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American and British English spelling differences: Difference between revisions

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* The informal Briticisms ''] (causing a desire for more of something)'' and '']''<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/blokeish?view=uk |title=] |chapter=blokeish |accessdate=2007-04-10}}</ref> usually retain ''e''; more established words like ''slavish'' and ''bluish'' usually do not. * The informal Briticisms ''] (causing a desire for more of something)'' and '']''<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/blokeish?view=uk |title=] |chapter=blokeish |accessdate=2007-04-10}}</ref> usually retain ''e''; more established words like ''slavish'' and ''bluish'' usually do not.


Go fuck yourself
== Different spellings, different connotations ==
* '''''artefact'' or ''artifact''''': In British usage, ''artefact'' is the main spelling and ''artifact'' a minor variant.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, ''artefact''.</ref> In American English, ''artifact'' is the usual spelling. Canadians prefer ''artifact'' and Australians ''artefact'', according to their respective dictionaries.<ref>Peters, p. 49.</ref> ''Artefact'' reflects ''Arte-fact(um)'', the Latin source.<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, England|date=March 2009}}</ref>
* '''''dependant'' or ''dependent''''': British dictionaries distinguish between ''dependent'' (adjective) and ''dependant'' (noun). In the US, ''dependent'' is usual for both noun and adjective, notwithstanding that ''dependant'' is also an acceptable variant for the noun form in the US.<ref> (Accessed 30 December 2007)</ref>
* '''''disc'' or ''disk''''': Traditionally, ''disc'' used to be British and ''disk'' American. Both spellings are etymologically sound (Greek ''diskos'', Latin ''discus''), although ''disk'' is earlier. <!--Needs to be cleaned up & expanded-->In computing, ''disc'' is used for optical discs (e.g. a CD, ]; ], Digital Versatile/Video Disc) while ''disk'' is used for products using magnetic storage (e.g. hard disk and floppy disk; short for diskette).<ref>{{cite web|last = Howarth|first = Lynne C|coauthors = and others|title = "Executive summary" from review of "International Standard Bibliographic Description for Electronic Resources"|publisher = American Library Association|date = ]|url = http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/aacrer/tf-harm21.htm|accessdate = 2007-04-30}}</ref> For this limited application, these spellings are used in both the US and the Commonwealth.
* '''''enquiry'' or ''inquiry''''':<ref>Peters, p. 282.</ref> According to Fowler, ''inquiry'' should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and ''enquiry'' to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the OED, on the other hand, lists ''inquiry'' and ''enquiry'' as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as ''Chambers 21st Century Dictionary'',<ref>http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?title=21st&query=inquiry</ref> present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer ''inquiry'' for the "formal inquest" sense. In the US, only ''inquiry'' is commonly used. In Australia, ''inquiry'' and ''enquiry'' are often interchangeable, but ''inquiry'' prevails in writing. Both are current in Canada, where ''enquiry'' is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research.
* '''''ensure'' or ''insure''''': In the UK (and Australia), the word ''ensure'' (to make sure, to make certain) has a distinct meaning from the word ''insure'' (often followed by ''against'' &ndash; to guarantee or protect against, typically by means of an "insurance policy"). The distinction is only about a century old,<ref>Peters, p. 285</ref> and this helps explain why in (North) America ''ensure'' is just a variant of ''insure'', more often than not. According to Merriam-Webster's usage notes, ''ensure'' and ''insure'' "are interchangeable in many contexts where they indicate the making certain or inevitable of an outcome, but ''ensure'' may imply a virtual guarantee <the government has ''ensured'' the safety of the refugees>, while ''insure'' sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand <careful planning should ''insure'' the success of the party>.<ref> (Accessed 30 December 2007)</ref>
* '''''matt'' or ''matte''''': In the UK, ''matt'' refers to a non-glossy surface, and ''matte'' to the ]; in the US, ''matte'' covers both.<ref>Peters, p. 340.</ref>
* '''''programme'' or ''program''''': The British ''programme'' is a 19th-century French version of ''program''. ''Program'' first appeared in Scotland in the 17th century and is the only spelling found in the US. The OED entry, written around 1908 and listing both spellings, said ''program'' was preferable, since it conformed to the usual representation of the Greek as in ''anagram'', ''diagram'', ''telegram'' etc. In British English, ''program'' is the common spelling for computer programs<!-- towards the end of the 20th century, but ''programme'' is now frequent in this sense and increasingly used by newspapers and magazines. For-->, but for other meanings ''programme'' is used. In Australia, ''program'' has been endorsed by government style for all senses since the 1960s,<ref name="Peters, p. 443">Peters, p. 443.</ref> although ''programme'' is also common; see also the name of '']''. In Canada, ''program'' prevails, and the ] makes no meaning-based distinction between it and ''programme''; many Canadian government documents use ''programme'' in all senses of the word also to match the spelling of the French equivalent.<ref name="Peters, p. 443"/>
* ''''' tonne'' or ''ton''''': in the UK, the spelling '']'' refers to the metric unit (1000&nbsp;kg), whereas in the US the same unit is referred to as a ''metric ton''. Unqualified '']'' usually refers to the ] (2,240 lb) in the UK, and to the ] (2,000 lb) in the US.

See also ''meter/metre'', for which the British English distinction between etymologically related forms with different meanings was obviated in the regularization of American spellings.


== Acronyms and abbreviations == == Acronyms and abbreviations ==

Revision as of 01:42, 22 July 2009

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Comparison of
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American and British English spelling differences are one aspect of American and British English differences.

Historical origins

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Latin-derived spellings

Go fuck yourself

Go fuck yourself

Go fuck yourself

Go fuck yourself

Greek spellings

Go fuck yourself

Go fuck yourself

Go fuck yourself

Go fuck yourself

Go fuck yourself

Dropped e

British English sometimes keeps silent e when adding suffixes where American English does not.

  • British prefers ageing, American usually aging (compare raging, ageism). UK often routeing; US usually routing (for route; rout makes routing everywhere). Both systems retain the silent e in dyeing, singeing, swingeing, to distinguish from dying, singing, swinging. In contrast, bathe and the British bath both form bathing. UK often whingeing, US less so; whinge is chiefly British. Both systems vary for tinge and twinge; both prefer cringing, hinging, lunging, syringing.
  • Before -able, UK prefers likeable, liveable, rateable, saleable, sizeable, unshakeable, where US prefers to drop the -e; but UK as US prefers breathable, curable, datable, lovable, movable, notable, provable, quotable, scalable, solvable, usable, and those where the root is polysyllabic, like believable or decidable. Both systems retain the silent e when necessary to preserve a soft c, ch, or g, as in traceable, cacheable, changeable; both retain e after -dge, as in knowledgeable, unbridgeable.
  • Both abridgment and the more regular abridgement are current in the US, only the latter in the UK. Similarly for lodg(e)ment. Both judgment and judgement can be found everywhere, although the former strongly prevails in the US and the latter prevails in the UK except in law, where judgment is standard. Similarly for abridgment. Both prefer fledgling to fledgeling, but ridgeling to ridgling.
  • The informal Briticisms moreish (causing a desire for more of something) and blokeish usually retain e; more established words like slavish and bluish usually do not.

Go fuck yourself

Acronyms and abbreviations

Proper names formed as proper acronyms are often rendered in title case by Commonwealth writers, but usually as upper case by Americans: for example, Nasa / NASA or Unicef / UNICEF. This does not apply to most initialisms, such as USA or HTML; though it is occasionally done for some, such as Pc (Police Constable).

Contractions, where the final letter is present, are often written in British English without stops/periods (Mr, Mrs, Dr, St). Abbreviations where the final letter is not present generally do take stops/periods (such as vol., etc., ed.); British English shares this convention with French: Mlle, Mme, Dr, Ste, but M. for Monsieur. In American and Canadian English, abbreviations like St., Mr., Mrs., and Dr. always require stops/periods.

Miscellaneous spelling differences

UK US Remarks
adze adze, adz
annexe annex To annex is the verb in both British and American usage; however, when speaking of an annex(e) – the noun referring to an extension of a main building, not military conquest, which would be annexation – , it is usually spelled with an -e at the end in the UK, but in the US it is not.
arse ass
axe ax, axe Both noun and verb. (The word comes from Old English æx).
camomile, chamomile chamomile, camomile In the UK, according to the OED, "the spelling cha- is chiefly in pharmacy, after Latin; that with ca- is literary and popular". In the US chamomile dominates in all senses.
cheque check In banking. Hence pay cheque and paycheck. Accordingly, the North American term for what is elsewhere known as a current account or cheque account is spelled chequing account in Canada and checking account in the US. Some US financial institutions, notably American Express, prefer cheque.
chequer checker As in chequerboard/checkerboard, chequered/checkered flag, etc. Canada as US. While "checker" is more common in the US, "exchequer" is commonly used.
chilli chili The original Mexican Spanish word is spelled chile. In Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, chile and chilli are given as also variants.
cosy cozy In all senses (adjective, noun, verb).
cipher, cypher cipher
doughnut doughnut, donut In the US, both are used with donut indicated as a variant of doughnut. In the UK, donut is indicated as a US variant for doughnut.
draught draft The UK usually uses draft for all senses as a verb; for a preliminary version of a document; for an order of payment (bank draft), and for military conscription (although this last meaning is not as common as in American English). It uses draught for drink from a cask (draught beer); for animals used for pulling heavy loads (draught horse); for a current of air; for a ship's minimum depth of water to float; and for the game draughts, known as checkers in the US. It uses either draught or draft for a plan or sketch (but almost always draughtsman in this sense; a draftsman drafts legal documents). The US uses draft in all these cases (although in regard to drinks, draught is sometimes found). Canada uses both systems; in Australia, draft is used for technical drawings, is accepted for the "current of air" meaning, and is preferred by professionals in the nautical sense. The pronunciation is always the same for all meanings within a dialect (RP /ˈdrɑːft/, General American /ˈdræft/). The spelling draught is older; draft appeared first in the late 16th century.
gauntlet gauntlet, gantlet When meaning "ordeal", in the phrase running the ga(u)ntlet, some American style guides favor gantlet. This spelling is unused in Britain and less usual in America than gauntlet. The word is an alteration of earlier gantlope by folk etymology with gauntlet ("armored glove"), always spelled thus.
glycerine glycerin, glycerine Scientists use the term glycerol.
grey gray Grey became the established British spelling in the 20th century, pace Dr. Johnson and others, and is but a minor variant in American English, according to dictionaries. Canadians tend to prefer grey. Non-cognate greyhound is never grayhound. Both Grey and Gray are found in proper names everywhere.
jail, gaol jail In the UK, gaol and gaoler are used, apart from literary usage, chiefly to describe a Medieval building and guard.
kerb curb For the noun designating the edge of a roadway (or the edge of a pavement/ sidewalk/ footpath). Curb is the older spelling, and in the UK as in the US is still the proper spelling for the verb meaning restrain. Canada as US.
liquorice licorice Licorice prevails in Canada and is common in Australia, but is rarely found in the UK; liquorice, which has a folk etymology cognate with liquor, is all but nonexistent in the US. ("chiefly British", according to dictionaries).
mollusc mollusk, mollusc The related adjective is normally molluscan in both.
mould mold In all senses of the word. In Canada both have wide currency.
moult molt
neurone, neuron neuron
omelette omelet, omelette Omelette prevails in Canada and Australia. The shorter spelling is older, despite the etymology (French omelette).
orientated/disorientated oriented/disoriented
phoney phony Originally an Americanism, this word made its appearance in Britain during the Phoney War.
pyjamas pajamas Template:Pron-en in the UK, /pɨˈdʒɑːməz/ or /pɨˈdʒæməz/ in the US and Canada.
plough plow Both date back to Middle English; the OED records several dozen variants. In the UK, plough has been the standard spelling for about three centuries. Although plow was Webster's pick, plough continued to have currency in the US, as the entry in Webster's Third (1961) implies; newer dictionaries label plough "chiefly British". The word snowplough/snowplow, originally an Americanism, predates Webster's reform and was first recorded as snow plough. Canada has both plough and plow, although snowplough is much rarer than snowplow.
rack and ruin wrack and ruin Several words "rack" and "wrack" have been conflated, with both spellings thus accepted as variants for senses connected to torture (orig. rack) and ruin (orig. wrack, cf. wreck) In "(w)rack and ruin", the W-less variant is now prevalent in the UK but not the US.
sceptic (-al, -ism) skeptic (-al, -ism) The American spelling, akin to Greek, preferred by Fowler, and used by many Canadians, is the earlier form. Sceptic also pre-dates the settlement of the US and follows the French sceptique and Latin scepticus. In the mid-18th century Dr Johnson's dictionary listed skeptic without comment or alternative but this form has never been popular in the UK; sceptic, an equal variant in Webster's Third (1961), has now become "chiefly British". Australians generally follow British usage (with the notable exception of the Australian Skeptics). All are pronounced with a hard "c" though in French the letter is silent and is pronounced like septique.
storey story Level of a building. The plurals are storeys vs stories respectively. Letter e used in British English to differentiate between levels of buildings and a story as in a literary work.
sulphur sulphur, sulfur Sulfur is the international standard in the sciences (IUPAC), and is supported by the UK's RSC. Sulphur was preferred by Johnson, is still used by British and Irish scientists and is still actively taught in British and Irish schools, prevails in Canada and Australia, and is also found in some American place names (e.g., Sulphur Springs, Texas and Sulphur, Louisiana). AmE usage guides suggest sulfur for technical usage, and both sulphur and sulfur in common usage.
tyre tire The outer lining of a wheel, which contacts the road or rail and may be metal or rubber. Canada as US. Tire is the older spelling, but both were used in the 15th and 16th centuries (for a metal tire); tire became the settled spelling in the 17th century but tyre was revived in the UK in the 19th century for pneumatic tyres, possibly because it was used in some patent documents, though many continued to use tire for the iron variety. The Times newspaper was still using tire as late as 1905. For the verb meaning "to grow weary" both US and British English use the tire spelling exclusively.
vice vise The two-jaw tool. Americans (and Canadians) retain a medieval distinction between vise (the tool) and vice (the sin and the Latin prefix meaning "deputy"), both of which are vice in the UK (and Australia).
yoghurt, yogurt yogurt Yoghurt is an also-ran in the US, as yoghourt is in the UK. Although Oxford Dictionaries have always preferred yogurt, in current British usage yoghurt seems to be preferred. In Canada yogurt prevails, despite the Canadian Oxford preferring yogourt, which has the advantage of being bilingual, English and French. Australia as the UK. Whatever the spelling, the word has different pronunciations: in the UK /ˈjɒɡɚt/ or /ˈjoʊɡɚt/ in the UK, only /ˈjoʊɡɚt/ in the US, Ireland and Australia. The word comes from the Turkish yoğurt. the voiced velar fricative represented by ğ in the modern Turkish (Latin) alphabet was traditionally written gh in romanizations of the Ottoman Turkish (Arabic) alphabet used before 1928.

See also

References

External links

Notes

  1. Peters, p. 22.
  2. Peters, p. 480. Also National Routeing Guide
  3. ^ British National Corpus
  4. Peters, p. 7
  5. Peters, p. 303.
  6. "blokeish". [[Concise Oxford English Dictionary|Concise OED]]. Retrieved 2007-04-10. {{cite book}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  7. Marsh, David (14 July 2004). The Guardian Stylebook. Atlantic Books. ISBN 1843549913. Retrieved 2007-04-09. acronyms: take initial cap: Aids, Isa, Mori, Nato
  8. See for example "Pc bitten on face in Tube attack". BBC. 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  9. ^ Peters, p. 104.
  10. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved 2009-4-19.
  11. Merriam-Webster Online. (Accessed 1 January 2008)
  12. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. (Accessed 1 January 2008)
  13. "draught". Concise OED. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  14. Peters, p. 165.
  15. Oxford English Dictionary, draught.
  16. Garner, Bryan A. (1998). A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. New York: OUP. p. 313. ISBN 0195078535.
  17. "gauntlet". Concise OED. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  18. Peters, p. 235
  19. tiscali.reference. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
  20. Ernout, Alfred (2001). Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine. Paris: Klincksieck. p. 362. ISBN 2252033592. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  21. Peters, p. 321.
  22. Peters, p. 360
  23. Peters, p. 392.
  24. Oxford English Dictionary, phoney, phony
  25. Peters, p. 449.
  26. Oxford English Dictionary, plough, plow.
  27. Peters, p. 230.
  28. Maven's word of the day: rack/wrack
  29. Cald Rack
  30. Peters, p. 502.
  31. Oxford English Dictionary, sceptic, skeptic.
  32. Royal Society of Chemistry 1992 policy change
  33. "The spelling sulfur predominates in United States technical usage, while both sulfur and sulphur are common in general usage. British usage tends to favor sulphur for all applications. The same pattern is seen in most of the words derived from sulfur." Usage note, Merriam-Webster Online. (Accessed 1 January 2008)
  34. The contrasting spellings of the chemical elements Al and S mean that the American spelling aluminum sulfide becomes aluminum sulphide in Canada, and as aluminium sulphide in older UK usage.
  35. Peters, p. 553.
  36. Peters, p. 556.
  37. Peters, p. 587. Yogourt is an accepted variant in French of the more normal Standard French yaourt.
  38. Merriam-Webster Online – Yogurt entry
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