Spelling and Word Forms
Preferred American spellings, the plurals of borrowed nouns, and compounds written as one word or two.
Preferred Spellings
- a lot / alot
- advisor / adviser
- aging / ageing
- all right / alright
- among others / amongst
- analog / analogue
- backward / backwards
- bellwether / bellweather
- canceled / cancelled
- center on / center around / centre
- email / e-mail
- enquire / inquire
- gray / grey
- minuscule / miniscule
- OK / okay
- orient / orientate
- preventive / preventative
- storey / story
- till / until / ’til
- toward / towards
- traveled / travelled
- while / whilst
- X-ray / x-ray
- Xmas
Also covers preferred spellings
- broadcast / broadcasted
- burned / burnt
- case and point / case in point
- could of / could have
- deep-seated / deep-seeded
- dreamed / dreamt
- fit / fitted
- forecast / forecasted
- free rein / free reign
- hove / heaved
- kneeled / knelt
- leaped / leapt
- learned / learnt
- lighted / lit
- loose / lose
- plead / pleaded / pled
- should of
- slay / slew / slain / slayed
- smelled / smelt
- snuck / sneaked
- spelled / spelt
- spilled / spilt
- spoiled / spoilt
- strive / strove / striven / strived
- suppose to / supposed to
- would of
- wove / weaved
Plurals
- alumna / alumnus / alumni / alumnae
- appendix / appendices / appendixes
- automaton / automata
- bacillus / bacilli
- bacteria / bacterium
- bus / busses / buses
- cacti / cactuses
- curriculum / curricula / curriculums
- deer / fish / sheep
- dice / die
- emoji / emojis
- focus / foci / focuses
- formula / formulas / formulae
- fungus / fungi
- genus / genera
- graffiti / graffito
- index / indexes / indices
- innings / inning
- matrix / matrices
- memorandum / memoranda / memorandums
- millennium / millennia
- nucleus / nuclei
- oasis / oases
- parenthesis / parentheses
- phenomena / phenomenon
- stimulus / stimuli
- stratum / strata
- syllabus / syllabi / syllabuses
- symposium / symposia
- thesis / theses
- vertebra / vertebrae
- vortex / vortices
One Word or Two
- a while / awhile
- all ready / already
- all together / altogether
- any more / anymore
- any one / anyone
- any way / anyway
- backup / back up
- cannot / can not
- checkout / check out
- consensus building
- every day / everyday
- every one / everyone
- in to / into
- log in / login
- set up / setup
- sign up / signup / sign-up
- some time / sometime / sometimes
- username / user name