Talk:licence

British issue
We seem to have gotten so tied up with the verb issue that it is now unclear that this is a valid noun in British English. This should be prominent in this article.Rog 16:03, 3 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes, licence is British, not American. I don’t know if it’s also Canadian or Australian, but definitely not American. —Stephen 13:20, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Pond issue
In American English, "license" is used for both noun and verb. In Commonwealth spelling, "licence" is a noun (as in "driving licence"), but "license" is a verb. For example, "I am licensed to operate this type of vehicle. Here is my licence."

See the following website as an example:

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/


 * You're wrong. Licence can be used as a verb.


 * See these dictionaries:
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 * 


 * And some random references:
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 * And changing this entry to refer to license is simply wrong, license has already got its own article. Jonathan Webley 10:32, 4 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Is "licence" used as a verb? Yes, on occasion. Is that use considered correct by authorities on the English language? No. I could argue this issue all day, and provide links to many far more reputable sources that support my argument, but my corrections would likely be changed within hours.


 * Agreed. "licence" as a verb removed.


 * From Oxford University Press: Do not confuse licence with license. Licence is a noun which means 'a permit to do something' (a driving licence), whereas license is a verb meaning 'give a permit to someone: allow something' (the loggers are licensed to cut mahogany trees). In American English, both the noun and the verb are spelled license.


 * Can anyone provide a compelling reason to leave the verb form in this entry?


 * Yes - the references quoted above. Wiktionary, like all modern dictionaries, reflects the actual usage of words, rather than somebody's concept of correct usage. Jonathan Webley 20:16, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
 * You over-simplify massively. Most dictionaries, even modern ones, will point out usages which are widely considered 'wrong'. 'Refute', used to mean 'deny', is being mis-used, however many politicians use it that way; common spelling errors remain spelling errors, even when they get very common; and so on and so forth. To use licence as a verb is still very widely considered to be a mistake; the entry should undoubtedly note this, and now does. --Oolong 10:17, 22 August 2006 (UTC).