Aluminum vs Aluminium | Spelling & Examples

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 examples
Although aluminum/aluminium is 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.

Aluminum or Aluminium

Even though both the American English aluminum (pronounced [uh-loo-muh-nuhm]) and the British English aluminium (pronounced [al-uh-min-ee-um]) are acceptable spellings of the metal, it is best to use the preferred geographical variant for your audience. Whichever you choose, it is also important to be consistent and to check if your institution’s style guide requires a particular spelling (e.g., the APA Publication Manual requires the American spelling, aluminum).

Aluminum or aluminium in a sentence examples
The use of aluminum/aluminium transformed the design and manufacturing of aircraft as early as the First World War.

In the auto industry, aluminum/aluminium provides a lightweight alternative to steel, but it is more expensive to produce and more difficult to repair.

Aluminum/aluminium was used in the second half of the 20th century as the conductor in household electrical wiring but was found to be less safe than copper.

Note
The story of how we arrived at the two spellings aluminum/aluminium is not simple. One of the first proposed spellings by the British chemist Humphry Davy was “alumium,” but this didn’t gain much traction in the scientific world. Davy himself used aluminum in an early publication.

However, by the time Noah Webster published his American Dictionary of the English Language, the aluminum/aluminium distinction between North America and the rest of the English-speaking world was established.

It is only in the last few decades that aluminum has become accepted by scientific authorities. Now, both aluminum and aluminium coexist as acceptable variants but with clear geographical preferences.

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.

Behavior or behaviour
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
Organisation or organization
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
Canceled or cancelled
Labeled or labelled
Buses or busses
Focused or focussed

Frequently asked questions about aluminum or aluminium

Is aluminum the correct spelling in British English?

Aluminum is recognized as a variant spelling of the more common aluminium in British English.

Although it can be spelled either way, it’s usually wisest to use the preferred geographical spelling for your audience. And remember to use the spelling required by your institution’s style guide.

For instance, the APA Publication Manual requires aluminum, except when quoting a source text, whereas the Chicago Manual of Style recommends spelling according to whether you are following American English or British English spellings.

With the QuillBot Grammar Checker, you can select your language region preferences, so you can ensure that you have the correct spelling of aluminum or aluminium.

Is aluminium the correct spelling in American English?

Although aluminium is recognized in dictionaries as a variant spelling of aluminum, some style guides (e.g., APA) require the more common American English spelling, aluminum.

Generally, aluminum is the standard spelling in North America, while aluminium is prevalent in the rest of the English-speaking world.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker lets you select your language region so you can check if you have the correct spelling of aluminum or aluminium.

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Trevor Marshall, MSc

Trevor has a BA in English Literature & Language and an MSc in Applied Social Studies. He has been a teacher for 25 years, with 15 years experience teaching ESL alongside 1st language students.