American and British English use the same words, but some of them are spelled differently. In the US, teachers, employers and spell-check expect American spelling, so use it in emails, job applications and college essays. Most of the differences follow a few simple patterns.
The pattern
My favorite color is gray.
We traveled to Denver, but our flight home was canceled.
01-or and -er endings
American English drops the u from words that end in -our in British English: color, favorite, neighbor, behavior, honor, flavor, humor, harbor. Many British words that end in -re end in -er in American English: center, theater, meter, liter, fiber.
One exception: words that end in -cre keep -re, so the c stays hard: acre, mediocre. You'll also see Theatre in the names of some American theaters, but write theater in your own sentences.
| British | American |
|---|---|
| colour | color |
| neighbour | neighbor |
| behaviour | behavior |
| centre | center |
| theatre | theater |
| litre | liter |
02-ize and -ense
American English uses -ize: organize, realize, recognize, apologize, and -yze: analyze. But some words end in -ise in every kind of English. Never change these: advertise, exercise, surprise, advise, compromise, supervise.
Some nouns end in -ense: license, defense, offense. In American English, practice and license are both nouns and verbs.
- I need to organize my closet.
- We analyzed the survey results.
- I exercise before work.
- She practices the guitar every day.
03One l or two?
When you add -ed, -ing or -er to a verb that ends in one l, American English keeps one l if the stress is not on the last syllable: traveled, traveling, traveler, canceled, labeled, modeled. If the stress is on the last syllable, double it: controlled, compelled, excelled.
A few words have two l's in American English but one in British English: enroll, fulfill, skillful.
- We traveled all over Texas last summer.
- The game was canceled because of the rain.
- I want to enroll in a night class.
04Other everyday differences
Americans usually write catalog, gray and program (for a TV show, a college course or a computer). A few more to know: a bank check, car tires, jewelry, pajamas and mold.
| British | American |
|---|---|
| catalogue | catalog |
| grey | gray |
| programme | program |
| cheque | check |
| jewellery | jewelry |
| mould | mold |
05Common mistakes
My favourite colour is blue.
My favorite color is blue.
American English drops the u in -our words.
We travelled to Chicago last fall.
We traveled to Chicago last fall.
Travel is stressed on the first syllable, so American English keeps one l.
I love the exercize class at my gym.
I love the exercise class at my gym.
Exercise always ends in -ise, in American and British English.
Meet me at the theatre downtown.
Meet me at the theater downtown.
American English uses -er: theater, center, liter.