British spelling
1
3.2
- noun
- UK
:
ortografía británica
- He prefers to use British spellings in his writing, particularly for recognise instead of 'recognize'.
Examples
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The retention of the British spelling—centre as opposed to center—alludes to the age of the street.
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Many British spellings are so firmly entrenched that I have to consciously Americanize my spelling at times.
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I still have to make a conscious effort to eliminate the British spellings from my writing at work.
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Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humor and the intermittent use of British spelling.
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But Discworld seems different, a little, with humor using the British spelling as an integral part of plot and character both.
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In her essay, she used the British spelling of words like colour and favour.
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When editing documents for an international audience, it's important to follow the British spelling conventions for words like organise.
Synonyms
The way words are spelled in the United Kingdom, for example colour and theatre
The usual spelling and rules used in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, different from American spelling
English spelling used in the UK, Ireland and many other countries, different from American spelling
Way of writing English words used in the UK, Ireland and many Commonwealth countries, different from American English
A way people write English words in Ireland using British forms like colour
A way of spelling English used in Ireland that is similar to British spelling but with some Irish differences
A style of English spelling used in Ireland, like favour and centre
The normal way to spell English words in New Zealand
Standard English spelling that people use in New Zealand, like organise rather than organize
The rules for spelling, capital letters, hyphens, and punctuation in New Zealand English
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'British spelling' is directly and compositionally derived from 'British' (relating to Britain) + 'spelling' (letter arrangement), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the spelling conventions used in Britain. This is a straightforward descriptive noun phrase reflecting a regional variety and is cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
British spelling comes from the older ways writers and printers in Britain wrote words, often keeping letters from French and earlier forms. When American writers later simplified some words, for example dropping the 'u' in 'color', Britain kept the older forms like 'colour', so British spelling often looks different today.