US spelling
- noun
- /juː ɛs ˈspɛlɪŋ/
- US
- In US spelling, 'theater' is preferred over 'theatre'.
Examples
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Teachers often highlight the differences between US spelling and the spelling used in other countries.
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Many words in American textbooks use US spelling instead of British spelling.
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He switched to US spelling when writing for an American publication.
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I prefer US spelling for my essays.
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Many words in American textbooks use US spelling instead of British spelling.
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He switched to US spelling when writing for an American publication.
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In US spelling, 'theater' is preferred over 'theatre'.
Synonyms
The way people write words in American English, often different from the British way
The usual way people in the United States write certain English words
Spelling used in the United States, for example color not colour
Spelling used in the United States, for example color instead of colour
The spelling rules used in American English, for example analyze and center
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the system of English spelling used in the United States' is directly and compositionally derived from 'US' (United States) + 'spelling' (arrangement of letters). This noun–noun construction indicating a national variety is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The name US spelling comes from choices made in the United States about how to write words; the parts US and spelling together show it is the American way to write words, for example using 'color' instead of 'colour'. That's why US spelling means the way words are spelled in the United States today.