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  • Guys, why can't Americans spell the same as Brits? It's total madness. We speak the same

  • language but we spell completely differently. So we are going to look at six differences

  • between British English spelling and American English spelling. Let's get into this madness.

  • Hello and welcome to Eat Sleep Dream English, if you haven't met me before my name is Tom

  • and I teach fresh modern British English so that you can take your English to the next

  • level and achieve your life goals. Now before we get started I was only joking about Americans

  • not being able to spell, it was a joke. But it does raise the issue of the differences

  • in spelling between British and American English. So for those of you that write a lot in English,

  • this is really important to know. If you are writing a business email or you are a journalist

  • or you are writing an essay for your university getting the spelling correct is really important

  • and that will depend on whether you speak British English or American English. Take

  • the word apologise, in American English it ends with -ze but in British English it's

  • -se. So apologize is -ze and apologise -se. Another example is criticise. -ze in American

  • English, -se in British English. Difference number two is -or and -our. So take the word

  • colour, in British English we write -our in American English it's just -or. Another example

  • favourite. In British English favourite and in American English favorite. So the -our

  • and the -or. Another example neighbour. So in British English neighbour, in American

  • English neighbor. Difference number three is the endings of -re and -er so take the

  • word theatre. In British English we end it with -re in American English it's -er. Another

  • example centre. So -re in British English -er in American English. This next one is

  • a classic difference. Now take the word practise. In American English it's with -se at the end.

  • Now in British English we have -ce but we also have -se. So in British English the noun

  • will be -ce practice with a -ce so Doctor's Practice is -ce but the verb is -se. So I'm

  • going to practise the guitar is with an -se. So for the noun it's -ce with the verb it's

  • -se. Whereas in American English it's the same for both. Makes it a lot easier, right?

  • Same with the word license. So license is -se in American English, the noun in British

  • English is -ce and the verb to license something is -se so there's a bit of a difference there.

  • The next difference is with the Ls. The Ls can be slightly different depending on whether

  • it's British or American English. For example skilful. In American English it's skillful

  • whereas in British English it's just one l so skilful. To continue that idea on take

  • the word travel. Now travel is spelled the same in British and American English but when

  • you add a vowel on to to it so for example if you want to put it into the past tense

  • travelled then in British English you add an L so travelled with two Ls but in American

  • English you stay with one L. Same with travelling, two Ls in British English, one L in American

  • English. Ok, let's look at some other words that are commonly spelled differently. So

  • donut in American English, doughnut in British English. Same pronunciation but different

  • spelling. Aeroplane or airplane. Airplane in American English and aeroplane in British

  • English. Pronunciation aeroplane, airplane, it's more or less the same when it comes down

  • to it I'd say aeroplane airplane. I don't know what I say, it's so interchangeable these

  • days. I wouldn't be too worried what you are saying. And in fact do you know what I probably

  • write airplane instead of aeroplane. So I use the American English spelling just because

  • it is simpler in my head. I don't think it matters too much. The word Mum is also spelled

  • differently. So in British English we spell it Mum. In American English Mom. Maybe that

  • comes with the pronunciation, it's slightly different but Mum is spelled differently.

  • Jewellery is another one. So in British English you've got two Ls and in American English

  • there's one L. Pyjamas, in Britain we throw a Y in there so pyjamas whereas in American

  • English it's just pa. And finally the colour grey. In British English it's grey and in

  • American English gray. Guys, what did you think? Did you enjoy that vlog? Did you find

  • it useful? Did you know the differences between British English and American English spelling?

  • Let me know in the comments below. If you can think of any other examples of differences

  • in spelling then let me know in the comments below. If you don't know already guys I'm

  • on Instagram and I've got daily English content that I put on there so that you can keep updated

  • with your English. I've also got a Facebook page so go and check them both out. If you've

  • been here before you'll know that I put new videos out every Tuesday and every Friday

  • to help you take your English to the next level. Thanks so much for hanging out with

  • me guys. I've really enjoyed it, alright guys thank you so much for hanging out with me

  • this is Tom, the Chief Dreamer, saying goodbye.

Guys, why can't Americans spell the same as Brits? It's total madness. We speak the same

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