Lesson
20: Differences between
British and U.S. English
In
this series of lessons, you will learn useful spelling rules
in
English.
This final lesson will talk about some common differences between
British
and U.S. English spelling. Of course both forms are correct,
but it is important for you to use one style of English consistently in
your writing.
Several of the rules below talk about suffix
spelling differences
between British
and U.S. English. There are also some rules you should
remember about double consonants when adding endings to words.
Finally, there is a list of some common words that are spelled
differently. These cannot be explained by a simple rule, so you should
learn them separately.
These are only the most common spelling differences that you will see
frequently. You will find more examples as you encounter new words and
read
different kinds of texts.
In British
English, the ending -ise
for verbs is more common, though some words also end in -ize.
In U.S. English, -ize
is much more common, but you will also find some verbs that end in -ise.
This difference applies to words with Greek roots. But instead of
looking up each new word's root, you should simply study this list of
the most common words with a different spelling in British and U.S.
English.
You will also see that some words are spelled -yse
in British English, while they end in -yze
in U.S. English.
British English
U.S.
English
realise
realize
recognise
recognize
finalise
finalize
analyse
analyze
paralyse
paralyze
catalyse
catalyze
Also remember that when you add noun suffixes to these
words, they will maintain their s
or z,
depending on the spelling rules you choose.
So, organisebecomes
organisation,
but organizebecomes
organization. Realise
becomes realisationwhile
realizebecomes
realization.
2. -our versus -or
Which flavour
/ flavor
of ice cream is your favourite
/ favorite?
One of the most common differences between British and U.S. English
spelling is the our
/ or
variation.
Here are some common words with this spelling difference:
British English
U.S. English
colour
color
behaviour
behavior
labour
labor
neighbour
neighbor
harbour
harbor
rumour
rumor
honour
honor
3. -re versus -er
You should drink between two and three litres
/ liters
of water every day.
Although there are many words that end in -er
in British English, you will not find the -re
ending in U.S. English. Remember that this difference only applies to
root words. So, the comparative -er ending is the same in both styles.
Here are the most common examples of this spelling difference:
British English
U.S. English
calibre
caliber
centre
center
theatre
theater
sabre
saber
metre
meter
sombre
somber
4. Doubling the final L in British English
James is travelling
/ traveling
to Asia for the first time.
When we add endings to words that end in l (the verb endings -ed, -ing, -er, and -est, or the noun
suffixes -er
and -or),
the word's final l
is usually doubled in British English.
In U.S. English, the final consonant is usually only doubled when the
stress is on the final syllable of the word and the words ends in a
single consonant and a single vowel. Check the articles on adding -ed and adding
-ing for more details.
Here are some of the most common words with this spelling difference:
British English
U.S. English
cancelling
canceling
crueller
crueler
signalled
signaled
labelled
labeled
modelling
modeling
counsellor
counselor
traveller
traveler
5. Miscellaneous spelling differences
This is an elevent-storey
/ story
building. There are also some common words that are spelled
differently in the two styles, but do not respond to a specific rule.
Here are some of the most important ones you should study.
British English
U.S. English
aeroplane
airplane
aluminium
aluminum
cheque
check
cosy
cozy
furore
furor
kerb
curb
mould
mold
moustache
mustache
pyjamas
pajamas
sceptical
skeptical
speciality
specialty
sulphur
sulfur
tyre
tire
Review
So, let's review what we have learned about the differences in spelling
in British and U.S. English:
The suffixes -ise
and -yse
are more common in British English, while -ize
and -yze
are more common in U.S. English.
The ending -our
is more common in British English, while -or
is more common in U.S. English.
The ending -re
is more common in British English, while -re
is more common in U.S. English.
The final l
is doubled in words in British English when certain word endings are
added (-ing,
-ed, -er, -est, and -or), while the final
l is
only doubled when the stress is on the final syllable and the root word
ends in a single consonant and a single vowel in U.S. English.
There are also some common words that have a different
spelling in British and U.S. English but do not follow specific
rules.