Why is colour spelled differently

The spelling of British English words were cemented by Samuel Johnson in what is considered to be one of the most famous dictionaries in the world. British English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe tend to be just spelled with an e in American English: Although there are exceptions to the rule. For example archaeology is spelt in the same way as British English but archeology would be acceptable in America but is incorrect in the UK.

If you liked this article head to GB Mag. The differences in British and American spelling. Share Tweet Share Email. Subscribe to: Post Comments Atom. Bottom Ad [Post Page]. Subscribe to Lost in the Pond. Powered by Blogger. Support 'Lost in the Pond' Become a Patron! With a total area of almost 3. We Brits have a slang expression for seemingly all aspects of daily life; food, drink, sex, work, education etc. And the concept of money One of the things I cherish most about living in the United States - especially as someone with a deep interest in language nuances - is w Colour is used in other English-speaking countries.

The word color has its roots unsurprisingly in the Latin word color. The current difference in spelling between the American and British variants is credited to or occasionally blamed on Noah Webster, the American lexicographer.

Seeking to establish American independence and identity in language, Webster implemented a number of spelling reforms in A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language , which he published in There are a couple of ways you can choose which spelling to use.

If English is not your first language, use the spelling you were taught. In other words, choose consistency. The choice of Kaine is particularly glaring in light of the fact that people of color , especially African-Americans, hold the key to a Clinton victory. Scragg, Webster's dictionary of is largely responsible for standardizing the accepted spelling of American English. Before , many words, such as humor or humour , defense or defence and fiber or fibre , had two acceptable spellings on both sides of the pond, because they were introduced in England via both Latin and French, which used different spellings.

Webster picked his preferred forms the former ones in each example above , justifying his choices in various ways, but partly on nationalist grounds: he wanted American spelling to be distinct from, and in his opinion superior to, British spelling. He is in a way 'responsible' for such forms as center , color and defense.