EnglishLady
Veteran Expediter
There have been quite a few "spellcheckers" on EO lately, so here is my get out of jail free card in case anyone thought I was mis-spelling anything LOL
There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These are the main ones to be aware of.
(Oxford University)
Words ending in –re
British English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English:
British ............. US
centre............. center
fibre.............,,, fiber
litre................ liter
theatre............ theater or theatre
Words ending in -our
British English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:
British........ US
colour........ color
flavour....... flavor
humour....... humor
labour........ labor
neighbour... neighbor
Words ending in -ize or -ise
Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with -ize at the end in American English:
British..................... US
apologize or apologise. apologize
organize or organise... organize
recognize or recognise. recognize
Words ending in -yse
Verbs in British English that end in -yse are always spelled -yze in American English:
British................... US
analyse................. analyze
breathalyse............ breathalyze
paralyse................ paralyze
Words ending in a vowel plus l
In British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:
British.......... US
travel.......... travel
travelled...... traveled
travelling..... traveling
traveller...... traveler
fuel........... fuel
fuelled....... fueled
fuelling....... fueling
Words spelled with double vowels
British English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:
British........... US
leukaemia...... leukemia
manoeuvre.... maneuver
oestrogen..... estrogen
paediatric..... pediatric
Note that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.
Nouns ending with –ence
Some nouns that end with -ence in British English are spelled -ense in American English:
British....... US
defence.... defense
licence..... license
offence.... offense
pretence.. pretense
Nouns ending with –ogue
Some nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:
British......... US
analogue..... analog or analogue
catalogue.... catalog or catalogue
dialogue ...... dialog or dialogue
The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm, but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.
Oxford University Press
There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These are the main ones to be aware of.
(Oxford University)
Words ending in –re
British English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English:
British ............. US
centre............. center
fibre.............,,, fiber
litre................ liter
theatre............ theater or theatre
Words ending in -our
British English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:
British........ US
colour........ color
flavour....... flavor
humour....... humor
labour........ labor
neighbour... neighbor
Words ending in -ize or -ise
Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with -ize at the end in American English:
British..................... US
apologize or apologise. apologize
organize or organise... organize
recognize or recognise. recognize
Words ending in -yse
Verbs in British English that end in -yse are always spelled -yze in American English:
British................... US
analyse................. analyze
breathalyse............ breathalyze
paralyse................ paralyze
Words ending in a vowel plus l
In British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:
British.......... US
travel.......... travel
travelled...... traveled
travelling..... traveling
traveller...... traveler
fuel........... fuel
fuelled....... fueled
fuelling....... fueling
Words spelled with double vowels
British English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:
British........... US
leukaemia...... leukemia
manoeuvre.... maneuver
oestrogen..... estrogen
paediatric..... pediatric
Note that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.
Nouns ending with –ence
Some nouns that end with -ence in British English are spelled -ense in American English:
British....... US
defence.... defense
licence..... license
offence.... offense
pretence.. pretense
Nouns ending with –ogue
Some nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:
British......... US
analogue..... analog or analogue
catalogue.... catalog or catalogue
dialogue ...... dialog or dialogue
The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm, but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.
Oxford University Press