Pyjamas vs Pajamas | Explanation & Examples
How you should spell pyjamas/pajamas depends on where your audience is located. In American English, the usual spelling is pajamas, as it is in Canada, the Philippines, and (by a narrow margin) India. Most of the English-speaking world outside of that uses the British English spelling pyjamas.
On Saturdays, Zenia always considered it a triumph if she made it to bedtime without changing out of her pyjamas/pajamas.
Pyjamas/pajamas can be sleek and stylish or warm and cozy—the possibilities are endless!
Pyjamas or pajamas
In American English, both the noun pajamas and the related adjective pajama are spelled with an initial “pa.” The British English spelling is also consistent, with pyjamas for the noun and pyjama for the adjective.
Amy had always dreamt of being a model, but those dreams hadn’t really included wearing frumpy pyjamas/pajamas!
Nothing made Luke more anxious or awkward than a pyjama/pajama party.
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 |
| In British English, these same words are often spelled with a double consonant. |
Frequently asked questions about pyjamas or pajamas
- What’s the difference between trousers and pants?
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In British English, trousers (or “a pair of trousers”) is the noun used for the item of clothing commonly called pants in American English. In British English, pants refers to underwear (and is short for “underpants”).
So, when referring to pyjamas or pajamas, British English speakers would say “pyjama trousers,” while American English speakers would say “pajama pants.”
The QuillBot Grammar Checker has selectable grammar regions, so you can always be sure you are using trousers or pants correctly in your writing.
