Spelling

For students of English, the differences between American English and British English spelling conventions are perhaps among the most obvious, since most learners use written material in their learning process, material which may derive from either source. In general, British English retains spellings that are conservative in nature, that derive from the development of English writing over the centuries. American English spelling, on the other hand, is marked by attempts at regularization (for instance, by the lexicographer Noah Webster, whose dictionary of 1828, with many examples of reformed spelling, eventually received official government backing). This gives rise to certain patterns of difference, as outlined below. Note, however, that the notorious vagaries of English spelling persist even in the spelling of American English (for example, see below, the letter “l”). In the following lists, the American spellings are given on the left, their British equivalents on the right.