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1. 5/25/2017 American vs. British spelling ­ OWLL ­ Massey University
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American vs. British spelling
When writing assignments in New Zealand most lecturers will expect you to spell words in the British rather than the American fashion. Note
however that some lecturers only insist on internal consistency: it should either have totally British spelling or totally American spelling.
Ensure that your computer's spell­checker is set to the correct variety of English, or check in a good dictionary.
The main differences between British and American spelling are as follows:
­our vs. ­or
Most words ending in ­our in British English are spelt ­or in American English.
British American
colour color
flavour flavor
labour labor
rumour rumor
behaviour behavior
favourite favorite
­re vs. ­er
Words ending in ­re in British English are usually written ­er in American English.
British American
centre center
metre meter
litre liter
Massey University > OWLL > Academic writing > Editing and proofreading > American vs. British spelling

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theatre theater
fibre fiber
­ise vs. ­ize
For many verbs that end in ­se or ­ize, British spelling most commonly uses ­ise, whereas American spelling uses ­ize. Some British spelling
sources, such as the Oxford English Dictionary, also prefer ­ize.
British American
specialise specialize
realise realize
equalise equalize
recognise recognize
organise organize
­ogue vs. ­og
Most words spelt ­ogue in British English are spelt ­og in American English.
British American
analogue analog
catalogue catalog
dialogue dialog
­ll­ vs. ­l­
When adding a suffix (e.g. ­ed, ­er, ­ing) to some words ending with l British spelling doubles the l, whereas American spelling does not.
British American
travelled traveled
counsellor counselor
cruellest cruelest
Other words

3. 5/25/2017 American vs. British spelling ­ OWLL ­ Massey University
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Some other common words are also spelt differently.
British American
programme program*
bank cheque bank check
defence defense
speciality specialty
aluminium aluminum
sceptic skeptic
* In British English “program” is used for computer software, but “programme” for other meanings.
References and further reading
Marriot, S., & Farrell, B. (1992). Common errors in written English. Edinburgh: Chambers.
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Last updated on 25 October, 2012