2. 5/25/2017 American vs. British spelling OWLL Massey University
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/academicwriting/americanvsbritishspelling.php 2/3
theatre theater
fibre fiber
ise vs. ize
For many verbs that end in se or ize, British spelling most commonly uses ise, whereas American spelling uses ize. Some British spelling
sources, such as the Oxford English Dictionary, also prefer ize.
British American
specialise specialize
realise realize
equalise equalize
recognise recognize
organise organize
ogue vs. og
Most words spelt ogue in British English are spelt og in American English.
British American
analogue analog
catalogue catalog
dialogue dialog
ll vs. l
When adding a suffix (e.g. ed, er, ing) to some words ending with l British spelling doubles the l, whereas American spelling does not.
British American
travelled traveled
counsellor counselor
cruellest cruelest
Other words