In the UK, English follows British spelling conventions, which differ slightly from American English. Here are some key differences in spelling between British English (UK) and American English (US):
1. -our vs. -or
- UK: colour, favour, honour
- US: color, favor, honor
2. -ise vs. -ize
- UK: realise, organise, recognise (though "-ize" is also accepted in UK English in some cases)
- US: realize, organize, recognize
3. -re vs. -er
- UK: centre, metre, theatre
- US: center, meter, theater
4. -ce vs. -se
- UK: defence, licence (noun), offence
- US: defense, license (noun), offense
5. Double consonants before endings
- UK: travelling, cancelled, labelled
- US: traveling, canceled, labeled
6. -ogue vs. -og
- UK: dialogue, catalogue, monologue
- US: dialog, catalog, monolog
7. Miscellaneous spelling differences
- UK: aeroplane, aluminium, plough, pyjamas
- US: airplane, aluminum, plow, pajamas
These are general differences. British English tends to retain spellings closer to the original Latin or French forms, while American English has simplified some spellings.