Spellings That Divide: A Linguistic Journey Across the Pond

While both countries share English as their primary language, there are numerous variations in spelling between the United States and England that have long been a source of confusion and amusement, and this can trip up even the most seasoned writers. In the rich tapestry of the English language, subtle spelling variations between British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) offer a glimpse into their divergent historical paths. Here are twenty intriguing word spellings that illuminate the fascinating evolution of English language on both sides of the Atlantic:

Colour vs. Color: The difference in spelling between these two words stems from historical linguistic influences and spelling reforms. In the case of "colour," the British spelling retains the older form derived from Middle English and Old French. English spelling was standardized during the Middle English period, heavily influenced by Norman French after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The word follows the French spelling convention (words ending in "-our" typically come from French). On the other hand, "color" emerged as part of Noah Webster's spelling reforms in the early 19th century. Webster, an American lexicographer, proposed simplifying and standardizing American English spelling to reflect pronunciation more closely. Thus, "color" was born as a simplified version of "colour," aligning more closely with its pronunciation.

Neighbour vs. Neighbor, Harbour vs. Harbor, Glamour vs. Glamor, and Honour vs. Honor all follow the same path as Coulour vs. Color. Favourite vs. Favorite uses the our / or in the middle, but the spelling reason is the same, deriving from French but changed to be more simple for Americans.

Theatre vs. Theater: The spelling "theatre" is the traditional British English form, derived from Middle English and ultimately from the Greek word "theatron". During the standardization of English spelling in the 17th and 18th centuries, BrE retained this spelling, adhering to traditional orthographic conventions. Webster, however, advocated for dropping silent letters and other unnecessary elements from words. "Theater" became the simplified American spelling, aligning more closely with its pronunciation, and emerged as the preferred spelling in the early 19th century

Realise vs. Realize: The British "realise" stems from Old French, whereas the American "realize" aligns with simplified spelling reforms championed by Webster. Despite the difference in spelling, "realise" (BrE) and "realize" (AmE) are pronounced the same way. Both versions are pronounced /ˈriːəlaɪz/ in standard English. Analyse vs. Analyze:** Reflecting French influence again, BrE retains the "s" in "analyse," while AmE simplifies to "analyze" under Webster's reforms. Organise vs. Organize is yet another example.

Centre vs. Center: British English maintains the French spelling "centre," (and further back it can be traced back to the Latin word "centrum”), while American English opts for a simplified version to match pronunciation. The influence of French on the English lexicon is extensive; It has been estimated that about a third of the words in English and French in origin, and some experts suggest it is more than half! AmE often ignores French spelling, opting for Webster’s simplicity in most word spelling, but not always.

Travelling vs. Traveling: British English keeps the double LL to match the verb (think Begin – Beginning and Cut – Cutting where we double up that last consonant) while American English drops one L in accordance with simplified spelling rules. The same goes for other words with an L at the end, like modelling vs. modeling. But words that already have two L’s keep them, as in Enrolling, which is the same for both BrE and AmE. And, of course, there are exceptions: Beguiling with its single L is correct for both BrE and AmE (although this has to do with long, not short, vowel sound before the L).

Tyre vs. Tire: The term “tyre” comes from the Old English word “tyr,” which referred to a wheel’s outer covering made of leather or metal. Similarly, the word “tire” is derived from the Old English term “tige,” meaning a band or thick cord of metal or other flexible materials. The word “tyre” became standardized in British English, and British influence spread the spelling to English-speaking regions in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

Cheque vs. Check: British English preserves the Old French spelling "cheque," while American English opts once again for a simplified version. With still more French influence, Catalogue vs. Catalog shows that BrE holds onto the original French spelling, while AmE drops the extra unheard letters.

Aluminium vs. Aluminum: British chemist Sir Humphry Davy named it "alumium," later modified to "aluminium," while American chemist Friedrich Wöhler shortened it to "aluminum."

Defence vs. Defense: British English retains the French influence with "defence," while American English drops the "c" to match pronunciation, with the S being more guaranteed to show the correct sound than C for those people that don’t know that when the letter c comes directly before the letters e, i or y in English that we use the S sound, but in other cases we use the K sound.

Similarly, Licence vs. License changes to S for AmE. This one is a bit tricky, though: BrE uses "licence" as a noun and "license" as a verb, while AmE simplifies both to "license" under Webster's reforms.

Organise vs. Organize: Reflecting the French influence, British English retains the "s" in "organise," while American English simplifies to "organize" under Webster's reforms, reflecting the sound.

Jewellery vs. Jewelry: British English preserves the French spelling "jewellery," while American English simplifies it.

Paediatric vs. Pediatric: British English maintains the Greek influence with "paediatric," while American English simplifies it to "pediatric", reflecting the pronunciation more closely.

So many more! Programme vs. Program, Ageing vs. Aging, Draught vs. Draft, Arse vs. Ass, Pyjamas vs. Pajamas, Aeroplane vs. Airplane… it can be exhausting realising (realizing!) that there are so many differences!

Overall, while each spelling is correct within their respective linguistic contexts, the differences reflect the divergent historical paths of British and American English and the influence of spelling reforms on each side of the Atlantic.