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MORE BRITISH AND AMERICAN SPELLINGS

Silent vowels British English American English
In British English, some words anaemia anemia
have two vowels in a row, one of
which is silent. In American English, foetus fetus
this silent vowel is usually dropped. manoeuvre maneuver
paediatric pediatric
palaeontology paleontology

Past tenses ending British English American English
in -ed or -t burnt or burned burned
When verbs are written in the past dreamt or dreamed dreamed
tense, their spellings can differ learnt or learned learned
between British and American English.
This is mainly the case with verbs smelt or smelled smelled
in which the last letter is l, m, or n. spelt or spelled spelled
American English uses the regular
ending -ed, whereas British English
often uses the irregular ending -t.

Retaining or dropping British English American English
the silent -e acknowledgement acknowledgment
Certain words in American English ageing or aging aging
do not have a silent -e ending, while axe ax
British spelling usually retains the
silent -e. This pattern occurs most judgement judgment
commonly when a suffix, such as useable or usable usable
-ment, has been added to a word
that ends in a silent -e.

REAL W OR L D
Mid-Atlantic English
In the early part of the twentieth century,
many American actors, such as Katharine
• Some words that are hyphenated Hepburn, tried to cultivate an accent that
in British English are compound was neither obviously American nor British.
words in American English. For This was sometimes called “mid-Atlantic
example, British English uses English.” The fashion for this accent has
ear-splitting and kind-hearted, disappeared, and today the term is used
while American English uses to refer to written English that avoids
earsplitting and kindhearted.
obvious “Britishisms” or “Americanisms.”