American vs British Spelling

English spelling can be quite convoluted to master as it is, given the gap between it and the pronunciation of the words. Adding to that confusion is the variation in spellings for the same words in America and the UK. The right version is likely to depend on which side of the Pond the writer and/or their readers are from. 

Why are American and British Spellings Different? 

The divergence in spelling can be attributed to the fact that the English spelling had not been standardized at the time of American colonization. Multiple versions of spelling for the same word were used, based on which sounded best to the user. In Britain, the first efforts to standardize English spelling began to take place around the 15th and 16th centuries. Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language published in 1755 is widely considered to be the first definitive work in this direction. 

Over 50 years later, in 1828, Noah Webster published his own dictionary in America. He is the man to whom is attributed American spelling and whose name continues to be carried on one of the most widely used dictionaries today. This dictionary was, among other things, an expression of an American cultural identity distinct from that of Great Britain, in spite of a common language. 

Over the years, both versions of English spelling have undergone their own evolutions under the influence of cultural, scientific, technological, and political occurrences. At times, certain spellings have been developed on one side of the Atlantic, migrated to the other, and gained far wider usage and popularity there and hence become associated with the latter. With greater globalization too, instances arise where either version of the spelling could be used interchangeably and be accepted.  

However, American and British spellings have managed to maintain distinct identities, at times carrying in the minds of both, readers and writers, certain connotations. British spelling largely retains the influence of the original language from which the word originated, giving clues to its roots. It thus, sometimes appears to be more divorced from the pronunciation of the word. American spelling, on the other hand, owing to Webster, is more simplified. Words are spelled much closer to how they are most commonly pronounced.  

Differentiating between the two though, may still be bewildering to some. Multiple iterations of the same spelling could also cause uncertainty about which to use or which one is “correct.” Knowing how to distinguish American spelling from British spelling is also important for those writing academic essays or papers, as consistency in form is very important.

Important Differences in American and British Spelling

Below are some points that ought to be kept in mind to quickly determine which version of the spelling is American and which is British.

1. –er vs –re

This is one of the biggest differences, and yet, quite subtle at the same time. The –re endings of words reflect their French origins. In British English, these endings are retained. In the US, the order is reversed to –er in most such words, reflecting the pronunciation. 

2. –or vs –our

This is probably the most well-known difference between the two versions. American spelling drops the “u” from words that in British English end in –our. 

3. –ense vs –ence

Words in British English that end in –ence, in American English end in –ense. 

4. Silent –e

Several spellings in British English end with a silent –e. Sometimes, the consonant preceding the e is also doubled. In American spelling, the –e along with the double consonant (if present) is often dropped. 

There are words, such as judge and acknowledge that are spelled the same in both countries. Adding suffixes to them though is a different matter. The –e is dropped in American English. Therefore, judgement and acknowledgement are British, whilst judgment and acknowledgment are American. 

5. Double Consonants

The ruling is quite simple and uniform for most words that end in consonants. In both British and American English, the final stressed consonant is doubled when a suffix is added to the root word. 

However, with the letter l, the rules become a bit more complex. In British English, when suffixes are added to some words ending in l, the consonant is doubled; however, in American English, it is not.   

On the other hand, for some words that end in ll, the pattern seems to reverse. The double l is maintained in American English when adding certain suffixes to it, while one l is dropped when doing so in the British spelling. 

6. –ize/–yze vs –ise/–yse

Words that end in –ise or –yse in British English are spelled with –ize or –yze in American English. The American endings are also sometimes accepted in the UK now. 

7. –e– vs –ae–/–oe–

The use of double vowels (–ae– and –oe–) in British spelling is another instance of the retention of influence from the original language. Double vowels are replaced with the single e in American spelling, reflecting the pronunciation. 

8. –og vs –ogue

This difference is not as hard and fast as the others on this list. Some words ending in British English with –ogue do have versions in the US that end in –og, such as catalog(ue), analog(ue), and dialog(ue). However, this doesn’t exclude the –ogue ending from American vocabulary. In fact, these are used as often as the –og ending in the US.