Donut vs Doughnut | Difference, Spelling & Examples
The always-popular deep-fried dough treat can be spelled donut or doughnut in both American English and British English. However, it is seen as more informal in British English, and some US authorities stipulate the longer doughnut spelling.
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!
Donut or doughnut
A donut/doughnut is a deep-fried piece of dough, often sweetened with sugar or other coatings. The older spelling doughnut contains the nouns dough and nut. In this case, nut probably refers to an uncommon usage meaning “a small piece or lump,” although the etymology is a little uncertain.
Donuts/doughnuts are found the world over in various kinds. In the US, they are typically shaped like a lifebuoy (i.e., a circle with a hole in the center), leading to the universal understanding of something that is “donut-shaped.” In this case, it would be most unusual to find the doughnut spelling.
As well as lifebuoy-shaped, a donut/doughnut in the UK is often shaped like a bread roll, filled with jam (“jelly” in American English), and dusted with sugar.
In most cases, donut/doughnut can be spelled either way, but it is safest to use doughnut in formal or academic writing in British English and American English.
When describing the practice of driving a car in such a way as to leave tire marks on the road surface, this is almost always spelled donut (e.g., “The crowd of onlookers cheered as Dean did donuts in the parking lot”).
Kyle relished the perfect blend of softness, crispness, sugar, and fat that his favorite donut/doughnut gave him as he bit into it.
The store parking lot bore testimony to the night’s activities, with a generous display of donut tire marks.
- Though (rhymes with “owe”)
- Rough (rhymes with “huff”)
- Cough (rhymes with “off”)
- Bough (rhymes with “cow”)
- Borough (in British English, pronounced [buh-ruh])
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. | Behavior or behaviour Labor or labour Favor or favour Favorite or favourite Color or colour Honor or honour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Theater or theatre Center or centre Meter or metre Liter or litre Saber or sabre Fiber or fibre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Realize or realise Recognize or recognise Analyze or analyse Organize or organise Minimize or minimise Finalize or finalise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Learned or learnt Burned or burnt Kneeled or knelt Dreamed or dreamt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling Canceled or cancelled Labeled or labelled Buses or busses Focused or focussed |
