Do you Know the Difference Between UK and US English?

Plus a bonus story about my personal experience with the topic.

While in graduate school, I had to submit my final thesis to my committee of supervisors. Though this comment doesn’t relate to my thesis topic, for whatever reason, I remember a supervisor pointing out that I’d used the American spelling for endeavour, which is endeavor, without the vowel ‘u’.

I went to a Canadian university, and despite being educated by the Canadian school system for my entire academic life, I somehow didn't know or hadn’t learned that there were two styles of English: UK English and US English (or British English and American English).

It honestly still confuses me how, at age 22 or 23, I only found out that words like color and colour or favorite/favourite are both “correct”—they’re just regional spelling preferences adopted by English-speaking countries everywhere.

For those curious to see the breakdown in spelling preferences, it’s below (it’s not exhaustive or complete yet, but it will be once I get to it!)

US English vs. UK English

UK vs. US English. Chart by grammarflex.

1. Spells paralyze, analyze, realize with –ize, –yze at the end.

2. Uses –er for words like center, meter, theater.

3. Uses –or in words like color, favor, favorite, honor.

4. Uses one “L“ with verbs in the past tense; e.g., canceled,
   labeled, traveled, modeled.

5. Uses –se for defense, offense, license.

UK English

1. Spells realise, analyse, paralyse with –ise, –yse. *sometimes accepts both

2. Uses –re for words like centre, metre, theatre.

3. Spells –our for colour, favour, favourite, honour.

4. Past tense verbs use double “L“; e.g., cancelled,
   labelled, travelled, modelled.

5. Uses –ce in defence, offence, licence.