British and American spelling

In this list, we will outline the rules concerning the main differences between British and American spelling.

Rules regarding the differences between British and American spelling will be shown below so that you can easily distinguish between American and British spelling or orthography.

It should also be noted that, although absolutely not obligatory, it pays to be consistent in your spelling, either following one or the other (American or British spelling), but not both at the same time.

The examples below are only a very small portion and do not include ALL the words.

Nouns ending in –ence in British English are –ense in American English:

British English	American English
Offence	Offense
Pretence	Pretense
License (only noun)	License (verb & noun)
Practice (only verb)	Practise (noun & verb)
Defence	Defense
Vice	Vise

British words ending in –our, end in –or in American English:

British English	American English
Flavour	Flavor
Colour	Color
Behaviour	Behavior
Saviour	Savior
Rumour	Romor
Neighbour	Neighbor
Colour	Color
Labour	Labor

In British English, verb suffixes are spelt with –ise, whereas in American English it’s –ize at the end:

British English	American English
Organise	Organize
Apologise	Apologize
Critise	Criticize
Symbolise	Symbolize
Realise	Realize
Authorise	Authorize
Capitalise	Capitalize
Equalise	Equalize

In British English, the ‘L’ is doubled in words ending in a vowel, plus ‘L’:

For example, fuel, travel, label, cancel etc. In American English, the ‘L’ is not doubled (the rule applies to the participle, gerund forms, and noun forms, if applicable)

British English	American English
Fuelled	Fueled
Cancelled	Canceled
Jeweller	Jeweler
Woollen	Woolen
Marvellous	Marvelous
Counsellor	Counselor
Revelled	Revealed
Levelled	Leveled

In British English, verbs ending in –yse are spelt –yze in American English: 

British English	American English
Paralyse	Paralyze
Analyse	Analyze

In British English, words spelt with the affix –ae or –oe change to an –e in American English: 

British English	American English
Paediatric	Pediatric
Leukaemia	Leukemia
manoeuvre	maneuvre
Oestrogen	Estrogen
Foetus	Fetus
Diarrhoea	Diarrhea
Caesarean	Cesarean
Anaemia	Anemia

In British English, some words that take only one ‘l’ can have two ‘ll’s’ in American English:

British English	American English
Skilful	Skillful
Wilful	Willful
Enrol	Enroll
Distil	Distill
Fulfil	Fulfill
Enthral	Enthrall
Appal	Appall
Instil	Instill

Nouns that end in –ogue in British English will normally take the –og ending in American English:

British English	American English
Analogue	Analog
Dialogue	Dialog
Prologue	Prolog
Travelogue	Travelog
Epilogue	Epilog
catalogue	catalog
Monologue	Monolog

See also