With the Fourth of July approaching, I’m reminded of one of the ways America wanted to show its independence from Britain: by making revisions to British English spellings.
In addition to adopting the Declaration of Independence, the initiation of language reform also showed that America was a distinct nation. Nineteenth century American lexicographer Noah Webster was responsible for this reform.
Many British English words aren’t spelled the way they sound (their spellings are similar to the language from which they originated: French). This inconsistency is confusing; therefore, Webster introduced revisions to British spellings so that sounds and spellings would be consistent (and, according to Webster, superior to British spellings).
Some examples of these spelling revisions included changing words ending in –our to end in –or (e.g., behaviour/behavior and colour/color) and changing words ending in –re to end in –er (e.g., theatre/theater and centre/center).
I sometimes see British spellings in American English writing.
These are the two most common British spellings I see that cause confusion for writers of American English:
towards/toward (Toward is preferred in American English.)
amongst/among (Among is preferred in American English.)
It’s easy to see why there’s confusion: both spellings are similar and comprehensible.
So why does it matter which spelling we use?
Because we have to follow the style of English in which we are writing. American spellings are more commonly used in American English. British spellings are more commonly used in British English.
Because consistency is important in writing, it’s best to stick with one style of English.
