Words with more than one spelling

Words with more than one spelling

• Some words have two possible spellings in British English, for example analogue, disc, enquire. 
• Sometimes the second spelling comes from American English.
• 
  
  Disc can be spelt d-i-s-c or d-i-s-k for computing terms.
  
  
  Some words ending in -ise or -yse are spelt -ize and -yze in American English. That spelling is generally accepted in British English too.
• 
  
  apologise (BrE) / apologize(AmE/BrE)
  
  
  The past form of some verbs can be spelt in two ways in British English. But the -ed ending is preferred in American English.
• 
  
  Spelled / spelt (BrE) / spelled(AmE/BrE)
  
  
  Other words have two spellings, not from any American influence.
• 
  
  all right / alright, barbecue /barbeque, racket / racquet
  
  
  Some American English spellings are not accepted as correct in British English. Two common examples are words with ou in them and words ending in -re.
• 
  
  colour (BrE) / color (AmE), centre(BrE) / center (AmE)

Theatre or theater?

Where would you go to watch a performance of Hamlet? To the theatre. Or is that...theater? Both spellings of this word are used, but the first one is British English and the second one is American English.

In 6 Minute Vocabulary we heard that there are a lot of words which are often speltdifferently in British and American English. Spelt was one of them. Take a look:

More common in British English

spelt
learnt
burnt

More common in American English

spelled
learned
burned

What other tips do we have? Well, words which end -our in British English are usually spelt-or in American English. The -re ending in lots of British English words becomes -er. And verbs which end -ise in British English are spelt -ize in American.

British English

colour
flavour

theatre
centre

apologise
organise

American English

color
flavor

theater
center

apologize
organize

• Activity