Seven British And American Spellings

Some British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) words have the same meaning and pronunciation but different spellings. If you are not sure about a spelling, it's best to look it up in a British or American dictionary as appropriate.

Here are seven common differences:

1. ogue/og
BrE: analogue, catalogue, dialogue
AmE: analog, catalog, dialog

2. our/or
BrE: colour, favourite, honour
AmE: color, favorite, honor

3. ence/ense
Bre: defence, licence
AmE: defense, license

4. s/z
BrE: analyse, criticise, organisation (but z is also used)
AmE: analyze, criticize, organization

5. l/ll
BrE: enrolment, fulfil, skilful
AmE: enrollment, fulfill, skillful

6. re/er
BrE: centre, theatre, metre
AmE: center, theater, meter

7. miscellaneous
BrE: jewellery, programme, practise, pyjamas
AmE: jewelry, program, practice, pajamas

NB1: in BrE program is used when talking about computers
NB2: in BrE practise is a verb and practice is a noun

Different Meanings In British And American