It’s disconcerting for an editor to realize she doesn’t know how to spell. When I arrived in Australia, I discovered this country mostly follows British spelling rules, which meant I had to learn how to spell all over again. In my last post, I described using “-our” rather than “-or” in words like “colour” and “honour.” Here are five more new rules for me to master.
The first rule is to use an “s” instead of a “z.” We spell words like “generalize” and “analyze” with “-ize” or “-yze” endings. Australians use “-ise” and “-yse” instead. So “organize,” “authorize,” and “paralyze” become “organise,” “authorise,” and “paralyse.”
In the second rule, use “-re” instead of “-er.” Australian spelling retains an “-re” ending on some words to preserve their original French spellings. In contrast, Noah Webster standardized American spelling of those words to end in “-er,” to match how they were pronounced and to conform with the spelling of other words that ended in “-er.” In Australia, words like “theater,” “center,” and “kilometer” are spelled “theatre,” “centre,” and “kilometre.”
Noah Webster also tried to simplify American spelling by removing silent letters. Australian spelling instead retains the silent “a” and “o” for some words. The American spelling of “pediatrician” becomes “paediatrician” in Australia, and “estrogen” becomes “oestrogen.”
In the fourth rule, Australian spelling often uses double consonants. So, words like “focused,” “counseling,” and “traveled” become “focussed,” “counselling,” and “travelled.”
The last rule confuses me to no end. Sometimes, Australian spelling uses a “c” instead of an “s,” so our spellings of “defense” and “pretense” become “defence” and “pretence.” However, sometimes the opposite occurs, and words that we would spell with an “c” are replaced with an “s” in Australia. For example, our American spelling of “practice” is spelled “practise” by Australians—but only if it is used as a verb, as in “to practise piano.” If the word is used as a noun, then it is spelled “practice,” as in “We have band practice today.” I’ve decided that MY rule will be to consult a dictionary whenever I see an “-se” or “-ce” ending.
And then there are words that have completely different spellings, such as “cheque” instead of “check” and “tyre” rather than “tire.” Yep, a subscription to an online Australian spelling dictionary is definitely in my future.
The first rule is to use an “s” instead of a “z.” We spell words like “generalize” and “analyze” with “-ize” or “-yze” endings. Australians use “-ise” and “-yse” instead. So “organize,” “authorize,” and “paralyze” become “organise,” “authorise,” and “paralyse.”
In the second rule, use “-re” instead of “-er.” Australian spelling retains an “-re” ending on some words to preserve their original French spellings. In contrast, Noah Webster standardized American spelling of those words to end in “-er,” to match how they were pronounced and to conform with the spelling of other words that ended in “-er.” In Australia, words like “theater,” “center,” and “kilometer” are spelled “theatre,” “centre,” and “kilometre.”
Noah Webster also tried to simplify American spelling by removing silent letters. Australian spelling instead retains the silent “a” and “o” for some words. The American spelling of “pediatrician” becomes “paediatrician” in Australia, and “estrogen” becomes “oestrogen.”
In the fourth rule, Australian spelling often uses double consonants. So, words like “focused,” “counseling,” and “traveled” become “focussed,” “counselling,” and “travelled.”
The last rule confuses me to no end. Sometimes, Australian spelling uses a “c” instead of an “s,” so our spellings of “defense” and “pretense” become “defence” and “pretence.” However, sometimes the opposite occurs, and words that we would spell with an “c” are replaced with an “s” in Australia. For example, our American spelling of “practice” is spelled “practise” by Australians—but only if it is used as a verb, as in “to practise piano.” If the word is used as a noun, then it is spelled “practice,” as in “We have band practice today.” I’ve decided that MY rule will be to consult a dictionary whenever I see an “-se” or “-ce” ending.
And then there are words that have completely different spellings, such as “cheque” instead of “check” and “tyre” rather than “tire.” Yep, a subscription to an online Australian spelling dictionary is definitely in my future.
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