People always find it confusing on whether we should use British or American English in the IELTS exams. As IELTS is an international English exam, the answer for the question is: both are acceptable. In fact, the examiners of the speaking test are from all over the world, even the recordings in the listening exam would be using different accents. As a result, learning the differences between UK and US English is of paramount importance. Let Wall Street English walk you through the major differences between them in terms of their spellings.
1. “our” vs “or”
| British | American |
| Colour | Color |
| Favourite | Favorite |
| Labour | Labor |
| Neighbour | Neighbor |
2. “re” vs “er”
| British | American |
| Centre | Center |
| Theatre | Theater |
| Fibre | Fiber |
| Litre | Liter |
3. “ize” vs “ise”
| British | American |
| Memorize | Memorise |
| Organize | Organise |
| Apologize | Apologise |
| Recognize | Recognise |
4. “ll” vs “l”
| British | American |
| Traveller | Traveler |
| Modelling | Modeling |
| Signalling | Signaling |
5. “ogue” vs “og”
| British | American |
| Catalogue | Catalog |
| Dialogue | Dialog |
| Monologue | Monolog |
6. ”yse” vs “yze”
| British | American |
| Analyse | Analyze |
| Paralyse | Paralyze |
7. “ce” vs “se”
| British | American |
| Defence | Defense |
| Offence | Offense |
| Licence | License |
The above are the primary spelling differences between US and UK English. Be aware of the differences when you are taking the IELTS exam! Remember consistency – do not use a mixture of American and British English in your exams.
