Recognise vs Acknowledge The word "Acknowledge" seems to be more on the side of admitting something or noticing something or someone. On the other hand, the word "Recognise" leans more towards identifying something or someone based on a memory of a previous encounter. These words are used interchangeably and loosely nowadays, because they almost mean the same thing, . . .However it's always good to be on top of your English game 😉!