7 British/American Spellings

Learn how some UK and US words are spelled differently

Some British English and American English words have the same meaning and pronunciation but different spellings. Here are seven common groups. If you are not sure about a spelling, it’s best to look it up in a British or American dictionary as appropriate.

1. ogue/og
BrE: analogue, catalogue, dialogue
AmE: analog, catalog, dialog

2. our/or
BrE: colour, favourite, honour
AmE: color, favorite, honor

3. ence/ense
Bre: defence, licence
AmE: defense, license

4. s/z
BrE: analyse, criticise, organisation (but z is also used)
AmE: analyze, criticize, organization

5. l/ll
BrE: enrolment, fulfil, skilful
AmE: enrollment, fulfill, skillful

6. re/er
BrE: centre, theatre, metre
AmE: center, theater, meter

7. miscellaneous
BrE: jewellery, programme, practise, pyjamas
AmE: jewelry, program, practice, pajamas

NB1: in BrE program is used when talking about computers
NB2: in BrE practise is a verb and practice is a noun

See different meanings in British and American here

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Posted by Josef Essberger May 2023
Contributor: Josef Essberger, founder of EnglishClub. Originally from London, England, Josef is the author of several books for learners of English including English Prepositions List and Learn English in 7.

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