Under a spell
Question: We all know there are many words that are spelled differently in
American English than in British English. How did this arise and when?
Answer: English spelling was not generally standardised until well into the
18th century, and in some respects not until the 19th century. By this time
American and British English had begun to diverge. Dr Johnson’s 1755 dictionary
in Britain and Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary in the US were among the most
influential works of the period.
Four groups of words are systematically spelled differently on the two sides
of the Atlantic. These…
