American Spelling Vs British English – List of Common Words

American spelling is a variant of English spelling that is used primarily in the United States. It differs from other forms of English spelling, particularly British English, in a number of ways. For example, American spelling often drops the letter “u” from words like “colour” and “honour” that are spelled with a “u” in British English. It also tends to use “z” instead of “s” in words like “realize” and “organize”.

Some words end in our in Britain but in or in America: color, labor, neighbor. Some words end in tre in Britain but in ter in America: center, liter.

Some verbs can end either with ize or with ise in Britain but only with ize in America: apologize, organize, realize. In Britain there is doubling of l in an unstressed syllable. In some American words there is no doubling: marvelous, signaled, councilor.

Despite these differences, American spelling is still widely recognized and used around the world, particularly in academic and business contexts.

Here are some words with different spellings.