American and British English Spelling Differences - Miscellaneous Spelling Differences

Miscellaneous Spelling Differences

In the table below, the main spellings are above the accepted alternative spellings. Note that this list includes words that were historically spelled differently in American/British English but today are usually spelled the same.

UK	US	Remarks
ache	ache, ake	Ake is the older spelling of the verb. It was changed to ache in the 18th century as it was wrongly thought to come from the Greek akhos.
acre	acre, aker	The word was spelled aker in Middle English and æcer in Old English.
adze	adz, adze
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 – the root word is spelled with an -e at the end in the UK and Australia, but in the US and New Zealand it is not.
artefact, artifact	artifact	In British English, artefact is the main spelling and artifact a minor variant. In American English, artifact is the usual spelling. Canadians prefer artifact and Australians artefact, according to their respective dictionaries. Artefact reflects Arte-fact(um), the Latin source.
artisan	artisan, artizan
axe	ax, axe	Both the noun and verb. The word comes from Old English æx. In the US, both spellings are acceptable and commonly used. The Oxford English Dictionary states that "the spelling ax is better on every ground, of etymology, phonology, and analogy, than axe, which became prevalent in the 19th century; but it is now disused in Britain".
brasier	brasier, brazier
camomile, chamomile	chamomile, camomile	The word derives, via French and Latin, from Greek χαμαίμηλον ("earth apple"). The more common British spelling "camomile", corresponding to the immediate French source, is the older in English, while the spelling "chamomile" more accurately corresponds to the ultimate Latin and Greek source. 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 known as a current account or cheque account in the UK is spelled chequing account in Canada and checking account in the US. Some American financial institutions, notably American Express, use cheque, but this is merely a trademarking affectation.
chequer	checker	As in chequerboard/checkerboard, chequered/checkered flag etc. In Canada as in the US.
chilli	chili, chile	The original Mexican Spanish word is spelled chile. In Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, chile and chilli are given as also variants.
choir	choir, quire	Quire was given as an alternative spelling by Webster (1828, 1844 and 1913) and Century Dictionary. However, Quire is also used in the UK to refer to the area in a cathedral occupied by the choir (usually the western part of the chancel).
cipher, cypher	cipher
coulter, colter	colter
corvette	corvette, corvet
cosy	cozy	In all senses (adjective, noun, verb).
dyke	dike
domicile	domicile, domicil
doughnut	doughnut, donut	In the US, both are used, with donut indicated as a variant of doughnut. In the UK, donut is indicated as an American variant for doughnut.
draught	draft	British English usually uses draft for all senses as the 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 America. It uses either draught or draft for a plan or sketch (but almost always draughtsman in this sense; a draftsman drafts legal documents). American English uses draft in all these cases, including draftsman (male or female) (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.
gauge	gage, gauge	Both spellings have existed since Middle English.
gauntlet	gauntlet, gantlet	When meaning "ordeal", in the phrase running the ga(u)ntlet, some American style guides prefer 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.
gazelle	gazelle, gazel	The word comes from French gazelle, which was spelled gazel in Old French.
glycerine	glycerin, glycerine	Scientists use the term glycerol, but both spellings are used sporadically in the US.
grey	gray	Grey became the established British spelling in the 20th century, pace Dr Johnson and others, and it is but a minor variant in American English, according to dictionaries. Canadians tend to prefer grey. The non-cognate greyhound was never grayhound. Both Grey and Gray are found in proper names everywhere in the English-speaking world. The two spellings are of equal antiquity, and the Oxford English Dictionary states that "each of the current spellings has some analogical support".
grille	grill, grille	In the US, "grille" refers to that of an automobile, whereas "grill" refers to a device used for heating food. However, it is not uncommon to see both spellings used in the automotive sense, as well as in Australia, and New Zealand.
hearken	harken	The word comes from hark. The spelling hearken was likely influenced by hear.
idyll	idyll, idyl	Idyl was the spelling of the word preferred in the US by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, for the same reason as the double consonant rule; idyll, the original form from Greek eidullion, is now generally used in both the UK and US.
jail, gaol	jail	In the UK, gaol and gaoler are used sometimes, apart from literary usage, chiefly to describe a medieval building and guard. Both spellings go back to Middle English: gaol was a loanword from Norman French, while jail was a loanword from central (Parisian) French. In Middle English the two spellings were associated with different pronunciations. In current English the word, however spelled, is always given the pronunciation originally associated only with the jail spelling (/ˈdʒeɪl/). The survival of the gaol spelling in British English is "due to statutory and official tradition".
kerb	curb	For the noun designating the edge of a roadway (or the edge of a British pavement/ American sidewalk/ Australian footpath). Curb is the older spelling, and in the UK and US it is still the proper spelling for the verb meaning restrain.
(kilo)gram, (kilo)gramme	(kilo)gram	(Kilo)gramme is used sometimes in the UK but never in the US. (Kilo)gram is the only spelling used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
liquorice	licorice	The American spelling is nearer the Old French source licorece, which is ultimately from Greek glykyrrhiza. The British spelling was influenced by the unrelated word liquor. Licorice prevails in Canada and it is common in Australia, but it is rarely found in the UK. Liquorice is all but nonexistent in the US ("Chiefly British", according to dictionaries).
midriff	midriff, midrif
mollusc	mollusk, mollusc	The related adjective may be spelled molluscan or molluskan.
mosque	mosque, mosk
mould	mold	In all senses of the word. The American spelling is the older of the two. In Canada, both words have wide currency. When speaking of the noun describing a form for casting a shape, the US will also use the "mould" spelling, but defaults to "mold" when referring to the fruiting bodies of tiny fungi.
moult	molt
neurone, neuron	neuron
omelette	omelet, omelette	The omelet spelling is the older of the two, in spite of the etymology (French omelette). Omelette prevails in Canada and in Australia.
opaque	opaque, opake	The opake spelling is the older of the two. The word began to be respelled in the 17th century to match the French spelling. Nevertheless, the older spelling lingered and appeared in Webster's dictionaries.
partisan	partisan, partizan
phantasm	phantasm, fantasm	The word was originally spelled in English with an f but began to be respelled in the 16th century. It is related to the words fantasy and fantastic, which were for a time spelled phantasie and phantastique.
phantom	phantom, fantom	The fantom spelling is the older of the two and has existed since Middle English. It is related to the words phantasm/fantasm, fantasy and fantastic.
phoney	phony	The American spelling is the older of the two. The word originated in America and made its widespread appearance in Britain during the Phoney War. Phony is famously used often in The Catcher in the Rye.
plough	plow	Both spellings have existed since Middle English. The OED records several dozen variants. In the UK, plough has been the standard spelling for about 300 years. Although plow was Noah Webster's pick, plough continued to have some currency in the US, as the entry in Webster's Third (1961) implies. Newer dictionaries label plough as "chiefly British". The word snowplough/snowplow, originally an Americanism, predates Webster's dictionaries and was first recorded as snow plough. Canada has both plough and plow, although snowplough is much rarer there than snowplow. In the US, "plough" sometimes describes a horsedrawn kind while "plow" refers to a gasoline (petrol) powered kind. The American spelling appears to relate to the Latin "plovum".
primaeval	primeval	Primeval is also common in UK but etymologically 'ae' is nearer the Latin source primus first + aevum age.
rack and ruin	wrack and ruin	Several words like "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. The term, however, is rare in the US.
redoubt	redoubt, redout	The word comes from French redoute. The b was added by influence of the unrelated word doubt.
rhyme	rhyme, rime	In the context of sound and music, the word was spelled rime or ryme in Middle English. The term 'rime ice' is unrelated and is spelled the same everywhere.
sceptic (-al, -ism)	skeptic (-al, -ism)	The American spelling, akin to Greek, is the earliest known spelling in English. It was preferred by Fowler, and is used by many Canadians, where it is the earlier form. Sceptic also pre-dates the European settlement of the US, and it 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 the old Webster's Third (1961), has now become "chiefly British". Australians generally follow the British usage (with the notable exception of the Australian Skeptics). All of these versions are pronounced with a hard "c", though in French that letter is silent and the word is pronounced like septique.
scythe	scythe, sithe	The word comes from Old English siðe . Some writers began to use the sc- spelling in the 15th century as they wrongly thought it was related to the Latin scindere (meaning "to cut").
slew, slue	slue, slew	Meaning "to turn sharply; a sharp turn", the preferred spelling differs. Meaning "a great number" is usually slew in all regions.
smoulder	smolder	The American spelling is the older of the two and has existed since Middle English.
stead(fast)	stead(fast), sted(fast)
storey	story	Level of a building. The plurals are storeys and stories respectively. The letter "e" is used in the UK and Canada to differentiate between levels of buildings and a story as in a literary work. Story is the earlier spelling. The Oxford English Dictionary states that this word is "probably the same word as story though the development of sense is obscure.
sulphate	sulfate, sulphate
sulphur	sulfur, sulphur	Sulfur is the preferred spelling by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and by the UK's Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). During the Middle English period the word was spelled with an f. However, sulphur was preferred by Dr Johnson. It is still used by British and Irish scientists, and it is still actively taught in British and Irish schools. It prevails in Canada and Australia, and it is also found in some American place names (e.g. Sulphur, Louisiana and White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia). American English usage guides suggest sulfur for technical usage, and both sulfur and sulphur in common usage and in literature. The variation between f and ph spellings is also found in the word's ultimate source: Latin sulfur, sulphur.
syrup	syrup, sirup
through	through, thru	"Thru" is typically used in the US as shorthand.
throughout	throughout, thruout
towards, toward	toward, towards
tyre	tire	The outer portion of a wheel. In Canada as in the 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 rubber / 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 American and British English use only the tire spelling.
vice	vise, vice	The two-jawed workbench tool. Americans and Canadians retain the very old distinction between vise (the tool) and vice (the sin, and also the Latin prefix meaning a "deputy"), both of which are vice in the UK and Australia. Thus, Americans have Vice-Admiral, Vice-President, and Vice-Principal, but never Vise- for any one of these.
villain	villain, villan	The word comes from Old French villain, which comes from Medieval Latin villanus.
vineyard	vineyard, vinyard
visor	visor, vizor
woe(ful)	woe(ful), wo(ful)
yoghurt, yogurt	yogurt, yoghurt	Yoghurt is an also-ran in the US, as is yoghourt in the UK. Although the Oxford Dictionaries have always preferred yogurt, in current British usage yoghurt seems to be prevalent. In Canada, yogurt prevails, despite the Canadian Oxford preferring yogourt, which has the advantage of being bilingual (English and French). In Australia as in the UK. Whatever the spelling is, the word has different pronunciations: in the UK /ˈjɒɡɚt/ or /ˈjoʊɡɚt/, only /ˈjoʊɡɚrt/ in America, Ireland, and Australia. The word comes from the Turkish language word yoğurt. The voiced velar fricative represented by ğ in the modern Turkish (Latinic) alphabet was traditionally written gh in romanizations of the Ottoman Turkish (Arabic) alphabet used before 1928.

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