Tomayto/Tomahto

“England and America are two countries separated only by language!”

George Bernard Shaw

Those who attempt to write in English (especially those who do not have English as their first language) have, at some point, wondered whether they should use the British or American spelling of a word. Further confusion is caused by the vast array of grammar and spell-check tools that follow either British or American linguistic rules.

The differences were apparent as far back as the eighteenth century when two men, unrelated but identical in name, wanted to celebrate and formalise their countries’ languages. In England in 1775, Samuel Johnson published A Dictionary of the English Language. Two decades later, Samuel Johnson Jr published the School Dictionary: Being a Compendium of the Latest and Most Improved Dictionaries in the Americas.*

The differences noted in their respective volumes are still apparent today. Here are some of the most common spelling differences between British and American English.

Examples

Removing double consonants and the silent -e

While British English still utilises many double consonants such as ‘ll’ and double consonants followed by a silent –e (mostly -mme and –nne), American English often simplifies the spelling to use only a single consonant. To confuse the matter, there are some incidences where American English uses the double consonant ‘ll’ and British English doesn’t and some incidences where they both do.

Examples

The unnecessary ‘u’

This rule is simpler and more consistent. British English insists on adding an unnecessary ‘u’ to many words while American English omits it.

Examples

The even more unnecessary ‘ue’

Another American English simplification is the removal of the silent vowel pair ‘ue’ at the end of certain words.

Examples

Vowel reduction

Once again, American English chooses to eliminate silent vowels and simplify the spelling of some British English words. The vowel pairs ‘ae’ and ‘ea’ are often reduced to a single vowel. 

Examples

‘re’ or ‘er’

In British English, some words of French, Latin or Greek origin end with –re. These letters switch places in American English to form the more phonetic suffix –er in most words. 

Examples

HOWEVER, as with most English spelling rules, there are many exceptions where both British and American English use the –er suffix.

Examples

There are also some words that are just spelled differently (no rule applied) that need to be learnt (learned) and memorised (memorized).

Examples

Finally, some words describe the same thing but are entirely different.

Examples

There are two examples that when confused can be very embarrassing: flip flops/thongs and trousers/pants!

When writing in one dialect or the other, you will want to keep all of these differences in mind and ensure your proofreader knows whether you are writing using British or American English.  

*Many credit Noah Webster as the first American lexicographer, but his dictionary was not published until 1828.