A partially satirical look at English vs. American English

Introduction

Being a former Englishman living in the United States, the differences between English and American English comes up quite regularly, and I thought I'd jot some thoughts down to explain this. American English is distinct from English but mostly understandable by all English speakers. The biggest differences are the colloquialisms and differing words for some items. As most English people have been brought up on American TV and Hollywood movies, the English can understand Americans much better than the other way around.

Noah Webster took the English language and tried to simplify some of the spellings for the colonials, so Simplified English would be an appropriate name for American English. It should be noted that other English speaking countries (such as Australia and Canada) overwhelmingly use the English spellings, and do not use the Simplified English spellings. However, there are some exceptions.

It should also be noted that all languages evolve over time, including spellings. Also, these are often not black and white; some are valid but 'less common variants' in both languages.

This article will go over the common differences in spelling by category, and have a non-exhaustive list of examples for each case. I used the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) for English, and Merriam Webster (MW) Dictionary for Simplified English.

Also, fair warning. I thought I was a reasonable speller before researching this article, but I now find myself second guessing the spelling of most words!

-our to -or

This is the most commonly noted difference, and is derived from Middle English, Old French, and Latin. The items in bold are when the derived words no longer follow the standard rules of English, and adopt Simplified English. In many cases, these are very rarely used words.

Grammatical Rule	Action	Examples
Deriving the present participle	Add '-ing'	favouring honouring
Deriving the past participle	Add '-ed'	favoured honoured

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived words
✓	arbour	arbor	arboretum arborage arbours arbourer
✓	ardour	ardor
✓	armour	armor	armourless armoury armours armourer
✓	behaviour	behavior	behaviourism behaviourist interbehaviour misbehaviour
✓	candour	candor	uncandour
✓	colour	color	colourless colourful colourfield colourise colouristic colourlike colourly colourish colourist colourism colourology colourphobia colourman anticolour discolour multicolour multicoloured pseudocolour tricolour watercolour colours colourer
✓	clamour	clamor	clamourist clamoursome clamours clamourer
✓	clangour	clangor
✓	demeanour	demeanor	misdemeanour dismeanor meanor
✓	endeavour	endeavor	endeavours endeavourer endeavourment endeavouring endeavourer endeavourous
✓	enamour	enamor	enamourment disenamour unenamoured
✓	favour	favor	favourer favours refavour enfavour favourous favourless favoursome infavour misfavour favourite disfavour unfavourable
✓	fervour	fervor	fervorous perfervour
✓	flavour	flavor	flavorous flavours flavourer flavourful flavoury flavourless flavoursome flavourist
✓	harbour	harbor	harboury harbourer harbours upharbour unharbour enharbour harbourless harborous disharbour harbourage harboursome harbourward
✓	honour	honor	honouringly honours honourer honorant unhonour mishonour rehonour honouree honourment honourless enhonour honorial honourable honourably dishonourable dishonour
✓	humour	humor	humoral hunourer humours humourous humorist humorise humoursome outhumour hunourish humourable humourless dishumour humorism humoric humorology humoresque neurohumour
✓	labour	labor	labourer labours unlaboured labourable laboursome outlabour labourage laboursome labourless praelabour labourhood Labourite Labourist Labourism laboriously belabour	*
✓	neighbour	neighbor	neighbourship neighbouress neighbourless neighbourage neighbourise neighbourhood neighbourhead neighbourly neighbourer
✓	odour	odor	odoration odorable malodour odouret odorating disodour odourfulodoroscope odourless
✓	parlour	parlor	parlourmaid
✓	rancour	rancor	rancorous rancourless
✓	rigour	rigor	rigorous rigorism rigorist rigorously
✓	rumour	rumor	rumourous rumourer rumourist
✗	saviour	savior	saviouress saviourship saviourhood
✗	savour	savor	savourless savourly savoursome savourer savours savourable missavour unsavour unsavoury
✓	splendour	splendor	displendour resplendour
✓	succour	succor	unsuccoured succorance succourless succourful
✓	tumour	tumor	pseudotumour tumoricidal tumorigenic tumoural
✓	valour	valor
✓	vapour	vapor	invapour vapoury vapourish vapourless vapourgraph vapourware vaporise vaporised vaporising vaporisation vaporisable vaporiser evaporise envapour vapourer
✓	vigour	vigor	vigourless

Cases where this rule is not applied for both English and Simplified English. The lack of -our in English tends to use -or when the word refers to a person and not a thing e.g. tenor or ancestor (I'm sure there's a grammatical term for this, but I do not know it.)

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
abhor	abhor	abhorrable abhorring abhorrer abhorration abhorful abhorfulness abhorment
ancestor	ancestor	ancestress ancestory ancestorial ancestorship
author	author	authoress authorer authorical authorless authorage authorism authorship authorcraft authorling authorial authorly unauthorish authorish authorhood
contour	contour	precontour recontour
devour	devour	devourable predevour devourment
error	error	errorful errorous errorist errorless
flour	flour	flouren floury flourless
glamour	glamour	glamoury englamour glamorous glamourless glamourise beglamour
horror	horror	horrors horrorsome horrorous horrorise horrorish horrorful
hour	hour	hourly hourglass hourage
senator	senator	senatorial senatress senatorship
tenor	tenor	tenory tenorless tenoroon tenoring
tour	tour	tourer tourist tourism tourise tourrette ecotour

-ise to -ize

This is another commonly noted difference which is applied inconsistently. The OED seems to prefer the Z version of these words, which I find strange. The letter 'Z' in Scrabble is worth 10 points, and this variation of the spelling makes the letter much more frequent.

The red shows that MW does not reference the word as a British spelling (read English spelling, not Simplified English), but the word appears as is in the OED.

Grammatical Rule	Action	Examples
Deriving the present participle	Change '-ise' to '-ising'	apologising minimising
Deriving the past participle	Change '-ise' to '-ised'	apologised minimised
Deriving the 'to make' version (when appropriate)	Change '-ise' to '-isation'	authorisation centralisation
Deriving the active form	Add '-s'	accessorises cauterises
Deriving the agent noun	Add '-r'	factoriser coloniser

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
>✓	accessorise	accessorize
✓	acclimatise	acclimatize
✓	aggrandise	aggrandize
✓	agonise	agonize	over-agonise
✗	amortise	amortize	amortisable amortisement
✓	anglicise	anglicize	de-anglicise
✗	annualise	annualize
✗	antagonise	antagonize
✓	apologise	apologize
✓	authorise	authorize	unauthorise disauthorise exauthorise reauthorise
✗	baptise	baptize	baptismal baptism rebaptise misbaptise unbaptise baptisee
✓	bastardise	bastardize
✓	bowdlerise	bowdlerize
✓	brutalise	brutalize	rebrutalise unbrutalise
✗	canalise	canalize	recanalise
✓	cannibalise	cannibalize
✗	canonise	canonize	uncanonise decanonise
✓	capitalise	capitalize	recapitalise overcapitalise undercapitalise
✓	caramelise	caramelize
✗	carbonise	carbonize	recarbonise decarbonise
✓	categorise	categorize	recategorise subcategorise
✗	cauterise	cauterize
✓	centralise	centralize	decentralise recentralise
✓	characterise	characterize	hypercharacterise undercharacterise
✓	circularise	circularize
✓	civilise	civilize	uncivilise incivilise recivilise decivilise
✓	collectivise	collectivize
✓	colonise	colonize	recolonise decolonise subcolonise uncolonise
✓	commercialise	commercialize
✓	computerise	computerize
✓	conceptualise	conceptualize	reconceptualise
✗	contextualise	contextualize	recontextualise decontextualise
✗	criminalise	criminalize	decriminalise recriminalise
✓	criticise	criticize	uncriticise hypercriticise miscriticise
✓	crystallise	crystallize	recrystallise
✓	customise	customize
✗	democratise	democratize
✗	demonise	demonize
✗	deodorise	deodorize
✗	deputise	deputize
✗	digitise	digitize
✓	dramatise	dramatize	melodramatise
✓	economise	economize
✗	editorialise	editorialize
✓	empathise	empathize
✓	emphasise	emphasize	overemphasise hyperemphasise
✓	energise	energize
✓	epitomise	epitomize	subepitomise
✓	equalise	equalize	unequalise disequalise
✓	eulogise	eulogize
✗	evangelise	evangelize
✓	extemporise	extemporize
✓	externalise	externalize
✗	factorise	factorize
✓	familiarise	familiarize	defamiliarise
✓	fantasise	fantasize
✓	feminise	feminize	defeminise unfeminise
✓	fertilise	fertilize	enfertilise refertilise
✓	fictionalise	fictionalize
✓	finalise	finalize
✓	formalise	formalize	unformalise deformalise informalise
✓	fossilise	fossilize
✗	fraternise	fraternize
✓	galvanise	galvanize
✓	generalise	generalize	overgeneralise degeneralise
✗	ghettoise	ghettoize
✓	globalise	globalize
✓	harmonise	harmonize	reharmonise unharmonise disharmonise
✓	homogenise	homogenize
✓	hospitalise	hospitalize
✓	humanise	humanize	rehumanise unhumanise dehumanise dishumanise
✓	hybridise	hybridize	rehybridise
✗	hypnotise	hypnotize	dehypnotise
✗	hypothesise	hypothesize
✓	idealise	idealize
✗	idolise	idolize
✓	immortalise	immortalize	unimmortalise
✓	immunise	immunize	hyperimmunise
✓	individualise	individualize	disindividualise unindividualise
✓	industrialise	industrialize	reindustrialise
✗	initialise	initialize	reinitialise
✓	institutionalise	institutionalize	reinstitutionalise
✓	intellectualise	intellectualize
✓	internalise	internalize
✓	ionise	ionize	reionise autoionise photoionise
✓	italicise	italicize
✓	itemise	itemize
✓	jeopardise	jeopardize
✓	legalise	legalize
✓	legitimise	legitimize	delegitimise relegitimise
✓	liberalise	liberalize	deliberalise
✓	lionise	lionize
✗	liquidise	liquidize
✓	localise	localize	delocalise mislocalise
✓	magnetise	magnetize	unmagnetise remagnetise demagnetise diamagnetise
✓	marginalise	marginalize
✓	materialise	materialize	rematerialise
✗	mechanise	mechanize	unmechanise
✓	maximise	maximize
✓	memorialise	memorialize
✓	memorise	memorize
✓	mesmerise	mesmerize	unmesmerise demesmerise
✓	metabolise	metabolize
✓	militarise	militarize	demilitarise remilitarise
✓	minimise	minimize
✗	miniaturise	miniaturize	microminiaturise
✓	mobilise	mobilize	demobilise immobilise remobilise
✓	modernise	modernize	remodernise unmodernise
✓	moisturise	moisturize
✓	monopolise	monopolize	unmonopolise demonopolise duopolise
✓	moralise	moralize	demoralise demoralisation remoralise permoralise
✓	motorise	motorize
✓	nationalise	nationalize	denationalise internationalise renationalise
✓	naturalise	naturalize	unnaturalise innaturalise disnaturalise
✓	neutralise		unneutralise
✓	normalise	normalize	renormalise denormalise
✓	optimise	optimize
✓	organise	organize	disorganise reorganise unorganise
✓	ostracise	ostracize
✓	oxidise	oxidize	deoxidise reoxidise inoxidise
✓	particularise	particularize
✗	passivise	passivize
✓	pasteurise	pasteurize
✓	patronise	patronize	transpatronise
✗	pedestrianise	pedestrianize
✓	penalise	penalize
✓	personalise	personalize	depersonalise dispersonalise
✓	philosophise	philosophize	unphilosophise dephilosophise
✓	plagiarise	plagiarize
✓	polarise	polarize	repolarise depolarise prepolarise dipolarise
✓	politicise	politicize	depoliticise
✓	popularise	popularize	unpopularise dispopularise repopularise depopularise
✓	pressurise	pressurize	depressurise repressurise
✗	prioritise	prioritize	deprioritise reprioritise
✓	privatise	privatize	reprivatise
✗	professionalise	professionalize	deprofessionalise
✗	propagandise	propagandize
✓	proselytise	proselytize
✓	publicise	publicize	overpublicise
✓	pulverise	pulverize	unpulverise micropulverise
✓	radicalise	radicalize	deradicalise
✗	randomise	randomize
✓	rationalise	rationalize	derationalise
✓	realise	realize	unrealise derealise disrealise hyperrealise
✓	recognise	recognize	precognise misrecognise unrecognise
✗	regularise	regularize
✓	revitalise	revitalize
✓	revolutionise	revolutionize
✗	rhapsodise	rhapsodize
✗	ritualise	ritualize
✓	romanticise	romanticize	unromanticise
✓	sanitise	sanitize
✓	satirise	satirize
✓	scandalise	scandalize	unscandalise
✓	scrutinise	scrutinize	unscrutinise rescrutinise
✓	secularise	secularize	unsecularise
✓	sensationalise	sensationalize
✓	sentimentalise	sentimentalize	desentimentalise
✗	sermonise	sermonize
✓	sensitise	sensitize	resensitise hypersensitise desensitise photosensitise presensitise radiosensitise
✓	serialise	serialize	deserialise
✓	signalise	signalize
✓	socialise	socialize	desocialise
✗	solemnise	solemnize	unsolemnise resolemnise
✓	specialise	specialize	overspecialise subspecialise
✓	stabilise	stabilize	destabilise restabilise
✓	standardise	standardize
✓	sterilise	sterilize	unsterilise resterilise
✗	stigmatise	stigmatize	restigmatise destigmatise
✓	subsidise	subsidize	unsubsidise
✓	summarise	summarize
✓	symbolise	symbolize
✓	sympathise	sympathize	unsympathise
✓	synchronise	synchronize	desynchronise resynchronise
✓	synthesise	synthesize	resynthesise biosynthesise photosynthesise
✗	systemise	systemize
✓	tantalise	tantalize
✓	temporise	temporize
✗	tenderise	tenderize
✓	terrorise	terrorize
✓	theorise	theorize	detheorise
✓	tranquillise	tranquilize	retranquillise untranquillise
✗	transistorise	transistorize
✓	traumatise	traumatize
✓	trivialise	trivialize
✓	tyrannise	tyrannize
✓	unionise	unionize
✓	urbanise	urbanize	deurbanise
✓	utilise	utilize	disutilise reutilise
✓	vandalise	vandalize
✓	vaporise	vaporize	evaporise
✗	verbalise	verbalize
✓	victimise	victimize
✓	visualise	visualize	revisualise
✓	vocalise	vocalize	devocalise subvocalise
✓	vulcanise	vulcanize	devulcanise
✓	vulgarise	vulgarize	devulgarise
✓	westernise	westernize
✗	womanise	womanize	bewomanise unwomanise

These are some known exceptions.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
advertise	advertise	advertisement
advise	advise
chastise	chastise
circumcise	circumcise
comprise	comprise
compromise	compromise
despise	despise
devise	devise
exercise	exercise
exorcise	exorcise
franchise	franchise
maize	maize
merchandise	merchandise
prize	prize
promise	promise
revise	revize
seize	seize	seizure
size	size	capsize
surprise	surprize

-yse to -yze

Related to changing -ise to -ize, there are also some examples where -yse is changed to -yze.

Grammatical Rule	Action	Examples
Deriving the present participle	Change '-yse' to '-ysing'	analysing catalysing
Deriving the past participle	Change '-yse' to '-ysed'	analysed catalysed
Deriving the 'to make' version (when appropriate)	Change '-yse' to '-ysation'	analysation paralysation

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✓	analyse	analyze	psychoanalyse reanalyse metanalyse
✗	breathalyse	breathalyze
✓	catalyse	catalyze	photocatalyse
✓	dialyse	dialyze
✓	electrolyse	electrolyze
✓	paralyse	paralyze

-ll to -l

Quite often, Simplified English will remove an 'L' that is sometimes added in English. It seems that MW accepts the 'LL' version of the spelling in most cases. e.g. 'cancelled', 'labelled', 'squirrelled'. The suggestion here would be to use the 'LL' version and be correct in both languages.

Most examples are the past participle version of the word.

Grammatical Rule	Action	Examples
Deriving the present participle	Change '-lled' to '-lling'	crystallising unravelling

CBS	English	Simplified English
✓	calliper	caliper
✓	callisthenics	calisthenics
✗	capitalled	capitaled
✗	caramelled	carameled
✓	chilli	chili
✗	counsellor	counselor
✓	crystallise	crystallize
✗	disembowelled	disemboweled
✗	hospitalled	hospitaled
✗	snorkelled	snorkeled
✗	tranquillised	tranquilized
✗	unravelled	unraveled
✓	untrammelled	untrammeled
✗	weaselled	weaseled

Undoubling

Simplified English seems to have something against consecutive letters (or should that be leters?) Here are some examples. The double consonant spelling seems to be accepted as a variant in most cases. e.g. 'worshipped', 'fillet'.

CBS	English	Simplified English
✗	bannister	banister
✓	bevvy	bevy
✗	clarinettist	clarinetist
✓	waggon	wagon

-ence to -ense

This simplification seems to only be applied very rarely - offence, defence, and pretence. There are more counter-examples that examples (that I can find).

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✓	defence	defense	defenceless
✗	offence	offense
✗	pretence	pretense

Counter-examples.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
commence	commence
condolence	condolence
difference	difference
fence	fence
hence	hence	henceforth
pence	pence

-re to -er

Most often noted in metric measurements - such as metre. A meter is a measuring device (such as a thermometer) and not a unit of length.

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✓	calibre	caliber
✓	centre	center	centrefold centrepiece epicentre
✓	fibre	fiber
✓	goitre	goiter
✓	litre	liter	millilitre centilitre
✓	lustre	luster	lacklustre
✗	meagre	meager
✓	metre	meter	millimetre centimetre kilometre
✗	mitre	miter
✗	reconnoitre	reconnoiter
✗	sombre	somber
✓	theatre	theater	amphitheatre
✓	sabre	saber
✓	saltpetre	saltpeter
✓	sceptre	scepter
✗	spectre	specter

Counterexample.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
sepulchre	sepulchre

-logue to -log

These word derived from the Latin (-logus) and the French (-logue). I can't seem to locate when and where the -ue was removed for Simplified English.

CBS	English	Simplified English
✓	analogue	analog
✗	catalogue	catalog
✗	travelogue	travelog

These Simplified English versions are marked as 'less frequent variants' in MW. It seems that '-logue' is valid in both languages.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
dialogue	dialog
epilogue	epilog
monologue	monolog
prologue	prolog

-y- to -i-

This one is a seemingly arbitrary change. The 'y' version of tyre is used to differentiate between 'the protective rubber like material around a wheel' and 'to become weak from exertion'.

CBS	English	Simplified English
✓	cypher	cipher
✗	syphon	siphon
✓	tyre	tire

Counterexample.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
type	type

ae to e

This is derived originally from the Greek (ai), and then from the Latin (ae) and sometimes used as a digraph (a combination of 2 letters). Using 'paed-' to refer to a child (e.g. a paediatrician) differentiates from 'ped-' based words which derives from foot.

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✓	aeon	eon
✓	aesthetic	esthetic	aesthete
✓	aetiology	etiology
✓	anaemia	anemia
✓	anaesthesia	anesthesia	anaesthetise
✓	Caesium	Cesium
✗	caesarean	cesarean
✓	chimaera	chimera
✓	encyclopaedia	encyclopedia
✓	faecal	fecal	faeces
✓	gynaecological	gynacological
✓	haematological	hematological
✓	haemoglobin	hemoglobin
✓	haemorrhage	hemorrhage
✓	leukaemia	leukemia
✓	mediaeval	medieval
✓	orthopaedic	orthopedic
✓	paederast	pederast
✓	paediatric	pediatric	paediatrician
✗	palaeolithic	paleolithic	palaeontologist
✗	praesidium	presidium
✗	primaeval	primeval
✓	toxaemia	toxemia

Counterexamples. Also, proper names tend to keep the digraph e.g. Caesar.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
aerate	aerate
aerial	aerial

oe to e

Another example of the Greek and Latin roots being dropped.

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✓	diarrhoea	diarrhea
✓	foetal	fetal	foetus
✓	foetid	fetid
✓	gonorrhoea	gonorrhea
✓	homoeopathy	homeopathy
✓	manoeuvre	maneuver	outmanoeuvre
✓	oesophagus	esophagus
✓	oestrogen	estrogen

Counterexample. Also, proper names tend to keep the classical spelling e.g. Phoenix, Oedipus.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
pharmacopoeia	pharmacopoeia

Keeping the e

The e is kept in some words to ease pronunciation by softening the preceding consonant. e.g. The 'e' in bingeing means the 'g' is pronounced as in 'hinge' and not as in 'ringing'.

CBS	English	Simplified English
✗	acknowledgement	acknowledgment
✗	ageing	aging
✗	bingeing	binging
✗	judgement	judgment
✗	likeable	likable
✗	liveable	livable
✗	moveable	movable
✗	saleable	salable

Counterexample.

English	Simplified English	Derived Words
gluing	gluing

-t to -ed

A less frequently used English contraction is to use -t for the past participle rather than -ed. This is becoming less common. 'Built' is an example used in all cases as 'builded' is not a word.

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✗	burnt	burned
✓	smelt	smelled
✓	spelt	spelled	misspelt

Miscellaneous

These are some differences that don't fit into any generic category, but several are quite close. e.g. the -ou- to -o- in mould and moult. Some spellings ending in '-gramme' get shortened to 'gram' and some with '-lette' become '-let'. Simplified English seems to remove an 'i' when there are many syllables e.g. 'Aluminium' and 'speciality'

Storey refers to the number of floors in a building whereas story refers to a narrative. These are spelt the same in Simplified English.

Gage means 'to evaluate' in English, it is distinct from 'gauge' which is an 'instrument that shows a measurement'.

MW doesn't list some words as 'Common or Mostly British' spelling of, but a trip to the local supermarket will attest that it's 'yogurt' in the US, and 'yoghurt' in England.

CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✗	aerogramme	aerogram
✓	Aluminium	Aluminum
✓	aeroplane	airplane
✓	artefact	artifact
✓	baulk	balk
✓	behove	behoove
✓	cheque	check	chequebook chequered
✓	cosy	cozy	cosier
✓	draught	draft	draughtsman
✓	enquire	inquire	enquiry enquirer
✗	epaulette	epaulet
✓	gaol	jail	gaoler
✓	gramme	gram	milligramme centigramme kilogramme
✓	grey	gray	greyout
✓	maths	math
✓	mould	mold	mouldy remould
✓	moult	molt
✓	mum	mom
✗	omelette	omelet
✗	phoney	phony
✓	plough	plow	snowplough
✓	programme	program
✓	pyjamas	pajamas
✓	sceptic	skeptic	sceptical scepticism
✗	smoulder	smolder
✗	speciality	specialty
✗	storey	story	multi-storey
✓	Sulphur	Sulfur	Sulphide Sulphate
✗	tonne	ton
✗	yoghurt	yogurt

Rare

These are very rare and I have almost never seen these.

CBS	CBS	English	Simplified English	Derived Words
✓	connexion	connection
✓	inflexion	inflection

-l to -ll

I've always used the versions with the double l.

CBS	CBS	English	Simplified English
✗	appal	appall	appalling
✗	distil	distill
✗	enrol	enroll
✗	enthral	enthrall
✗	fulfil	fulfill	fulfilment
✓	instal	install	instalment
✓	instil	instill

Practise and License

English uses the 's' version for the verb, and 'c' version for the noun. e.g. The men practised at the football practice. The intent of licensing is to discourage someone from getting a licence. Simplified English uses the 'c' version for both the verb and the noun.

Collective nouns are plural

Collective nouns are treated as singular in Simplified English, but as it refers to a group, they are treated as plural in English. The same applies to companies and teams as they refer to a set of people. e.g. A murder of crows are quite annoying. Microsoft are a big company. The McLaren Formula One team are going to be the constructor's champions this year.

Floor numbers in multi-storey buildings

The first floor in English is called the second floor in Simplified English. The ground floor is the same level as the ground, then the first floor is first storey above that. In Simplified English, the first floor is the same level as the ground, and the second floor is the 'story' above that.

References

The Oxford English Dictionary

The Merriam Webster Dictionary

Online Etymology Dictionary

The Definitive UK vs US Spelling List