American English VS British English
When writing, the style you choose, the punctuation rules you follow, and sometimes the spelling is dictated by the final product you are aiming for. For example, different publication houses have different punctuation styles such as guidelines on whether they use the oxford comma or not. While this next statement is going to sound obvious, it is something that I see mixed up often: if you are writing to publish in the United States of America, or your story’s setting is in the USA, you should follow USA spellings (unless your book is set elsewhere).
What am I talking about? I’m talking about American English VS British English! It’s very common as a reader to be highly exposed to both (and of course, there are many other variations on the English language, but I will be focusing on these two.) I grew up reading Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and the Redwall Series by Brian Jacques, so I naturally mimicked their spellings of “grey,” “colour,” and more. In high school, my teachers pointed it out as incorrect and I said, “I like to spell it this way,” but in college/university I was told to “stop!”
American English VS British English
The English language has different spellings depending on its geographical use. A simple example within the USA can be “pop” VS “soda” VS “cola” which differs across regions. The same idea works in different countries where there are different spelling rules.
A lot of reasons for these different spellings is what spellings are preserved from the words’ original roots. Latin, Greek, French, and Old English roots are the origins of some of these words and as spelling and usage change over time, this results in these different spellings across different countries.
British is on the left and American is on the right.
-our VS -or
A common spelling difference is -our spellings in British English (left) and -or spellings in American English (right.)
Colour Color
Flavour Flavor
Armour Armor
-re VS -er
Words ending in -re in British English have French origins. These spellings were changed in America to match pronunciation styles. I know I mix these up all the time!
Sabre Saber
Theatre Theater
Centre Center
-ae VS -e
Spellings with -ae” VS e for words with Ancient Greek roots.
Aesthetic Esthetic
Aeon Eon
Anaesthesia Anesthesia
-oe VS -e
Similar to -ae spellings, -oe VS -e spellings are another one to learn!
Manoeuvre Maneuver
Diarrhoea Diarrhea
Oestrogen Estrogen
-ence endings
-ence endings in British English VS -ense endings in American English. The usage in British English dictates that the –ense only for verbs, not objects with the same word.
Defence Defense
Pretence Pretence
Offence Offense
Double Consonants
Certain verbs in American English have doubled consonants whereas British English does not—and vice versa! Unfortunately, this is something you just have to memorize.
Dishevelled Disheveled
Traveling Travelling
Instalment Installment
-e endings
When a word ends in -e they may differ between the uses depending on the words’ origins. Words coming from Old English in both American and British English have a silent -e in words such as “name” or “have.” But there are words in British English with the silent -e from French loanwords where their American English counterparts drop that “e.”
This is something that needs to be memorized. There are some irregular words such as “judgement” in British English VS “judgment” in American English.
Programme Program
Annexe Annex
Gramme Gram
-ize VS -ise endings
This one is common as well and I will always have trouble with it. British English words have -ise endings instead of -ize.
Civilise Civilize
Recognise Recognize
Organise Organize
Miscellaneous Words
Did you know any of these? How many have you used interchangeably on accident?
Towards, Forwards, Backwards Toward, Forward, Backward
Aeroplane Airplane
Catalogue Catalog/ Catalogue
Dialogue Dialogue/ Dialog
Grey Gray
Sceptical Skeptical
Sulphur Sulfur
Cheque Check
Chequerboard Checkerboard
Doughut Donut
Why Can’t I Use Both?
As the writer yourself, I can never tell you what you have to do. You have free will as the creator but an important goal to have in your writing is consistency. You can choose to write in either American English or British English, but it must be one or the other. If not, the mixed-use of variations will look like errors, can distract your reader, and will come off as confusing. What happens when your reader gets distracted or confused? They are not immersed in your story.
Consistency is key. You do not want a sentence such as: “The morning sky was a deep grey color.”
Unique Language
On top of different spellings, there are unique words and idioms in different cultures and countries. This is something to be mindful of because this is a powerful tool. If you are writing in a certain setting different from your own, it’s important to research that local language. I’m going to use the “soda” VS “pop” example again for soft drinks.
If your story takes place in the Midwest, Mountain, or Pacific Northwest of America, the most common usage is the word “pop.” Now, I personally know in Ohio you will always incite an argument if you declare this, but living in the Midwest my whole life, “pop” is the most common thing to say. So, if your character lives in this kind of setting and goes to a restaurant and asks for some “bubbly” and no one blinks an eye at that word usage, that is not accurate to your setting.
It’s the same thing if I wrote a story set in the U.K. and my character walked around asking for “fries” and “where is the bathroom” instead of saying “chips” and “the loo” or “water closet.”
(Fun fact: after an extended stay abroad, when I returned to the USA and went out to eat, I was asked if I wanted “chips or fries” and my brain malfunctioned and I just stared, broken, and confused, at the waitress.)
Conclusion
When writing something for fun or on your own, you are welcome to do whatever you like, but that habit might make it harder when you are working on something for publication, professional, and more. Many years ago, I made the switch and tried to make sure everything I wrote was in American English, to match my professional work, but even as I am working on this weekly, I’m noticing a few spellings I’ve still been using on accident! (I’m looking at you “theatre!”)
When getting published for a paper, publication house, and more, those institutions will always have their own style sheet, telling you what punctuation and English spelling styles they use. Being aware of the styles you currently use or may need to improve on is essential.
Best,
Danni Lynn, Evangeline40003