DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH SPELLINGS (PART 1)

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH SPELLINGS (PART 1)

I wish to emphasize clearly, that our country, Nigeria, was colonised by Britain and we are under the British Commonwealth of Nations.  And as a result, we use British or U.K. (United Kingdom) English for communication here, in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and other Anglophone countries, and not American English as is practised insome other countries.

Worrisomely, with American English now being used as the default language in computers, many English users in foreign lands, like our Nigeria, have become confused about the correct spellings of words which are spelt differently in British English and American English.

Let me now present some words which are spelt differently in British English and American English, with guidelines on such differences.

1^st Guideline:       Words which end with our in British (U.K.) English change to or endings in American English.

List of some commonly used words which end with our in British (U.K.) English,but end with or in American English:

BRITISHENGLISH SPELLING	AMERICAN ENGLISH SPELLING
armour armoury behaviour candour clamour colour demeanour endeavour favourite flavour glamour harbour honour humour labour neighbour odour rancour rigour rumour saviour savour savoury splendour valour vapour vigour	armor armory behavior candor clamor color demeanor endeavor favorite flavor glamor harbor honor humor labor neighbor odor rancor rigor rumor savior savor savory splendor valor vapor vigor

2^nd Guideline:      Words which have re endings in British (U.K.) English change to erendings in American English:

        List of some words which end with re in British (UK) English,but end with er in American English:

BRITISHENGLISH SPELLING	AMERICAN ENGLISH SPELLING
centre fibre kilometre litre louvre lustre manoeuvre meagre metre millimetre sabre sceptre sombre spectre theatre amphitheatre calibre centimetre	center fiber kilometer liter louver luster manoeuver meager meter millimeter saber scepter sombre specter theater amphitheater caliber centimeter