Favourite or Favorite?

[The Sci-Fi Slob]

I've always spelt it "Favorite" even though that's the American spelling. I've seen it spelt both ways, by people from all over the world. So how do you spell it?

[BlueLion]

I prefer favorite, because I prefer AmE.

[The Sci-Fi Slob]

I'm drunk and I still can't manage to post a more ridiculous thread than Sexy Celebrity, I just don't have the experience. :(

[Daniel M]

Both are correct, I would use favourite, being non-American. I guess it's up to you, as long as you're consistent, but I don't think many people are really going to notice/care :)

[Sexy Celebrity]

I recently learned that people outside America pronounce the letter Z as "zed."

I always pronounced it as "zee."

I couldn't believe it!

[Thursday Next]

Definitely favourite. And zed. :)

[Mr Minio]

Most foreigners learn British English at school and thus put 'u' in words such as 'favourite' and 'armour'. I do it as well.

[The Rodent]

Ah... the olde Anglo Vs American debate.

Favourite
Colour
Neighbour
Aluminium pronounced how it's spelt at the end... IUM . No such thing as a silent i, people!!

And yes... Z is Zed.

[The Rodent]

Plus there are all those words with an S, that Americans put a Z instead.
Like Personalized.

Which flags up on my computer as incorrect. It's Personalised.

[Miss Vicky]

Aluminium pronounced how it's spelt at the end... IUM . No such thing as a silent i, people!!


The I isn't silent in American English; there simply isn't a second I in that word at all. It's aluminum to us Yanks. One I.

And it's Zee. Zed? That's the freaky rapist biker from Pulp Fiction, not a letter in the alphabet. Zed's dead.

[The Rodent]

Well, unless it's phonetic... then it's Zuh.

[Miss Vicky]

Plus there are all those words with an S, that Americans put a Z instead.
Like Personalized.

Which flags up on my computer as incorrect. It's Personalised.

I will say that after posting here for four years, I've started switching to an S on certain words - like apologise. Though I still spell personalized the American way.

[The Sci-Fi Slob]

The I isn't silent in American English; there simply isn't a second I in that word at all. It's aluminum to us Yanks. One I.

And it's Zee. Zed? That's the freaky rapist biker from Pulp Fiction, not a letter in the alphabet. Zed's dead.

In English English it's pronounced "Zed". Similar to "RAYdiator" not "RADiator". And in English English fat is pronounced "fat", were as in American English its pronounced "food". :D

[The Rodent]

Aluminium is like other words with the ium at the end.

Polonium, Plutonium, Ammonium, Caesium etc.

I've read somewhere that Aluminum was actually a spelling error by Humphry Davy in a science journal called Chemical Philosophy.

The names he considered for the element while he was trying to discover it were Silicium, Zirconium, and Glucium, Alumium and Aluminium.

After Davy discovered it he settled on Aluminium...

... but in one of his paragraphs that he was describing the element he'd discovered, he dropped the second i by accident.

Aluminum was actually a typo.

[Camo]

I always say favourite. Another thing i've noticed some Americans say is, i could care less instead of couldn't, which doesn't make much sense imo.

[Miss Vicky]

Aluminum was actually a typo.

Whatever the source, aluminum is the correct spelling and pronunciation in the U.S. Aluminium just sounds strange to most American ears.

Another thing i've noticed some Americans say is, i could care less instead of couldn't, which doesn't make much sense imo.

Only if they're ignorant or stupid. Granted, a lot of Americans are stupid or ignorant, but that's hardly a trait exclusive to this country.

[Nausicaä]

I'm English, so I write Favourite... I'm not American and I've never lived in America long enough to get use to the culture and so on for things to slip in, so there is no reason for me to use it or others to use American English if British.

If you are a person who does, just move to America, leave Britain. Go away, now!

:p

[Camo]

Whatever the source, aluminum is the correct spelling and pronunciation in the U.S. Aluminium just sounds strange to most American ears.



Only if they're ignorant or stupid. Granted, a lot of Americans are stupid or ignorant, but that's hardly a trait exclusive to this country.

That wasn't what i was implying. It's just something certain Americans are used to saying, i'm thinking it may be more or less exclusive to the Northeast as it's usually people from NY,NJ or New England i've heard saying it. I wasn't saying all or a majority of Americans are stupid, and i also don't think using that phrase makes you stupid.

[Miss Vicky]

It's just something certain Americans are used to saying, i'm thinking it may be more or less exclusive to the Northeast as it's usually people from NY,NJ or New England i've heard saying it.

I live in California and I hear people say it that way all the time. Maybe it's really just laziness that's the real problem, since they're just parroting a phrase they've heard instead of actually thinking about what they're saying.

[Michael T]

Another thing i've noticed some Americans say is, i could care less instead of couldn't, which doesn't make much sense imo.

Only if they're ignorant or stupid. Granted, a lot of Americans are stupid or ignorant, but that's hardly a trait exclusive to this country.

So true Miss Vicky. England is awash with people constantly using double-negatives in their everyday speech!

[Mr Minio]

I ain't no using no double negatives. It's trimple negative! xD

[RepentantSky]

I use both depending on who I'm talking to. I have a lot of European heritage even though I live in America so I really don't feel odd using either one.

[wintertriangles]

Language evolution will do what it will, but I still type "colour" when I can

[Camo]

So true Miss Vicky. England is awash with people constantly using double-negatives in their everyday speech!

I'm from Scotland ;) .