American and British English spelling differences facts for kids

American and British English spelling popularity

Many of the differences between American and British English date back to a time when spelling standards had not yet developed.

For instance, some spellings seen as "American" today were once commonly used in Britain and some spellings seen as "British" were once commonly used in the United States.

A "British standard" began to emerge following the 1755 publication of Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language, and an "American standard" started following the work of Noah Webster and in particular his An American Dictionary of the English Language, first published in 1828.

Webster's efforts at spelling reform were somewhat effective in his native country, resulting in certain well-known patterns of spelling differences between the American and British varieties of English.

Images for kids

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  An 1814 American medical text showing British English spellings that were still in use ("tumours", "colour", "centres", etc.).