British English spelling
- noun
- UK
:
escritura del inglés británico
- When writing in British English spelling, be sure to use 'theatre' instead of 'theater' as commonly seen in the US.
Examples
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Students in the UK learn British English spelling, which often includes different vowel placements compared to American English.
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In British English spelling, words like 'colour' and 'favour' use a 'u' that is absent in American English.
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( And it is a cheque if she doesn't live in the U.S. not only because of British English spelling but because she can't avail herself of direct deposit )
Blog text (10)
Synonyms
1
3.2
The way English words are written in the United Kingdom and other countries, often different from American spelling
The usual spelling and rules used in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, different from American spelling
Way of writing English words used in the UK, Ireland and many Commonwealth countries, different from American English
English spelling used in the UK, Ireland and many other countries, different from American spelling
The spelling used in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, for example colour and centre
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'British' (relating to Britain) + 'English' (the language) + 'spelling' (arrangement of letters) yields the meaning 'the spelling conventions used in British English.' This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common modifier + noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended sense.
Etymology
British English spelling comes from older spelling forms: British writers kept extra letters or endings, as in colour (with 'u') and theatre (with '-re'), while Americans later removed them to make 'color' and 'theater'. That's why it means the UK style of spelling.