Some differences between British and American spelling

Bear in mind that there is no ONE correct form of English no matter how many times you may here that British English is THE correct English. Language is alive and therefore mutable. We must observe and describe language not prescribe or judge the way it should be. 

What people in Spain tend to think is the one and only correct English, is what is known as RP (Recieved Pronunciation) or what has come to be known as BBC English. RP English is only spoken by about 3 percent of the British population coincidentally the richest or highest social class. Of course it's a very fine and polished accent, but it is also in a way artificial, just look into the ammount of polititians and other people who hire a speaking coach to train them to speak as if they were born and bred RP. 

So, if you come to think of it in a practical down to earth kind of way... isn't it better to try to understand the different varieties of English to be able to communicate effectively wherever you go?

Well let's start with some differences between British and American spelling. 

I'd ask you a question. Which do you consider more practical or true to pronunciation?

There is a reason for the answer, I'll tell you soon enough. 

Enjoy!!

 

British and American spelling

There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These are the main ones to be aware of.

Words ending in –re

British English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English:

British	US
centre	center
fibre	fiber
litre	liter
theatre	theater or theatre

Words ending in -our

British English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:

British	US
colour	color
flavour	flavor
humour	humor
labour	labor
neighbour	neighbor

Words ending in -ize or -ise

Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with -ize at the end in American English:

British	US
apologize or apologise	apologize
organize or organise	organize
recognize or recognise	recognize

Words ending in -yse

Verbs in British English that end in -yse are always spelled -yze in American English:

British	US
analyse	analyze
breathalyse	breathalyze
paralyse	paralyze

Words ending in a vowel plus l

In British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:

British	US
travel	travel
travelled	traveled
travelling	traveling
traveller	traveler

fuel	fuel
fuelled	fueled
fuelling	fueling

Words spelled with double vowels

British English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:

British	US
leukaemia	leukemia
manoeuvre	maneuver
oestrogen	estrogen
paediatric	pediatric

Note that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.

Nouns ending with –ence

Some nouns that end with -ence in British English are spelled -ense in American English:

British	US
defence	defense
licence	license
offence	offense
pretence	pretense

Nouns ending with –ogue

Some nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:

British	US
analogue	analog or analogue
catalogue	catalog or catalogue
dialogue	dialog or dialogue

The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm, but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/british-and-american-spelling