgment of my application.

4. A page (in an academic paper or a book) in which the writer expresses thanks to the people who helped.
   e.g. A page of acknowledgments

In case you are not aware, this entire website is all about showing appreciation for others’ help with “acknowledgement(s)” in academic writing. E.g. research paper, thesis, dissertation, research report, project reports, etc.

Is acknowledgement countable or uncountable?

Acknowledegment can be countable or uncountable when used as different meanings.

Uncountable

Acknowlegdement is uncountable when used as an act of accepting that something exists or is true.

Example:

• This report is an acknowledgment of the size of the problem.
• She gave me a smile of acknowledgment (= showed that she had seen and recognized me).
• There is acknowledgment on his part that he was to blame.

Countable or uncountable

Acknowlegdement can be both countable and uncountable when used as an act or a statement expressing thanks to someone.

Examples:

• I was sent a free copy in acknowledgment of my contribution.
• The flowers were a small acknowledgment of your kindness.

Countable

It is always countable (usually appears in plural form) when referring to the page in a research paper or a book, in which the writer expresses thanks to the people who helped.

Examples:

• A page of acknowledgments
• How to write your book acknowledgements?
  

Source: Oxford Learner’s Dictionary

Application of acknowledgement in academic writing

Acknowledgement is usually an optional section/page in academic writing and can be found in:

• School/college projects
• Research papers
• Theses
• Dissertations

What is the purpose of acknowledgement in academic writing?

The short answer is: acknowledgements enable you to thank all those who have helped in carrying out your academic work.

A deeper indication is that by acknowledging assistance and contributions from others, you can establish your integrity as a researcher. This will eventually make your work more credible.

Above all, having someone to acknowledge for meaning that you have put the effort to reach out and make your work more resourceful and credible. This will certainly leave a good impression on your work.

What is an example of a acknowledgements in academic writing?

We probably have hundreds if not a thousand of acknowledgements examples in different forms on our website: Here’s a basic one:

More Definitions on Acknowledgement

• Acknowledgement vs Empathy
  What is the Difference Between Acknowledgement and Empathy?
• Acknowledgement vs Acceptance
  Does Acknowledgement Mean Acceptance? Lessons From History and the Bible
• Acknowledgement vs Agreement
  Is Acknowledgement the Same as Agreement?
• Acknowledgement Receipts vs Official Receipts
  What’s the Difference Between Acknowledgement Receipts and Official Receipts?