In American English, consonants at the end of words do not double up when a suffix is added. This is true of counselor (counsellor in British English). This is the usual pattern of difference between the two language variants. For example, in American English, “travel” becomes “traveled” or “traveler,” whereas in British English, the consonant doubles up (e.g., “cancelled,” “labelled,” and “traveller”).
Counselor or counsellor in a sentence examplesNothing really made sense to Frank until he started to see a counselor/counsellor about the traumas of his childhood.
The company was lauded for its policy of providing time with a counselor/counsellor to any employee who needed it.
Janine found her job as a counselor/counsellor was rewarding and demanding in equal measure.
Both focussed and focused are acceptable in British English as well as American English, and interestingly, the more common form in both varieties of the language is with the single “s.”
Focussed or focused in a sentence examplesSports photography presents a challenge to the photographer as they have to keep the shot focused/focussed on a fast-moving subject.
Staying focused/focussed in class can be very difficult in the modern world of online distractions.
Thankfully, the earthquake’s epicenter was focused/focussed in a mountainous, sparsely inhabited region.
Published on
September 9, 2024
by
Trevor Marshall, MSc
Revised on
September 30, 2024
The availability heuristic describes our tendency to evaluate the likelihood of something happening according to how easily we can recall a similar occurrence. It can be seen as a mental shortcut we use to help us process information and respond to the many stimuli around us. An easily remembered event can cause us to mistakenly judge a similar event as more likely to happen.
Availability heuristic exampleMany people will reach for their phones when the flight they are on lands and text their loved ones that they have landed safely. In almost every country in the world, though, they are about to start the most dangerous part of the journey if they plan to travel by car.
Statistically, road transport is much more dangerous than air travel. But an airplane crash is given widespread news coverage, and the availability heuristic means that we feel it is the dangerous part of the journey. If there has been a recent disaster, this effect is even more pronounced.
The availability heuristic doesn’t just affect our perception of our safety when traveling but can have serious consequences for research and risk assessment. Understanding research bias can help us avoid it having a negative effect on research and trials.
The verb recognize/recognise has two spellings. Which one is correct depends on where your audience is located.
In American English, the correct spelling is recognize. In British English, it is usually spelled recognise, but recognize is not incorrect (see the Note below for more details).
Recognise or recognize in a sentence examplesI hadn’t seen Emily in so long; I was worried I wouldn’t recognise/recognize her.
Good management involves making sure you recognise/recognize your colleagues’ successes.
Doctors are trained to recognise/recognize the early signs of many diseases.
Note“Oxford spelling” is a convention favored by the Oxford University Press and the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford spelling prefers the “-ize” ending for British English rather than the more commonly used “-ise” ending. Most dictionaries prefer “-ise” for British English, but don’t prohibit “-ize” spellings.
The correct spelling of center depends on where your audience is located. In American English, it is spelledcenter, and in British English, it is centre. This is true whether it is being used as a noun or a verb.
Despite the spelling differences, the meanings are the same.
Center or centre in a sentence examplesThe center/centre of the village was marked by a centuries-old obelisk that was world-famous.
The university is a center/centre of excellence for music teaching.
The marketing campaign would center/centre on the city rather than the suburbs.
Neighbor is a noun that refers to a person who lives very near you or a country that adjoins another. It is one of many words ending in “-or” in American English that are spelled differently in British English, where the ending is “-our.” Other examples include color/colour, favor/favour, and honor/honour.
The two spellings are quite distinct and not interchangeable. Neighbor is considered incorrect in British English, as is neighbour in American English.
Neighbor or neighbour in a sentence examplesThe farm was very isolated, and the nearest neighbor/neighbour was over three miles away.
Loving your neighbor/neighbour is not always that easy!
There was no sign of Mabel, and her next-door neighbor/neighbour hadn’t seen her all week.
The always-popular deep-fried dough treat can be spelled donut or doughnut in both American English and British English. However, donut is seen as more informal in British English, and some US authorities stipulate the longer doughnut spelling.
Donut or doughnut in a sentence examplesIt was our traditional birthday treat at work—bags of still-warm raspberry and vanilla donuts/doughnuts.
As a boy, I was captivated the first time I saw the donut/doughnut machine at the fair.
Nick thought that the Spanish breakfast of donuts/doughnuts dipped in hot chocolate was the height of morning cuisine!
Flavour is the correct spelling in British English for the verb and noun that refers to how things taste. In American English, the correct spelling is flavor. There is no difference in meaning, but the spellings are not interchangeable.
Flavour or flavor in a sentence examplesIt’s a pity that salt isn’t great for your health because it really brings out the flavour/flavorof food.
A well-written blurb can help to give you a flavour/flavor of what the book will be like.
For an extra-special taste, you can flavour/flavor the ice cream with salted caramel.
Analyze is a regular verb, meaning “examine carefully and infer meaning.” Knowing how it is spelled can cause some confusion, as you will see both analyze and analyse. However, there is no need to be confused, because in American English, analyze is the correct spelling, and in British English, analyse is preferred (although analyze is permissible).
Analyze or analyse in a sentence examplesThe problem facing the researchers was the quantity of data that they had to analyze/analyse.
This was Sean’s favorite/favourite part, when they got to analyze/analyse the data in detail.
Learning to analyze/analyse a poem was one of the trickiest skills the students had to learn.
Spelling the plural of the noun “bus” can cause some confusion: is it busses or buses? The confusion is partly caused by the fact that busses has been an acceptable plural in both British English and American English. The most common form currently is buses.
Busses or buses in a sentence exampleIt was true to the cliché; we waited ages, and then two buses/busses came at once!
Every day, in every US town and city, thousands of distinctive yellow buses/busses take the nation’s kids to school.
The town planners realized that the solution to the congestion problems was more buses/busses, not fewer.
The Prague Integrated Transport System includes Metro, trams, buses/busses, ferries, and even the funicular railway!
