1、There are some well-known spelling differences between British English and American English. Many of these spelling differences result from French influence on English. British English has a tendency to keep the spelling of many words of French origin. Americans try to spell words more closely to th
2、e way they sound phonetically and they tend to omit some letters. The general spelling differences between British and American English are listed below.British -our vs. American -or differencearmour armorbehaviour behaviorcolour colorfavourite favoriteflavour flavorharbour harborhonour honorhumour
3、humorlabour laborneighbour neighborrumour rumorsaviour saviorBritish -re vs. American -erdifferenceamphitheatre amphitheatercentimetre centimetercentre centerfibre fiberkilometre kilometerlitre literlustre lusterlouvre louvermanoeuvre maneuvermetre meterspectre spectertheatre theaterBritish -ae/-oe/
4、-oeu vs. American-e/-o/-eu differencearchaeology archeologygynaecology gynecologyleukaemia leukemiamanoeuvre maneuvermediaeval medievalmementoes mementosoestrogen estrogenorthopaedic orthopedicpaediatric pediatricpalaeontology paleontologytoxaemia toxemiaBritish -se vs. American -ze difference*analy
5、se analyzeapologise apologizeappetiser appetizercatalyse catalyzecivilise, civilisationcivilize, civilizationcolonise, colonisationcolonize, colonizationcriticise criticizeemphasise emphasizeBritish -l vs. American -ll differenceenrolment enrollmentfulfil fulfillinstalment installmentskilful skillfu
6、lBritish -ll vs. American -l differencecounsellor counselorfuelled fueledtravelling travelingBritish -ogue vs. American-og differenceanalogue analogcatalogue catalogdialogue dialogmonologue monologBritish ence vs. American-ense differencedefence* defenselicence license organise organizepopularise, p
7、opularisationpopularize, popularizationprise prizerealise realizerecognise recognizeparallelled paralleledquarrelling quarreling!Remember: In British English, verbs that end in -l preceded by a vowel usually double the final -l when a suffix -ed/-ing is added. In American English the final -l is dou
8、bled only when the last syllable is stressed. (noun)license (verb)(bothnoun and verb)offence* offensepretence pretense*But note: defensive, offensive*Additional notes: British English uses both “-ise“ and “-ize“ forms but tends to prefer -ise (-isation) form.: Verbs in British English that can be sp
9、elled with either “-ize“ or “-ise“ at the end are always spelled with -ize in American English.: Verbs in British English that end in “-yse“ (e.g. analyse) are always spelled “-yze“ in American English (analyze). British -dge/-gue vs. American -dg/-gu)judgement judgmentarguement argumentBritish -que
10、 vs. American-k/ck differencebanque bankcheque (money) checkBritish -gramme vs. American -gram differenceprogramme (noun)(TV/radio programme or programme of events - plans, conferences, a theatre programme etc.)programprogramme (verb) (to instruct) program (-mm-)program (programme)(computer program)
11、 programgram (gramme) gramkilogram (kilogramme) kilogramMiscellaneous spelling differencesBritish American British Americanageing aging mould moldaluminium aluminum mum, mummy (mom, mam) mom, mommyencyclopaedia encyclopedia omelette omeletkerb (edge of roadway or pavement)curb (verb means “restrain“
12、)curb (bothnoun and verb)practise (verb), practising, practice (noun)practice (bothnoun and verb),practicingdraught (current of air) draft pyjamas pajamasgrey gray plough plowsulphur or sulfur sulfur tyre tirejewellery jewelery sceptic skepticmarvellous marvelous woollen woolenIt is useful to learn both British and American English forms, but a good recommendation is to aim for consistency in your spelling.
