Is it grammatically acceptable to combine US and UK spellings?
Maybe it's because most of my literary education was focused on English authors, but several British spellings have leaked into my vocabulary, especially where double letters are involved. For instance, the word "traveling" seems unnatural to me, so I go with the more familiar British spelling with two Ls. But I don't spell color with a U because I am American and most of my spelling adheres to American rules. Must I give up the second L in "travelling"? Could I just chalk it up to stylistic preference? Most of the time, the British spellings sneak into my writing without my noticing, only to be pointed out by an editor!
Answers ( 1 )
I agree with you, and do the same myself, particularly in that word travelling, it needs that second L. And words like endeavour, neighbour. And other words like offence, defence, dialogue - which I frequently use, and more. That's how I learned to spell many words, and was educated by nuns for the early years. The bigger problem I think is spell-check on computers. And a matter of consistency, it might be seen as an error if some words are and others aren't. But by me, I have no problem, often write answers about art on Quora, using colour when it is referenced in the question. But it's too easy to slip and slide when you've got the varying spellings. It is likely better to use an appropriate spelling choice depending on where you are writing. And particularly if you are writing for publication, or school work, there may be an issue there. Use your discretion where it feels appropriate and I don't see it being wrong.