Practice
Censor, sensor, and censure: what is the difference?
Sign in to saveA museum may install a sensor near a painting. A board may censure a member for breaking its rules. A censor may remove material before the public sees it. The three words look and sound similar, but they name different actions and things.
Choose censor for restricting material, sensor for a detecting device, and censure for formal strong criticism.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
censor, sensor, and censure /ˈsen.sə(r)/, /ˈsen.sə(r)/, and /ˈsen.ʃə(r)/
The short answer
Use censor for restricting material, sensor for a device that detects something, and censure for formal strong criticism.
The motion sensor turned on the hallway light.
Why it works: A sensor detects movement and triggers a response in this situation.
6 more examples
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The publisher refused to censor the novelist's final chapter.
Censor is a verb here because the publisher would remove or control part of the text.
Not this:The publisher
received censurefor changing the final chapter without permission. What changes: Censure is criticism of the publisher's action, not the act of changing the text. -
A heat sensor shuts the machine down if the motor becomes too hot.
A sensor is a device that detects heat in this example.
Not this:The safety officer
censured the companyafter the machine overheated. What changes: Censured means formally criticized the company for its conduct. -
The council voted to censure the member for ignoring the code of conduct.
Censure is a formal verb for expressing strong disapproval.
Not this:The council
installed a sensorto count bicycles at the crossing. What changes: The sensor is equipment that detects or records passing bicycles. -
The studio censored the scene before the film was shown on television.
The studio removed or altered material before it reached viewers.
Not this:Viewers wrote
letters of censureafter the station canceled the program. What changes: The letters express strong criticism; they do not edit the program. -
The door sensor sends an alert when the emergency exit opens.
The sensor detects the door opening and causes an alert.
Not this:The manager
faced censurefor leaving the emergency exit locked. What changes: Censure names the formal criticism directed at the manager. -
The newspaper was accused of censoring comments that disagreed with its position.
Censoring describes controlling which comments may appear.
Not this:The
weather sensorrecorded a sudden drop in temperature. What changes: A weather sensor records physical conditions rather than controlling written comments.
Read the full guide
Start with the role of the word in the sentence. If the topic is controlling what people can read, watch, or hear, use censor. If it is a piece of equipment that detects a physical change, use sensor. If it is an official expression of strong disapproval, use censure.
Choose the meaning before the spelling
These words cannot replace one another. Censor concerns control over material. Sensor names equipment that detects something. Censure concerns serious criticism. First identify the situation, then choose the word that belongs to it.
The gallery fitted a sensor near the painting.
The sentence is about equipment that detects a condition, so sensor is the correct spelling.
Which word fits a sentence about official criticism of a committee member?
Use censure. It names formal strong disapproval.
Use censor for controlling material
A censor may be a person, institution, or system that examines material and restricts what may be published, shown, or heard. As a verb, censor means to remove or control part of that material. The word often appears in discussions of books, films, news, images, and online posts.
The broadcaster censored the interview before transmission.
The broadcaster controls material for an audience. That action is censoring, not criticizing someone or detecting movement.
The censor reviewed the article before it was published.
Here censor is a noun for the person who reviews material.
Use sensor for a detecting device
A sensor is a piece of equipment that detects a physical condition or change. It may detect smoke, temperature, pressure, light, sound, motion, or position. The sentence often names what the device detects or the system that responds to its signal.
The smoke sensor sounded an alarm during the test.
The device detects smoke, so sensor fits. It does not judge the behavior of a person.
The phone uses a light sensor to adjust the screen brightness.
Light is the condition being detected by the device.
Use censure for formal strong criticism
Censure is more formal than ordinary criticism. It often appears when a council, committee, board, or professional body officially expresses strong disapproval of a person's conduct. You can use it as a noun or as a verb.
The board issued a censure after its inquiry.
Censure is a noun here: an official statement or act of strong criticism.
The association censured the coach for breaking its rules.
Censured is the verb form. The association formally criticized the coach.
Use context when censor and sensor sound alike
Censor and sensor are pronounced alike in standard British English. Their spelling comes from meaning, not sound. Look for words about publishing, editing, or restricting material with censor. Look for words about devices, signals, heat, light, or movement with sensor. Censure is easier to hear because its last syllable begins with the sh sound.
The censor removed a paragraph, while the sensor detected movement in the room.
Removed material points to censor. Detected movement points to sensor.
Can a smoke detector be called a censor?
No. A smoke detector is a sensor because it detects a physical condition.
Before you go
Remember this
Use censor for controlling or removing material. Use sensor for a device that detects a physical condition or change. Use censure for formal strong criticism. Check whether the sentence is about media control, equipment, or disapproval before choosing the word.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Censor, sensor, and censure: what is the difference?"
What is the difference between censor, sensor, and censure?
Censor relates to restricting or removing material. A sensor is a device that detects a physical condition or change. Censure is formal strong criticism, often expressed by an organization or other authority.
The publisher refused to censor the novelist's final chapter.
Are censor and sensor pronounced the same?
Yes. In standard British English, censor and sensor are homophones. Use the context to spell them: material that is controlled points to censor, while a detecting device points to sensor.
The publisher received censure for changing the final chapter without permission.
Can censor be a noun and a verb?
Yes. A censor can be a person or body that examines and restricts material. To censor means to remove, suppress, or control material before it is published, shown, or heard.
A heat sensor shuts the machine down if the motor becomes too hot.
What does censure mean?
Censure means formal strong criticism or disapproval. It can be a noun, as in a public censure, or a verb, as when a committee censures a member for conduct it considers unacceptable.
The safety officer censured the company after the machine overheated.
Is a smoke detector a censor or a sensor?
A smoke detector is a sensor. It detects smoke, which is a physical condition, and may trigger an alarm. A censor deals with controlling material such as text, images, films, or broadcasts.
The council voted to censure the member for ignoring the code of conduct.