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Which Spelling do you use? American English or British English?

by pepper81 Banned
51 replies
Colour or Color, jewelry or jewellery? Does it really matter if you choose one or the other?

For example, if someone visits your site from America and they see the British english spelling of colour instead of color, will they lose trust in your site because they think you can't spell properly?

What do you think?
#american #british #english #spelling
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    One isn't really comparing "US" and "UK" spellings/usages, here. It's actually a comparison between "US spellings" and "rest of the world spellings". There's a large number of other English-speaking countries, too (and they use almost entirely the "UK" versions), but online, they expect to see a lot of American spellings and they're acclimatised (or even "acclimated", as some people say ) to that.

    I use exclusively British spelling on my .co.uk niche site which targets an almost exclusively British market.

    For everything else I use international TLD's and exclusively American spellings.

    My belief is that non-Americans are, collectively, more tolerant to and accepting of US English than is so vice-versa.

    In this forum, I try to respond to English/Australian etc. posters with UK spellings, and to US posters with American spellings, but I sometimes get that wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author Snow_Predator
    In my opinion, it does matter. Whether you use American English or British English depends on where most of your customers are from.

    I'm from the UK, and most of my customers are American.

    I try to use American spelling when communicating to my customers, especially in my marketing.

    In marketing, you don't want the words you write to call attention to themselves, you want your potential customer to pay attention to the message and the emotions your message invokes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Suzanne Morrison
    I like to look at my stats and see where the majority of my customers come from. In the case of my IM websites it tends to be mostly US visitors so I stick to US English (at least as best as I can).

    For my .co.uk sites I stay with British English.

    Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

    My belief is that non-Americans are, collectively, more tolerant to and accepting of US English than is so vice-versa.
    I agree with this - I've had a lot of people tell me that my spelling is bad before, when in fact it was perfect, but British rather than American English.

    Cheers,
    Suzanne
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  • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
    I was brought up on the British, but prefer the US spelling. Part of it is that html uses US spellings like color. I always assumed that colour would be invalid. Thought if I just stick to one system that would be safer.

    But I also prefer the American spelling. It is shorter, simpler, and tends to be closer to pronunciation.
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  • Profile picture of the author J50
    I can just switch on and off from both, like speaking two different languages.
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  • Profile picture of the author warrich
    in school times we use to follow british english but after starting internet we use american english but british english is correct one.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      Originally Posted by warrich View Post

      in school times we use to follow british english but after starting internet we use american english but british english is correct one.
      I thought you were going to say "But neither taught us about punctuation or capital letters".

      British English is the correct one in many parts of the world. In the US, of course, American English is actually the correct one.
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      • Profile picture of the author cjreynolds
        Hey, them people in four-in countryz ain't got no idea howta conversate!
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  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    As a Canadian I tend to use the 'UK' spelling by default in my own correspondence.

    I am used to using the US spelling because the US spelling is used for code (color=red) so it is almost interchangable to me.

    I'll go back and forth in places like forum posts, but I think on my web content and articles I use the US spelling.

    Your comment about jewelry vs jewellery came up for me as I was registering some jewelry domains and used the US spelling. Which worked for most except 'Toronto' which I didn't realize until after I registered the name...

    I don't think US vs International spelling makes any difference with the 'trust' of your readers.

    Mahlon
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  • Profile picture of the author bob ross
    Just don't go making a site about fannypacks and you'll be ok.
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  • Profile picture of the author PhilippaWrites
    In my normal life I write in British English. In paid work I use whichever is appropriate to the readers or whoever has commissioned the writing.

    Years ago I got a really angry email off an American woman who had just found my personal blog and felt the need to tell me how all the spelling mistakes - all those extra Us and Ss instead of Zs - really spoiled what was otherwise a great site. I replied to explain the difference between UK and US spelling and she had genuinely never heard of it before.

    I think alexa is right that Americans are less tolerant of non-US spelling. I think it.perhaps reflects the general insular / self-centric nature of that country.


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    • Profile picture of the author Mena Jo
      I use US English - makes sense as my target audience consists mainly of Americans and as its already been said, Brits tend to get the US/UK spelling difference.

      Sometimes I find myself having to think twice about certain words, but I use this trusty checker thing to help me out: Canadian, British and American Spelling
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      • Profile picture of the author Bewley
        Dear America - David Mitchell's Soap-Box:

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      • Profile picture of the author John Coutts
        Originally Posted by Mena Jo View Post

        I use this trusty checker thing to help me out: Canadian, British and American Spelling
        That's useful! Thanks ...
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        • Profile picture of the author Martin Percival
          I have to say that, like so many others on here, I just tend to go with whoever is the majority audience for a site. It's not that hard really.

          According to a few sources, there are now more English speakers in countries like India and China than either of the two big "originals", so who know how we'll be spelling it all in 50 years!

          On a similar but unrelated note, I've found that even the pulling power of speaking with an English accent has been sadly eroded in the US. I'm forever being accused of being Australian - who let them get involved?
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          • Profile picture of the author myob
            Spelling with purposed flexibility is a subtlety that can make a significant difference in marketing and conversion rates. Fer example, my promotions are written in the coloured parlance of region and local native dialect, and even drilled down to varied idiom flavours of specialty or interest. As a prefossional writer, I write in the manner to which my targeted audience expects and are accustomed, whomever they are.
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              I grew up during the time American schools were making the transition from institutes of learning to extended daycare centers (centres?) Spelling in this country, US or otherwise, is becoming a lost art. Text messaging is hastening its demise.

              So even an ever-increasing number of Americans don't use American spelling. Of course, they don't use the UK/World spelling either. And teachers are more concerned that little Dylan or Kaitlin tried to actually form a thought than they are whether anyone will understand it.

              Because I had American spelling drummed into my head when it was still soft (warning - easy setup line), I tend to use that unless I'm deliberately using the World spelling.
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  • Profile picture of the author azmanar
    Originally Posted by pepper81 View Post

    Colour or Color, jewelry or jewellery? Does it really matter if you choose one or the other?

    For example, if someone visits your site from America and they see the British english spelling of colour instead of color, will they lose trust in your site because they think you can't spell properly?

    What do you think?
    Pepper,

    As long as you don't go for Pidgin, Street or Cockney, you'd be fine.

    Most languages are evolving, including English. Actively borrowing from each other.

    Like others are saying, the smarter way is to look at where your market is coming from.

    Anyways, you'd be surprised to find that the spelling "jewellery" is being used extensively in Canada and many parts of US, as well.

    As proof, go to Google Insights and search for the word Jewellery. You'll find the searches originated from many regions in the US.

    One word I do hate is Aluminum, when it should be Aluminium. .. lol
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    • Profile picture of the author cjreynolds
      Originally Posted by azmanar View Post

      One word I do hate is Aluminum, when it should be Aluminium. .. lol
      Aluminuminum... Yeh, that's it...
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      • Profile picture of the author prem khaira
        Banned
        I use both. I was raised in a different country and moved to the states 12 years ago.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by azmanar View Post

      One word I do hate is Aluminum, when it should be Aluminium. .. lol
      Opinions will differ, about that one.

      "Aluminum" is actually a much older English spelling/usage, as well as a more modern American one. In the UK, it actually changed from "aluminum" (originally) to "aluminium".
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    I think a lot of people uses British English than Americcan as I am receiving a lot of orders with "prioritise" instead of "prioritize", and "analyse" instead of "analyze". And yes, my PC uses American English spelling too..
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    • Profile picture of the author John Coutts
      Originally Posted by Adie View Post

      I think a lot of people uses British English than Americcan as I am receiving a lot of orders with "prioritise" instead of "prioritize", and "analyse" instead of "analyze". And yes, my PC uses American English spelling too..
      The "z" instead of "s" in words like prioritize/prioritise, analyze/analyse, and so on, is actually an old English spelling.

      When the Americans, who were actually mostly British, became Americans, not so very long ago, as the result of a little war they had against the British, they retained the accepted spelling of words at that time, while the British moved on from using the "z" in these words to replacing it with an "s."

      That, more or less, is why we are where we are today regarding the differences in those words. However, when it comes to colour versus color, for example, a man named Noah Webster is largely to blame. he produced a work in three volumes, starting in 1783, called, A Grammatical Institute of the English Language.

      The first part was The Speller. At first it adhered to the standard English spelling of the day, but after a few years with updated versions, the spelling started to change into what exists today.

      It is interesting to note that Webster claimed that he was rescuing, "our native tongue from the clamour of pedantry that surrounds English grammar and pronunciation." What he actually did, in fact, was create a whole new way of spelling many of the English words.

      John.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill_Z
    What do I use? Easy...

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  • Profile picture of the author azmanar
    Hi,

    This thread is fun .. at the same time, educational.

    Thanks OP.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    I live here in Amurrica, the owner of the forum is in Amurrica (right?), so ya'll need to speak Amurrican.

    Seriously though, it doesn't matter to me and I'm always surprised when it bothers other people. You understand what they are saying, right? They're not butchering the language (hey a reference to Dan's thread!), right? It's wasted time arguing semantics.
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    • Profile picture of the author chemo38
      Basically, who cares? What is more important is that whatever you write is spelled properly!

      Thanks for the opportunity to rant!

      chemo38
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      • Profile picture of the author dannn1
        I use the American spelling for most of my online activities. If your target market is mostly made up of Americans, I think it makes sense to use the spelling they are most used to and comfortable with.

        Whichever way you choose to write those few words, just stay consistent. If you write them the American way - always write them the American way. If you write them the other way - always write them the other way. If you mix and match your writing might come off a little grammatically strange I think.
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        • Profile picture of the author pro31lady
          I use American in my review posts because my target audience is the US. I have bought products from people that are outside the US and they use British English - but it doesn't bother me. So...I think it depends on your audience.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Montgomery
    Of course I use the Queens English
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    • Profile picture of the author azmanar
      Originally Posted by anarchy01 View Post

      Of course I use the Queens English
      In the the region you're at now, they use Singlish and their neighbours across the causeway use Manglish ( including me )...

      You don't have to worry much about relearning intonations .... lol
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      • Profile picture of the author Aswad
        Originally Posted by azmanar View Post

        In the the region you're at now, they use Singlish and their neighbours across the causeway use Manglish ( including me )...

        You don't have to worry much about relearning intonations .... lol
        Agree. For us non-english speaker, Everything look the same. I don't even recognized which one.

        As long as people can understand and know the value of your content, I guess any of them will be OK.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by pepper81 View Post

    For example, if someone visits your site from America and they see the British english spelling of colour instead of color, will they lose trust in your site because they think you can't spell properly?
    In my experience, using UK spelling and idiom makes people think you are smarter. So I do it on purpose, even though I'm American. I'm not perfect at it, but I'm close enough, and I actively try to improve.

    Some people think that's deceptive, except of course for the part where I openly tell everybody I do it because it makes people think I'm smarter.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jennifer82
    Does this really important ? I always use my own way, no mattet American English or British English ....
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  • Profile picture of the author hehejo
    I read about that in a marketing book a long time ago. If I remember correctly, it doesn't matter which one you choose, but stick with one and don't mix the two.

    But for someone like me who's native language isn't English... Good luck with that :/
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
    I use whichever one MS Word auto-corrects.

    But when it comes to saying the word "niche" on camera.. it often comes out as "nitch", even though it's pronounced as "neesh" here in the UK.

    Maybe I'm just watching too many American sales videos.
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    • Profile picture of the author sammib01
      Originally Posted by Mick Meaney View Post

      I use whichever one MS Word auto-corrects.

      But when it comes to saying the word "niche" on camera.. it often comes out as "nitch", even though it's pronounced as "neesh" here in the UK.

      Maybe I'm just watching too many American sales videos.
      I am working in Germany at the moment and my MS Word on my computer and my iPad are set to German, I hate that it changes every third word when I write in English.
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by Mick Meaney View Post

      But when it comes to saying the word "niche" on camera.. it often comes out as "nitch", even though it's pronounced as "neesh" here in the UK.
      The word niche is French, and should therefore never be pronounced in the ignorant American fashion.
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
        Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

        The word niche is French, and should therefore never be pronounced in the ignorant American fashion.
        I will be sending to this to all customer support emails that ask "what's this neesh thing you keep talking about?"
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  • Profile picture of the author sammib01
    "I say potatoe you say potaatoe, I say tomatoe you say tomaatoe, let call the whole thing off" A great old song. In the end it doesn`t matter but iit is better to use American English HERE because most of the people here are Americans and the others are adapting.

    The British English was the prototype and American English is the finished product.... SORRY just had to say that, a joke I use with my British friends who do not laugh... I wonder why. No I will not go into God save the Queen and all that my British friends would kill me, I love Britain/England/The UK what ever you want to call it and have very many friends from there. They have a great sense of humor and can drink alot more than me... which is easy.

    Use American English Here...
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  • Profile picture of the author lizashaw
    I use British spelling simply because I am British. I don't believe it makes a great deal of difference either way, as it's all about building a relationship and letting your customers/subscribers get to know you as a person (attraction marketing)

    It certainly doesn't do my business any harm anyway
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  • Profile picture of the author Sum1
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    • Profile picture of the author Silas Hart
      Originally Posted by Sum1 View Post

      It makes a difference depending on where your audience/market is.
      For that reason, I have taught my employees to use American English in both speaking and writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author williamk
    Banned
    I am using American English as it is the standard over here in my place. But I am ok with british english too.
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  • Profile picture of the author HorseStall
    I use American English spelling because Brits are more tolerant of that spelling than Americans are of British spelling.
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  • Profile picture of the author jeresteem99
    I don't really know what type of english I am using. lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Brian Tayler
    I speak/type the same. Which I guess is East Coast American. Not sure I'd be able to write any differently (and be effective at it).
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  • Profile picture of the author rob9482
    I generally find that the only people that care about the spelling are the Americans the rest of the world are a lot more accommodating to the American spelling of most words.

    Where Americans generally tend to point out that you have spelt it wrong as the only people that I've ever had comment on the spelling of words have been American.

    But the best trick is to look at your Google analytics and see exactly where your traffic comes from if the large majority of your traffic comes to America use the American spelling if a large majority of your traffic comes from the UK or the rest of Europe then use the English spelling that is probably your best bet
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Brian Tayler View Post

      OMG I hate hate hate "I could care less" LOL

      and "a whole 'nother" and "alot"
      I can't even conceive of caring less...
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