Spelling. Conventions
Differences in spelling between British and American English
- For most general purposes, there is little significant difference between British and American English in written texts. In practically all circumstances, any text written in standard British English will be comprehensible to an American reader, and vice versa.
- Historically, in British usage both the ise and ize spellings have been accepted in verbs like organise/organize and recognise/recognize and other parts of speech derived from them (organisation/organization and recognisable/recognizable). The ise spelling is used more frequently in a broad range of publications.
- Therefore, we recommend that the ise, yse and isation forms be used, except where the context specifically requires American spelling.
- Some universities within the Vives Network have opted to use British English with Oxford spelling. In the following paragraphs, we will highlight the spelling differences and similarities between British English, with and without Oxford spelling, and American English.
British Oxford American authorise authorize authorize authorisation authorization authorization digitise digitize digitize digitisation digitization digitization finalise finalize finalize finalising finalizing finalizing globalise globalize globalize globalisation globalization globalization
- The Greek root lys, found in British English verbs like analyse, is also conserved in Oxford spelling. American English equivalents (analyze) are again the result of standardisation reforms. Some other verbs that follow this pattern are listed below.
British Oxford American catalyse catalyse catalyze electrolyse electrolyse electrolyze paralyse paralyse paralyze - However, that British English, Oxford spelling and American English all spell certain words always with an s or with a z. In the case of s, this happens when ise is not a complete suffix but a fragment of a longer component like cise, mise, prise or vise, often from French past participles.
advertise advise compromise disguise enterprise exercise improvise merchandise supervise surprise televise revise - In the case of the letter z, this happens with a small number of words including prize and size.
- The following summary lists other well-known and now commonly accepted distinctions between British and American spelling.
British English American English ce (defence) se (defense) our (colour) or (color) re (centre) er (center) - Note that British usage has the form programme (as opposed to the American program) except when referring to computer code, in which case program is preferred.
Ligatures
- Although the æ/œ spelling (known as a ligature, in which two or more letters are graphically combined) for more technical words (e.g., œstrogen, cæsium, haematology or orthopaedics) is still in use in British English, this is now not universally the case for most other words that were traditionally written with a ligature; these words now have a single written vowel that substitutes the older æ form (medieval and encyclopedia being well-known examples).
- Opt for the simplified spelling for all such non-technical words.
Double consonants before suffixes
- Where consonants are doubled for monosyllabic words (basically, after a short vowel and immediately before a suffix beginning with a vowel such as -ing, -er, -est or -ed), British and American English spelling is the same.
flat flattest stop stoppable shop shopping -
For words of more than one syllable, however, differences between British and American usage can differ.
The letter l
- As an indication for when to double this final consonant in British English, we replicate the explanation given in Section 1.5 of the English Style Guide of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation (see Bibliography): "In British usage, a final -l is doubled after a short vowel on adding -ing or -ed to verbs (sole exception: parallel, paralleled) and adding -er to make nouns from verbs".
Examples would include the following:
Membership will probably level off by the end of the year.
Student interest in the new programmes has levelled off since January.
All those wishing to travel under the terms of the new grant should contact the International Office.
This regulation applies to administrative staff who travelled during the first semester.
Model your task on one of the following diagrams.
Project modellers will need a minimum of five years' experience. - In American English, except for words ending in -al (final/finally; minimal/minimally), l is usually not doubled before a suffix.
travel, traveling, traveled, traveler
model, modeling, modeled, modeler
level, leveling, leveled, leveler - Finally, there are certain words ending in -l in British English which double this consonant in American English:
enrol-enroll; fulfil-fulfill; appal-appall
- Note that the -l is accordingly doubled or not in derivatives ending in -ment:
enrolment-enrollment; fulfilment-fulfillment
Other consonants
- Usage may vary considerably between British and American English in the doubling of a consonant other than l at the end of a word. If in doubt, consult a reliable English dictionary. However, the following observations generally hold for both variants. The consonants t and r double before -ed and -ing if the last syllable of the root word is stressed.
The Department will admit students who meet the following requirements.
The Dean admitted that faculty disruptions were inevitable.
Students must submit their assignments in the agreed format.
Applicants who are submitting their papers in June should fill in the following form
The Rector will confer an honorary doctorate on two renowned sociologists.
The University has rarely conferred such degrees in this academic field
Faculty members will refer all complaints to the Dean.
Reliable international research should be referred to for clarification. - In contrast to this, for two-syllable words whose first syllable is stressed, the final consonant is not doubled.
open opening opened focus focusing focused target targeting targeted
- In British English the exception to this are two-syllable words ending in -p, where the final consonant is doubled even when the principal stress is on the first syllable.
The new dean plans to equip laboratories with the latest technology.
The science labs are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments.
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