British and American Spelling Converter
Paste your text, choose the direction, and read the converted version. A list shows each change, and words that need your judgement are flagged and left alone.
Proper names, titles and quotations are changed too, so check them. The list covers the common spelling differences, not every word.
Worked examples
British to American
The colour of the theatre was grey.
The color of the theater was gray.
Three words changed.
A flagged word
Please check the story.
Unchanged. Check and story are flagged.
In British English these could be cheque and storey, depending on meaning.
About British and American Spelling Converter
British and American spelling differ in a few regular ways: our and or (colour, color), ise and ize (organise, organize), re and er (centre, center), a single or double l (travelled, traveled), ce and se (defence, defense), and a scatter of single words such as grey and gray or aluminium and aluminum. If you write for readers in both countries, or need to match the spelling a school, journal or employer asks for, converting by hand is slow and easy to get wrong.
This converter works from a list of more than two thousand spellings, covering each word and its endings, not from guesswork about patterns, so it does not damage words like four, advise or surprise. Capital letters are kept, and the page lists every change it made and how many times. Some words cannot be converted reliably without knowing the meaning, and these are flagged and left alone. American check, for example, may be a cheque, and license may be a licence or a verb. Read the result before using it, as names, titles and quotations should keep their original spelling.
How to use British and American Spelling Converter
- Choose British to American, or American to British.
- Paste your text into the first box.
- Read the converted text, the list of changes and the words to check by hand.
- Copy the result, or swap the direction to convert it back.
Common uses
- Preparing a document for an American or British audience
- Matching a journal or university style
- Checking a piece of writing for mixed spellings
- Learning the main differences between the two spellings
Frequently asked questions
What are the main differences?
British -our becomes -or, -ise becomes -ize, -re becomes -er, double l after a short vowel before a suffix becomes single (travelled, traveled), and -ence becomes -ense in a few words (defence, defense). There are also single words like grey, gray and aluminium, aluminum.
Does British spelling use ize as well?
Yes. Oxford spelling uses -ize in many words, but most UK schools and publishers use -ise. This tool treats -ise as British and -ize as American.
Why are some words left alone and flagged?
A few American spellings are also ordinary British words with a different meaning. Tire (to get tired) and check (to look at) are spelt the same in Britain. The tool leaves these and tells you, so you can decide.
Are names and quotations changed?
Yes, if they contain a word from the list. Names such as Gray and the Labor Party should keep their own spelling, so check them in the result.
Does it cover all words?
No. It covers the common ones: more than two thousand spellings, counting word endings. Rare words may be missed, so read the result.