Wikipedia:List of spelling variants

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of English words that have different American-English spellings. For example, the word colour (English) can also be spelled color (American-English), and labeled (American-English) can also be spelled labelled(English).

If you add a word pair, please add it alphabetically – this will eliminate any dispute over which is the "preferred" spelling. For example, there should be an entry:

spelled, spelt

as opposed to the entry

spelt, spelled

since spelled is alphabetically prior to spelt.

See also: American and British English differences, Wikipedia:List of common misspellings


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Italics show the English version (--66.30.39.56 19:20, 11 September 2007 (UTC)).

[edit] A

  • æroplane, airplane
  • æsthetic, esthetic
  • ageing, aging
  • aluminium, aluminum
  • ameba, amœba
  • anæmia, anemia
  • anæsthesia, anesthesia
  • analyse, analyze
  • analog, analogue
  • annex, annexe
  • archæology, archeology
  • armor, armour
  • arse, ass – except when referring to donkeys, universally ass
  • artefact, artifact
  • ax, axe

[edit] B

  • behavior, behaviour

[edit] C

  • cæsium, cesium
  • camomile, chamomile
  • carburetor, carburettor
  • catalog, catalogue
  • center, centre
  • check, cheque
  • checker, chequer
  • cipher, cypher
  • click, clique – referring to an exclusive group
  • colonise, colonize
  • colonisation, colonization
  • color, colour
  • complection, complexion
  • connection, connexion
  • cosy, cozy
  • counsellor, counselor
  • curb, kerb – when speaking of the edge of a road

[edit] D

  • dæmon, demon
  • defence, defense
  • demagog, demagogue
  • dialed, dialled
  • dialog, dialogue
  • diarrhea, diarrhœa
  • disc, disk
  • draft, draught
  • dreamed, dreamt

[edit] E

  • encyclopædia, encyclopedia
  • enrollment,enrolment
  • equaling, equalling
  • esophagus, œsophagus
  • estrogen, œstrogen

[edit] F

  • favorite, favourite
  • fæces, feces
  • fiber, fibre
  • fetid, fœtid
  • fetus, fœtus
  • flautist, flutist
  • flavor, flavour
  • fulfillment, fulfilment
  • furor, furore

[edit] G

  • gaol, jail
  • glycerin, glycerine
  • gray, grey
  • gynæcology, gynecology

[edit] H

  • hæmophilia, hemophilia
  • harbor, harbour
  • harmonise, harmonize
  • harmonisation, harmonization
  • homolog, homologue
  • honor, honour
  • humor, humour

[edit] I

  • installment, instalment

[edit] J

  • jail, gaol - but "jail" is common in British English now
  • jewellery, jewelry
  • judgement, judgment

[edit] K

[edit] L

  • labor, labour
  • leaped, leapt
  • learned, learnt – past tense of to learn; an educated person is always learned (in this case pronounced "learn-ed")
  • leukæmia, leukemia
  • licence, license
  • licorice, liquorice

[edit] M

  • maneuver, manœuvre
  • mediæval, medieval
  • meter, metre – for the unit of length; in British English, a meter is a measuring device
  • modeling, modelling
  • mold, mould
  • mollusc, mollusk
  • molt, moult
  • mom, mum
  • monolog, monologue
  • moustache, mustache

[edit] N

  • neighbor, neighbour

[edit] O

  • œsophagus, esophagus
  • œstrogen, estrogen
  • offence, offense
  • organisation', 'organization'
  • orthopædic, orthopedic

[edit] P

  • pædiatric, pediatric
  • pædophile, pedophile
  • pajamas, pyjamas
  • paralyse, paralyze
  • pedagog, pedagogue
  • plough, plow
  • practice, practise – as a verb
  • pretence, pretense
  • prise, prize – the verb, meaning to lever
  • program, programme – when not speaking of a computer program
  • propeller, propellor

[edit] Q

  • quarreled, quarrelled
  • quarreling, quarrelling

[edit] R

  • realise, realize
  • realisation, realization
  • routeing, routing

[edit] S

  • savory, savoury
  • sceptic, skeptic
  • signaling, signalling
  • skilful, skillful
  • speciality, specialty
  • spelled, spelt
  • storey, story – a level of a building
  • sulfur, sulphur

[edit] T

  • theater, theatre
  • tire, tyre – the component of a wheel
  • tranquility, tranquillity
  • traveled, travelled
  • traveling, travelling

[edit] U

[edit] V

  • vice, vise – when referring to the tool

[edit] W

  • woolen, woollen

[edit] X

[edit] Y

  • yoghurt, yogurt

[edit] Z