In American English, the word for a winged airborne vehicle is spelled airplane, while in British English, it is aeroplane. Despite the popularity of the 1980 comedy film Airplane!, the American spelling of this noun has not caught on.
Airplane vs aeroplane in a sentence examplesMy great-grandfather was alive when the Wright brothers conducted the first powered aeroplane/airplane flight and lived to see Neil Armstrong walk on the moon!
Convenient and relatively cheap aeroplane/airplane flights revolutionized the travel industry in the early 21st century.
Despite paying many multiples of the economy fare, first class aeroplane/airplane passengers still land at the same time as everyone else!
It is generally the case that in American English, aluminum is the preferred spelling, and in British English (and most variants outside the North American continent), aluminium is favored.
This variation in spelling is perhaps one of the more striking differences between American English and British English. After all, this isn’t just a case of a verb ending but the actual name of one of the most widely used metals in the modern world.
The explanation of how we ended up with both aluminum and aluminium is quite complex. But the answer to how it is spelled is easy: in almost every situation, you are free to spell it either way, though aluminum is more common in American English and aluminium in British English.
Aluminum or aluminium in a sentence examplesAlthough aluminum/aluminiumis the most abundant metal on Earth, it is almost never found as a native metal.
Aluminum/aluminium is an ideal metal for recycling, as the process consumes only five percent of the energy required to refine it from bauxite.
As Priya had just found out, although aluminum/aluminium made for a lightweight bike frame, it could also just snap when overstressed.
Self-serving bias describes the human tendency to take credit for our successes and to blame others or circumstances for our failures. In other words, our success is down to our personal traits and character, and our failure is due to external factors beyond our control.
It is difficult to learn from our mistakes if we suffer from self-serving bias because it stops our reflecting on what we have done and analyzing why it went well (or went wrong). It is common to encounter self-serving bias when people are explaining underperformance in sports, driving, or work.
Self-serving bias exampleWhen Steve leaves home in plenty of time to get to work, he congratulates himself on being organized and punctual. On the occasions he doesn’t leave enough time, he blames traffic, roadwork, and other drivers for his late arrival rather than his leaving late.
In American English, consonants at the end of words do not double up when a suffix is added. This is true of counselor (counsellor in British English). This is the usual pattern of difference between the two language variants. For example, in American English, “travel” becomes “traveled” or “traveler,” whereas in British English, the consonant doubles up (e.g., “cancelled,” “labelled,” and “traveller”).
Counselor or counsellor in a sentence examplesNothing really made sense to Frank until he started to see a counselor/counsellor about the traumas of his childhood.
The company was lauded for its policy of providing time with a counselor/counsellor to any employee who needed it.
Janine found her job as a counselor/counsellor was rewarding and demanding in equal measure.
Both focussed and focused are acceptable in British English as well as American English, and interestingly, the more common form in both varieties of the language is with the single “s.”
Focussed or focused in a sentence examplesSports photography presents a challenge to the photographer as they have to keep the shot focused/focussed on a fast-moving subject.
Staying focused/focussed in class can be very difficult in the modern world of online distractions.
Thankfully, the earthquake’s epicenter was focused/focussed in a mountainous, sparsely inhabited region.
The availability heuristic describes our tendency to evaluate the likelihood of something happening according to how easily we can recall a similar occurrence. It can be seen as a mental shortcut we use to help us process information and respond to the many stimuli around us. An easily remembered event can cause us to mistakenly judge a similar event as more likely to happen.
Availability heuristic exampleMany people will reach for their phones when the flight they are on lands and text their loved ones that they have landed safely. In almost every country in the world, though, they are about to start the most dangerous part of the journey if they plan to travel by car.
Statistically, road transport is much more dangerous than air travel. But an airplane crash is given widespread news coverage, and the availability heuristic means that we feel it is the dangerous part of the journey. If there has been a recent disaster, this effect is even more pronounced.
The availability heuristic doesn’t just affect our perception of our safety when traveling but can have serious consequences for research and risk assessment. Understanding research bias can help us avoid it having a negative effect on research and trials.
The verb recognize/recognise has two spellings. Which one is correct depends on where your audience is located.
In American English, the correct spelling is recognize. In British English, it is usually spelled recognise, but recognize is not incorrect (see the Note below for more details).
Recognise or recognize in a sentence examplesI hadn’t seen Emily in so long; I was worried I wouldn’t recognise/recognize her.
Good management involves making sure you recognise/recognize your colleagues’ successes.
Doctors are trained to recognise/recognize the early signs of many diseases.
Note“Oxford spelling” is a convention favored by the Oxford University Press and the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford spelling prefers the “-ize” ending for British English rather than the more commonly used “-ise” ending. Most dictionaries prefer “-ise” for British English, but don’t prohibit “-ize” spellings.
Both “center” and “centre” are correct spellings of the same word, but they are used in different variants of English.
“Center” is the preferred spelling in American English, while “centre” is the preferred spelling in British English. This is true whether it is being used as a noun or a verb.
Despite the spelling differences, the meanings are the same.
Center or centre in a sentence examplesThe center/centre of the village was marked by a centuries-old obelisk that was world-famous.
The university is a center/centre of excellence for music teaching.
The marketing campaign would center/centre on the city rather than the suburbs.
Neighbor is a noun that refers to a person who lives very near you or a country that adjoins another. It is one of many words ending in “-or” in American English that are spelled differently in British English, where the ending is “-our.” Other examples include color/colour, favor/favour, and honor/honour.
The two spellings are quite distinct and not interchangeable. Neighbor is considered incorrect in British English, as is neighbour in American English.
Neighbor or neighbour in a sentence examplesThe farm was very isolated, and the nearest neighbor/neighbour was over three miles away.
Loving your neighbor/neighbour is not always that easy!
There was no sign of Mabel, and her next-door neighbor/neighbour hadn’t seen her all week.
The always-popular deep-fried dough treat can be spelled donut or doughnut in both American English and British English. However, donut is seen as more informal in British English, and some US authorities stipulate the longer doughnut spelling.
Donut or doughnut in a sentence examplesIt was our traditional birthday treat at work—bags of still-warm raspberry and vanilla donuts/doughnuts.
As a boy, I was captivated the first time I saw the donut/doughnut machine at the fair.
Nick thought that the Spanish breakfast of donuts/doughnuts dipped in hot chocolate was the height of morning cuisine!
