When you are writing or editing for a British company, it’s important to remember that some spelling rules change when you cross the Atlantic. To be safe, however, ask before you edit spellings, as some companies use a mixture of both!
| -or Color Labor Favorite | -our· Colour· Labour· Favourite |
| -er· Center· Theater· Kilometer | -re· Centre· Theatre· Kilometre |
| -ze· Analyze· Organize· Civilized | -se· Analyse· Organise· Civilised |
| Dropped silent -e· Judgment· Argument· Likable | Included silent -e· Judgement· Arguement· Likeable |
These are just a few of the more common examples. When you need to know whether a word is British English or simply misspelled, try going to http://www.bbc.co.uk/. Just type your word into the search bar at the top, and if it appears in the results, you’re dealing with the Queen’s English.
