American English versus British English

There are some variations in American and British English spellings which sometimes confuse readers who are not aware of this fact. The British (and those of the Commonwealth countries) spell words as they have always been spelling them. The Americans, on the other hand, tend to spell words as they sound… often by omitting some letters. The most common difference –

1. Nouns that end in –or in American English, end in –our in British English. Examples:

American English	British English
color	colour
neighbor	neighbour
favor	favour

2. Nouns that end in –er in American English, end in –re in British English. Examples:

American English	British English
meter	metre
center	centre
theater	theatre

3. Nouns that end in –g in American English, end in –gue in British English. Examples:

American English	British English
catalog	catalogue
dialog	dialogue
analog	analogue

4. Some other examples of nouns:

American English	British English
program	programme
draft	draught
check	cheque
jewelry	jewellery
tire	tyre

5. Verbs that end in –ze in American English, end in –se in British English. Examples:

American English	British English
criticize	criticise
memorize	memorise
organize	organise

6. –ll versus –l: In American English, verbs that end in –l preceded by a vowel, form their past by keeping the l singular when the suffixes –ed or –ing are added; but in British English the l is doubled. Examples:

American English	British English
traveled/traveling	travelled/travelling
quarreled/quarreling	quarrelled/quarrelling

But – in American English, the l is doubled when the last syllable of a word that ends in –l is stressed; whereas, in British English it is not. Examples:

American English	British English
fulfill	fulfil
enrollment	enrolment
skillful	skilful

7. Some other differences when suffixes are added:

American English	British English
aging	ageing
kidnaping	kidnapping
argument	arguement
judgment	judgement

These are just some of the differences in American and British English spellings. There are others, but it’s not possible to give them all here in one post. (We have already written about the differences in spellings when forming the past of some verbs :– those ending in –ed or –t.)

There is another thing that must be mentioned here. As a result of modern trends in the pop scene, scientific and technical advances, as well as the fast growth and reach of the media, American spellings are fast gaining ground. Their influence can also be seen in British English which is now slowly adopting American spellings as standard. This is why you will often see American spellings in British English.

Both the American and British spellings are correct and any may be used, but consistency is important.