English or Americanized Spelling?

[Mattaru]

When writing, formally, informally and online [which is a whole different language] do you use English or Americanizsed spellings of words?

For those of you unfamiliar, these are some of the very basic variations between the two. For example:

*Offence [English] ---> Offense [American]
(I remember several smartasses in lolPlaza tried to correct me on that one. "No offense, but you spelled offense wrong!" :facepalm)

*Americanized [English] ---> Americanised [American]

*Honour! Valour! [English] ---> Honor! Valor! [American]

Just a few. There are plenty more variations. l->ll, er->re, ed->t etc.

Another thing I wanted to ask, when you read works by British authors - past and present, e.g. Shakespeare, or J.K., are they 'Americanized' as such?


A particular predicament came up when one of my unassessed university essays let slip an auto-correct from a U.S. edition of Microsoft Word; I was penaliszed for using the American spelling. Which seems rather anal-retentive to me, but I see their point :(

Which do you prefer? I wouldn't simply say that Amercians use the American form and English use the English form. I know several schools in England that teach in the American form, and vica versa. Which one looks 'right' to you?

[Trunkten]

English. The proper way.

It's the way I've been taught, it's the original version and it looks better, what more reason do I need? :awesome

[Lord Yu]

Depends on the word. Some words I'm used to the UK spelling.

[Kool-Aid]

american spelling seems to have been the beginning of internet spelling.:zaru

i use american, but if i was born in the UK i'd use UK english.

[Mattaru]

Depends on the word. Some words I'm used to the UK spelling.

Vast majority for me. However, a lot of Americanized spelling have officially displaced the UK ones. Banque -> Bank, for example, although that's slightly archaic.

Don't quite agreee with the UK -ae- either. However, the missing 'u' from our->or really, really irks me.

It's all rather blurred in my head right now, after a year of studying American authors. :argh

[Tyrael]

I'm a vehement advocate of English spelling, for no good reason.

-ise and -our are the two that really bug me. Some pronunciations like "aluminium" (and it's telling me that's spelled wrong...) annoy me too.

[Neptune]

Americanized

[Chee]

I use Americanised.

[halfhearted]

Depends on the word, for me.

Considering the fact that I was raised in America, I'm most apt to use American spellings for words. However, there are definite exceptions like theatre and archaeology, where I either learned to spell them in the English manner or just prefer to do so for whatever reason.

A particular predicament came up when one of my unassessed university essays let slip an auto-correct from a U.S. edition of Microsoft Word; I was penaliszed for using the American spelling. Which seems rather anal-retentive to me, but I see their point

I actually had that happen in high school once or twice. Only, instead of being penalized for the American spelling, I was being reprimanded for using the English version.

[Shaidar Haran]

Depends on the word, for me.

Considering the fact that I was raised in America, I'm most apt to use American spellings for words. However, there are definite exceptions like theatre and archaeology, where I either learned to spell them in the English manner or just prefer to do so for whatever reason..^^This.

Two countries separated by a common language.

[sel]

The ize/ise thing isn't as simple as; use one if you're on this side of the pond and the other if you're on the other. There is actually a rule though I can't remember it now for the life of me.

That said I use English (U.K.) as it's known in my word processor.


-ise and -our are the two that really bug me. Some pronunciations like "aluminium" (and it's telling me that's spelled wrong...) annoy me too.

A-loo-minum. Like what the bloody hells with that? :awesome

[Barinax]

I'm Canadian, so I use both.

When on places like these forums, I have to think before I type American spelling, or I type it as I would in school and go back and change it. Like color and colour.

I prefer using analyse to analyze, but either way can work, and some variation often slips in.

I don't use tyre instead of tire though.

A-loo-minum. Like what the bloody hells with that? :awesome
When people pronounce it aluminium, I'm guessing.

[less]

It's Al-oo-min-ee-yum. I will never compromise on this.

"Aluminum" sounds like "nucular" to me.

As for what I use, I've found that my spelling has turned more and more American the more I've been internetting. It's slowly wearing me down, to a point. I'll never spell the oposite of day "nite" though.

So I guess I'm UK, slowly drifting towards a horrible middle ground.

[Auraya]

English spelling. Although the occassional sulfur instead of sulphur does end up in my work depending on the text book I'm using. We get penalised to my school for using american spellings most of the time .

[Cardboard Tube Knight]

English spelling. Although the occassional sulfur instead of sulphur does end up in my work depending on the text book I'm using. We get penalised to my school for using american spellings most of the time .

Of course you would say that!

I think I prefer out shorter American spellings.

[Auraya]

English spellings look prettier though :ohpek

[choco bao bao]

Since my country uses UK English, so do I. Except for using 's' and 'z' interchangeably at times, like 'organise' vs 'organize', I hardly ever slip into American English. It annoys me to see words like 'sulfur', 'esophagus' and 'hemoglobin' in my lecture notes (because most of my professors are from American universities). As well as the missing 'u' from '-our'.

[sel]

And pedophile (paedophile), diarrhea (diarrhoea) & feces (faeces).

[Guts]

aussie mate, crikey

[Voynich]

A mixture. Mostly UK english except for the more archaic spelled words for which the American spelling seems alot more logical to me.

[Okokami]

Mainly UK, but occasional slip-ups with 's' and 'z' happen, me writing/speaking UK and speaking in an American accent for some unknown reason (I don't even have any American influences, apart from internet) doesn't help much.

[Tyrael]

And pedophile (paedophile), diarrhea (diarrhoea) & feces (faeces).

I knew I was spelling them right. Damn, and word processors had fooled me into thinking that I was doing it wrong.

[Huike]

English. The proper way.

It's the way I've been taught, it's the original version and it looks better, what more reason do I need? :awesome

What he said.

[DominusDeus]

American English, please.

The over-use of "ae", "ea" and "u" in European English annoy me to no end.

I'm referring to common words that are spelled differently State side. Words spelled the same in both countries do not bother me.

pedophile and paedophile, check and cheque, honor and honour... I don't even pronounce them the same.

Also, "biscuits", "chips" and "jelly" are completely different things State side, and vice-versa.

[Psallo a Cappella]

Americanized.

[Sen]

I use Americanized spellings (which where I'm from, we spell as Americanized and not Americanised).

Also, when I read works by British authors, they're usually kept in the original format, especially Shakespeare. The first few Harry Potter books had a lot of changes for the American versions (or so I've heard, I've only read the American versions), but the later books have kept in most of the British slang (row, jumper, etc) in comparison.

[Fojos]

I use both. I use honour, but I don't use daemon.

[SP]

I use English English. :gar

[Leraine]

Personally I prefer the UK-spelling, simply because that's what we've been taught in school and for most words I simply like the look of it more, though that doesn't mean that I use it consciously. Most of the time my texts are a random mix of both.
But I do try to be conscious about it during english exams, since I have a slight suspicion that my English teacher prefers to read the English spelling.

[Serp]

I live in england and spell UK style, although I do slip up from time to time and write americanized.

[Nae'blis]

When I write it's in English spelling. Sometimes American spelling creeps in because of the books I read or Word (which is in American spelling).

[Tobirama]

Chiefly British :edu


Though I found myself in the habit of typing "mom" instead of "mum" and having to go back and correct myself.

Fucking forum. :vegetant

[Roja]

American English is how I base my writing/spelling. The only time I don't use American English is for names that don't use it. For example, I'll call it a "theater" unless it's officially called "[something] Theatre."

[mr_yenz]

English, since I live in Australia. But I tend to mix the two, it's pretty bad.

[Pacha Batofar]

I’ve studied in American schools most of my life, so I generally use American spelling but a lot of my current reading material consists of works by English authors which has definitely made an impact. I tend to be a lot more careful now though, because I’m studying in Australia and spelling organisation as organization means a mark off.

[.:Jason:.]

American! With interchanging z and s at times. Althought I'm always confused as to wether the American version is gray or grey.

[Mashiro]

I usually use English spellings when I write just because it looks better on paper.

[Dattebayo-chan]

It depends on the words kinda. I'm not really sure which spelling I use anyway. I think I use both. I'll go with American though since I'm more used to it.

[parker pyne]

I live in Australia and it seems to be a combination of both here. Mostly english though.

English words I use:
favourite, flavour, behaviour, neighbour etc.
mum (instead of mom)
gaol (instead of jail)
Foetus, diarrhoea
paedophile, faeces
recognise, satirise, cognitise etc.

[Jiyun Nomiya]

My spelling is very much the same as Dolph Lundgren's.......

[Raeshell]

I'm from the UK so I use that system of spelling but I think that eventually most words will go over to the american way as there are loads of silent letters and sounds we no longer pronounce in UK English

[Amnesia]

I like to use both. Simply to confuse people and annoy them with my inconsistency. =P Though, for certain words, like honour, valour, or colour, I like that added 'u'. It makes it seem so much prettier (as far as words go). Also like the UK spelling of theatre as well. Looks better. I am so shallow...

[parker pyne]

I like the look of "paedophile", "haemorrhage", and "diarrhoea" better.