British or American?
We use British English spellings. American books, games and websites often spell words differently, so watch out!
| Pattern | British ✔ | American ✘ |
|---|---|---|
| -our | colour, favourite, neighbour, behaviour, humour | color, favorite, neighbor |
| -re | centre, theatre, metre, litre, fibre | center, theater, meter |
| double l | travelled, cancelled, jewellery, marvellous | traveled, canceled, jewelry |
| -ce nouns | defence, licence (noun), practice (noun) | defense, license |
| -ogue | catalogue, dialogue | catalog, dialog |
| others | grey, programme (on TV), tyre, cheque, pyjamas, aluminium, mum | gray, program, tire, check, pajamas, mom |
You’ll also see -ise in British English: organise, realise, recognise, apologise.
Watch out! A computer set to American English will “correct” British spellings. Check which language your spell-checker uses.
Top tip: remember one word from each pattern: colour, centre, travelled. Then match new words to them.
👆 Spot the British spelling
Tap every word that is spelt the British way.
🔎 British English check1 of 5