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English or English?
(Commonly Misspelled Words — British/American Variations)
Remembering which spelling is
correct can be tough, particularly when a reliable source spells a word
one way while another equally reliable source spells the word another
way. The reason this usually happens is simply this: one source is using
“the King’s English,” while the other is using American English.
To be correct in your own usage, you must first
consider the nationality of your target audience. Second, you must be
consistent in following either British or American English. Otherwise,
your writing is sure to be criticized.
Or should I say “criticised?” You get the point, I’m sure.
Fortunately, when you have difficulty remembering
whether it should be “honor” or “honour,” “analyze” or “analyse,”
“theater” or “theatre,” you can quickly double-check by looking at these
two online sites:
1.
Georgia State University’s Spelling Site
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm
and
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/spelling.htm
This page is dedicated to spelling differences between American and
British English, listing most of the common variations.
2.
John's ESL (English as a Second
Language) Community Site
http://www.johnsesl.com/templates/vocab/AmorBrit.php
This section of a content-rich site from John's ESL Community focuses on
differences in general between American English and British English. More
than just spelling differences, it reveals word usage differences as well
(such as cookie vs. biscuit, or
gasoline vs. petrol ). While particularly
valuable to those learning English as a second language, it is also
valuable to anyone trying to keep the spelling in one’s writing correct,
or when trying to write appropriately for an international audience.
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