Center vs. Centre — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 7, 2023
"Center" and "Centre" have the same meaning but different spellings; "Center" is used in American English, while "Centre" is used in British English.
Difference Between Center and Centre
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Center" and "Centre" both denote a point that is equidistant from all boundaries of a shape or object. While "Center" follows American English spelling conventions, "Centre" adheres to British English norms. Each term, although spelled differently, represents the middle-point or focus area of something and can be used in similar contexts.
In terms of utility, "Center" and "Centre" both offer the same practicality, referring to either a physical midpoint or a principal point where activities take place. However, the selection between "Center" and "Centre" is generally decided based on the regional English being used, be it American or British, respectively.
"Center" is widely recognized and used in the United States, finding its place in various contexts and applications, from describing geometric midpoints to naming places, like “City Center.” On the other hand, "Centre" is utilized in similar contexts in UK English-speaking regions, such as in “City Centre.”
One might observe "Center" in American publications, official documents, and signage, adhering to the standardized American English spelling. Conversely, "Centre" will predominantly appear in British and Commonwealth country publications and is recognized as the standard spelling in these regions.
While "Center" and "Centre" are interchangeable in terms of their meaning, choosing between them should be influenced by the audience's familiarity and the standardized spelling in the respective regions. Thus, keeping the regional spelling consistent is vital to maintain linguistic and grammatical coherence in written communication.
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Comparison Chart
Spelling Variant
American English spelling.
British English spelling.
Usage
Used in the USA.
Used in the UK and Commonwealth.
Example Usage
"City Center"
"City Centre"
Associated English
Associated with American English.
Associated with British English.
Popular In
American publications/documents.
British/Commonwealth documents.
Compare with Definitions
Center
Center, in basketball, refers to a playing position.
The center positioned himself near the basket.
Centre
Centre might denote a place designed for a particular activity.
The science centre was a hub of innovation.
Center
A point or place that is equally distant from the sides or outer boundaries of something; the middle
The center of a stage.
Centre
Centre means the point equally distant from the edges.
The apple's core was at the exact centre.
Center
A point equidistant from the vertices of a regular polygon.
Centre
Centre may signify a primary point of interest or activity.
The scandal placed him at the centre of media attention.
Center
A point equidistant from all points on the circumference of a circle or on the surface of a sphere.
Centre
Centre, in UK English, still refers to a sports position.
The centre passed the ball effectively to the winger.
Center
A point around which something rotates or revolves
The sun is the center of our solar system.
Centre
Centre can indicate a principal area of focus.
The topic remained the centre of the dialogue.
Center
A part of an object that is surrounded by the rest; a core
Chocolates with soft centers.
Centre
A region of central France, including the cities of Orleans, Tours, and Chartres.
Center
A place where a particular activity or service is concentrated
A medical center.
Centre
Occur mainly in or around (a specified place)
The textile industry was centred in Lancashire and Yorkshire
Center
A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions
A center of power.
A center of unrest.
Centre
Place in the middle
To centre the needle, turn the knob
Center
An area of dense population
A metropolitan center.
Centre
Variant of center.
Center
A person or thing that is the chief object of attention, interest, activity, or emotion.
Centre
Alternative spelling of center.
Center
A person, object, or group occupying a middle position.
Centre
Alternative spelling of center
Center
Often Center A political group or a set of policies representing a moderate view between those of the right and the left.
Centre
See Center.
Center
(Physiology) A group of neurons in the central nervous system that control a particular function
The vasomotor center.
Centre
A low-lying region in central France
Center
(Sports) A player who holds a middle position on the field, court, or forward line in some team sports, such as hockey and basketball.
Centre
An area that is approximately central within some larger region;
It is in the center of town
They ran forward into the heart of the struggle
They were in the eye of the storm
Center
(Football) An offensive lineman who snaps the ball to begin a play, usually positioned in the middle of the line.
Centre
A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
Center
(Baseball) Center field.
Centre
A place where some particular activity is concentrated;
They received messages from several centers
Center
A small conical hole made in a piece of work with a center punch so that a drill can be accurately positioned within it.
Centre
The sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
Center
A bar with a conical point used to support work, as during turning on a lathe.
Centre
A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process;
In most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere
Center
A centering.
Centre
A building dedicated to a particular activity;
They were raising money to build a new center for research
Center
A point in space equidistant from all the points on an arch or on a portion of an arch.
Centre
Move into the center;
That vase in the picture is not centered
Center
To place in or at the center
Centered the vase on the table.
Centre
Direct one's attention on something;
Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies
Center
To direct toward a center or central point; concentrate or focus
Tried to center the discussion on the main issues.
Center
To pass (a ball or puck) toward the center of a playing area.
Center
To play as a center on (a line), as in ice hockey.
Center
(Football) To hike (the ball) to begin a down.
Center
To be concentrated; cluster
The epidemic centered in the urban areas.
Center
To have a central theme or concern; be focused
Her novels center on the problems of adolescence.
Center
(Sports) To play as a center.
Center
The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
Center
The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
Center
The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
Center
(obsolete) The innermost point of the Earth, or the Earth itself, as the center or foundation of the Universe; the center or foundation of the Universe abstractly.
Center
(geometry) The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
Center
(geometry) The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure (or of all points in the interior for a center of volume).
Center
The subgroup (respectively, subring), denoted Z(G), of those elements of a given group (respectively, ring) G that commute with every element of G.
Center
A place, especially a building or complex, set aside for some specified function or activity.
Shopping center, convention center, civic center, garment center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Rockefeller Center
Center
(politics) The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.
Center
The venue in which the head of government in a centralized state is situated.
Center
A topic that is particularly important in a given context, the element in a subject of cognition, volition or discussion that is perceived as decisive.
The center of the controversy
The center of attention
Center
(sports) A player in the middle of a playing area.
Center
(basketball) The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.
Center
(ice hockey) The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.
Center
The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.
Center
(netball) A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.
Center
(soccer) A pass played into the centre of the pitch.
Center
(rugby) One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.
Center
A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
Center
(architecture) A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
Center
(engineering) One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
Center
(engineering) A conical recess or indentation in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.
Center
The ring in the gambling game two-up in which the spinner operates.
Center
Of, at, or related to a center.
Center
(transitive) To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
He centered the heading of the document.
Center
(transitive) To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
Center
(transitive) To give (something) a central basis.
Center
(intransitive) To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
The plot centers on the life of a working-class family.
The discussion centered around the recent issues.
Center
(engineering) To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
Center
A point equally distant from the extremities of a line, figure, or body, or from all parts of the circumference of a circle; the middle point or place.
Center
The middle or central portion of anything.
Center
A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attaction.
Center
The earth.
Center
Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who support the existing government. They sit in the middle of the legislative chamber, opposite the presiding officer, between the conservatives or monarchists, who sit on the right of the speaker, and the radicals or advanced republicans who occupy the seats on his left, See Right, and Left.
Center
A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
Center
One of the two conical steel pins, in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
Center
To be placed in a center; to be central.
Center
To be collected to a point; to be concentrated; to rest on, or gather about, as a center.
Where there is no visible truth wherein to center, error is as wide as men's fancies.
Our hopes must center in ourselves alone.
Center
To place or fix in the center or on a central point.
Center
To collect to a point; to concentrate.
Thy joys are centered all in me alone.
Center
To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
Center
An area that is approximately central within some larger region;
It is in the center of town
They ran forward into the heart of the struggle
They were in the eye of the storm
Center
The piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher;
He hit the ball to deep center
Center
A building dedicated to a particular activity;
They were raising money to build a new center for research
Center
A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
Center
The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience;
The gist of the prosecutor's argument
The heart and soul of the Republican Party
The nub of the story
Center
The object upon which interest and attention focuses;
His stories made him the center of the party
Center
A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process;
In most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere
Center
The middle of a military or naval formation;
They had to reinforce the center
Center
(basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
Center
(football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback;
The center fumbled the handoff
Center
A place where some particular activity is concentrated;
They received messages from several centers
Center
Politically moderate persons; centrists
Center
(ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
Center
The sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
Center
Mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace;
A good plaza should have a movie house
They spent their weekends at the local malls
Center
The position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
Center
The position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play;
It is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback
Center
A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the center jump to start the game
Center
Center upon;
Her entire attention centered on her children
Our day revolved around our work
Center
Direct one's attention on something;
Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies
Center
Move into the center;
That vase in the picture is not centered
Center
Equally distant from the extremes
Center
Of or belonging to the political or intellectual right
Center
Center refers to the middle point of something.
Place the vase in the center of the table.
Center
Center can denote a focal point of activity or attention.
The center of the controversy was a political debate.
Center
Center may indicate a facility or a building for a specific purpose.
The community center hosted the annual event.
Center
Center can also imply a key point in a discussion or situation.
The argument brought new problems to the center.
Common Curiosities
Do Center and Centre have different meanings?
No, they have the same meanings but different regional spellings.
Which English-speaking countries use "Centre"?
The UK, Canada, Australia, and other Commonwealth nations typically use "Centre."
Is it incorrect to use "Center" in Australia?
"Centre" is preferred, but "Center" is understood and not technically incorrect.
Is "Center" the correct spelling in the UK?
No, "Centre" is the standard spelling in the UK.
How does one choose between "Center" and "Centre" when writing?
Consider the regional English of your audience or publication.
Does “Center” appear in any UK English contexts?
Rarely, "Centre" is overwhelmingly the common and accepted spelling in the UK.
What is the origin of the two different spellings?
Divergent American and British English spelling conventions have led to variations like "Center" and "Centre."
Can "Centre" be used in US publications?
Yes, but "Center" is the standard and preferred spelling in the US.
Will using "Centre" be understood in the USA?
Yes, it will be understood but is recognized as British English spelling.
Is the pronunciation of "Center" and "Centre" different?
No, they are typically pronounced the same way.
Do "Center" and "Centre" have different plural forms?
No, both form plurals by adding an “s”: "Centers" and "Centres."
Are there any contexts where "Center" and "Centre" are not interchangeable?
Generally, they're interchangeable regarding meaning, but regional spelling preferences should be observed.
Is it crucial to maintain consistency in using "Center" or "Centre" in writing?
Yes, maintaining spelling consistency is vital for coherent and professional writing.
Can "Center" and "Centre" be used as verbs?
Yes, both can be used as verbs (e.g., "to center/centre oneself"), maintaining their respective spelling conventions.
Can a business in the USA be named using "Centre"?
Yes, business names can utilize either spelling based on preference.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
