Behaviour and behavior are different spellings of the noun used to refer to the way someone or something behaves or acts. The spelling depends on the type of English you use.
In British English, “behaviour” is standard.
In American English, “behavior” is correct.
It's important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Examples: Behaviour or behavior in a sentence The principal praised the students for their exemplary behaviour/behavior.
Logan's erratic behaviour/behavior raised concerns among his friends and family.
The study of consumer behaviour/behavior is vital for product development.
Behavior or behaviour is often preceded by an attributive noun (e.g., “animal behavior/behaviour”) or an adjective (e.g., “good behavior/behaviour”).
The same distinction applies to related forms of the word, such as the adverb behaviourally or behaviorally and the adjective behavioural or behavioral.
In British English, “behaviourally” and "behavioural" are standard.
In American English, “behaviorally” and "behavioral" are correct.
Examples: Behaviourally/behaviorally and behavioural/behavioral in a sentence I realize that dogs and cats are behaviourally/behaviorally very different.
The psychologist specializes in behavioural/behavioral issues in children.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Five important differences are:
Difference
Rule
Examples
-or vs -our
In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or.
In British English, these same words end in -our.
Humor or humour Labor or labour Favor or favour Favorite or favourite Color or colour Honor or honour
-er vs -re
In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er.
In British English, these same words end in -re.
Theater or theatre Center or centre Meter or metre Liter or litre Saber or sabre Fiber or fibre
-ize vs -ise
In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize.
In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise.
Realize or realise Recognize or recognise Analyze or analyse Organize or organise Minimize or minimise Finalize or finalise
-ed vs -t
In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed.
In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t.
Learned or learnt Burned or burnt Kneeled or knelt Dreamed or dreamt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt
Single vs double consonant
In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant.
In British English, these same words are spelled with a double consonant.
Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling Canceling or cancelling Labeled or labelled Buses or busses Focused or focussed
Recommended language articles
Do you want to know more about common mistakes, commonly confused words, rhetorical devices, or other language topics? Check out some of our other language articles full of examples and quizzes.
Julia has master's degrees in Linguistics and Language and speech pathology. Her expertise lies in grammar, language and speech disorders, foreign language learning, and child language acquisition.
