Important American And British Spelling Differences You Should Know
You may already know that the word “pants” means something else entirely in British English (hint: it doesn’t mean “trousers”), but do you know about the words that both British and American English speakers use, yet spell differently?
A basic rule of the thumb that covers these words is that American English spelling tends to be simplified and pronunciation-based. While British English favors the spelling of words as they originally appeared in the language they’ve been borrowed from – for instance, the word “cheque” – American English spellers generally write the word as they sound it out: “check.”
Writers, exchange students, and businessmen and businesswomen need to be aware of these spelling differences when dealing with people in Britain and the
Here are the main spelling differences between American and British spelling of English words.
-er/re
Words that end in –
British English
American English
center, fiber, liter, theater
-
While the British use the –nce ending, Americans generally prefer –
American English
defense, license, offense, pretense
British English
-
American English uses the –ize spelling at the end of words, and while some people in Britain accept that as a valid spelling, you’ll usually see those same words spelled with the –
British English
American English
apologize, organize, recognize
-or/-our
In British English, the preferred spelling of words ending in –our is not maintained in American English; in the United States, the “u” is dropped from the word.
American English
behavior, color, humor, labor, neighbor, flavor
British English
Double vowels “ae” and “
While the British retain the more complex spelling of words with Greek or Latin roots, using the orthodox spelling that was established when those words were brought into the English language as far back as the 14th and 15th centuries, the Americans, as usual, like their terminology simplified.
American English
leukemia
maneuver
estrogen
pediatric
British English
Words ending in a vowel plus –l
While Americans have dropped the double “l” when adding suffixes to verbs that end in the letter “l” the British still generally use the two-“l” approach to their spelling.
American English
traveling
traveled
traveler
fueled
fueling
British English
fuelled
fuelling
The rules can be confusing, especially for people who are learning English as a second language. Which system you choose often depends on where you’re learning English. Obviously, if you’re learning English in the United States, you will be taught that orthography, but if you are learning English in India, you will generally be taught the British spelling. Wherever you are, keep in mind that more often than not, the American spelling of words is a simplified version that is closer to how a word sounds rather how it was spelled in the language it has been borrowed from.
Knowing the spelling rules and differences will help you learn the spelling exceptions, too. For instance, archaeology is a spelling that’s used by English teachers and scientists in both American and British universities. Keep digging around, and you’ll find more exceptions – and that’s a hard and fast rule.
