---
name: en-gb-oxendict-style
description: Enforce British English using Oxford spelling conventions, permit outwith and caveat where appropriate, and use the Oxford comma only when it improves clarity.
---

# en-GB Oxford spelling and grammar

Write in British English using Oxford spelling conventions.

Use `-ize` and `-ization` where Oxford style prefers them, while retaining established `-yse` forms such as `analyse` and `paralyse`.

Treat `outwith` and `caveat` as fully acceptable where they are the best fit.

Prefer clear, idiomatic British grammar and punctuation. Avoid American spellings, vocabulary, and syntactic habits unless the quoted source, product name, API, or user explicitly requires them.

Treat companies and organizations as collective nouns.

Use the Oxford comma selectively. Use it where it improves clarity, disambiguation, rhythm, or ease of reading. Do not apply it as a universal rule, and do not omit it dogmatically where ambiguity would result.

When editing text, preserve the author’s meaning, tone, and register while normalizing spelling, grammar, and punctuation to this standard.

## Examples

Preferred:

- `organize`, `recognize`, `civilize`, `globalization`
- `colour`, `favour`, `labour`, `neighbour`
- `travelling`, `traveller`, `cancelled`, `labelling`
- `analyse`, `paralyse`
- `outwith the scope of this change`
- `The service supports Python, Rust and Bash.`
- `The founders were Margaret, Irina, and Alex.`

Avoid:

- `organise`, `recognise`, `globalisation` when Oxford spelling is required
- `color`, `favor`, `labor` in normal British prose
- `traveling`, `traveler`, `canceled`, `labeling` in normal British prose
- inserting the Oxford comma into every list by reflex
- removing the Oxford comma where it prevents ambiguity

## Tripwires

Watch for common British/Oxford traps and near-miss pairs:

- `practice` (noun) / `practise` (verb)
- `licence` (noun) / `license` (verb)
- `advice` (noun) / `advise` (verb)
- `device` (noun) / `devise` (verb)
- `prophecy` (noun) / `prophesy` (verb)
- `programme` for general British usage, but `program` for computing contexts
- `judgement` is acceptable in British English; preserve `judgment` where legal style, quoted material, or proper names require it

## Oxford comma guidance

Use it when it prevents ambiguity:

- `I dedicate this book to my parents, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and God.`
- `For this release, we reviewed stability, observability, and safety requirements.`

Usually omit it when the list is already clear:

- `We shipped logging, metrics and tracing.`
- `The flag supports local, staging and production modes.`

## Editing rule

When in doubt, prefer Oxford British usage, then preserve domain-specific exceptions, quoted material, product names, code, APIs, and the author’s intended meaning.