I’ve done a few posts already about Yank and Brit words that have different meanings or are altogether different words!!!
Have a look at these previous posts for some fun!:
https://yankeebrit.blog/2023/01/13/yank-vs-brit-words/
https://yankeebrit.blog/2023/01/24/yank-vs-brit-words-part-ii/
https://yankeebrit.blog/2023/02/02/yank-vs-brit-words-part-iii/
But let’s take a look at words that mean the same but are spelled (spelt) different in Brit vs Yank Country. Not huge differences, but when you have a Yank laptop, PC, tablet, phone, etc., and you type something with a Brit spelling you’ll get an auto-correct! Now, again, may not seem like a big deal, unless you’re typing something to a Brit counterpart, maybe emailing a Brit business or coworker, and you want your message to be spelled “correctly” in the native Brit tongue!
I’ve taken to changing my keyboard from US English to Brit English depending on who I’m communicating with!
| Colour | Color |
| Realise | Realize |
| Metre | Meter |
| Analogue | Analog |
| Defence | Defense |
| Foetus | Fetus |
| Judgement | Judgment |
| Cancelled | Canceled |
| Jewellery | Jewelry |
| Programme | Program |
| Aeroplane | Airplane |
| Litre | Liter |
| Humour | Humor |
| Neighbour | Neighbor |
| Analyse | Analyze |
| Traveller | Traveler |
| Paediatric | Pediatric |
| Harbour | Harbor |
| Recognise | Recognize |
There are some rules, and I’ve noted a few below, but it’s not easy re-learning 50+ years of Yank spelling, especially when I’ve decided to write posts to a mixed Yank/Brit reading audience!
A few rules that may assist:
In British spelling ‘L’ is doubled in verbs ending in a vowel plus ‘L’. In American English, the ‘L’ is not doubled.
British English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe tend to be just spelled with an e in American English: Although there are exceptions to the rule. For example, archaeology is spelt in the same way as British English but archeology would be acceptable in America but is incorrect in the UK. (Did you notice I used the words “spelled” and “spelt” in this paragraph?! Brit’s use “spelt” while Yanks use “spelled”! Thought I’d use them both just for fun!)
~ British English words ending in ‘our’ usually end in ‘or’ in American English.
~ Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either ‘ize’ or ‘ise’ at the end are always spelled with ‘ize’ at the end in American English.
~ Verbs in British English that end in ‘yse’ are always spelled ‘yze’ in American English.
So, you thought that traveling (travelling), relocating or doing business on the opposite side of the pond would be easy as both Yanks and Brits speak “English” and you’d be able to recognize (recognise) subtle differences? And an easy 6 ½ hour airplane (aeroplane) flight wouldn’t be too bad for hopping back and forth across the pond? It is easy, really, but recognize (recognise) that a little more effort may be involved.
My husband generally does a proofread for me before I hit the “publish” button for my posts. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve gone back and forth around spelling!!! A little humor (humour) always helps.
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