Alana in Canada Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 And which one do you use? I'm curious too about where you live. Is it British/Canadian to spell it "gray" and American "grey"--or is it just archaic or what? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 And which one do you use? I'm curious too about where you live. Is it British/Canadian to spell it "gray" and American "grey"--or is it just archaic or what? Thanks! Brits spell it 'grey' and Americans 'gray'. I believe (do correct me if I'm wrong) that most of the spelling differences came about when the first dictionaries were written in each country. Up until then, spelling conventions were not strict, but the dictionaries codified spelling and chose different conventions. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5wolfcubs Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I think it is the opposite of what you said: gray being American and grey being British. But I'm not sure about the why! Oh, and I use gray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 That's correct. 'ey' is British, and 'ay' is American. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I always use grey, because that's how I learned it. I remember reading it off of a crayon when I was a child. I just can't seem to switch over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Yep, gray is the American version. I heard that Webster had a habit of changing things around just to be different from the British. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I've always used grey. I actually love grey! Just thought I'd throw that in. I've even considered naming a son Grey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 I had no idea which was which. (I had a fifty percent chance of getting it right!) Thanks. I guess I'll try and be more consistent and spell it "grey" then. But "gray" is prettier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen sn Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 We have a Greybear here. He is my dd's very first stuffed animal ever and we love him. I came up with his name long before she could talk. I think grey with an "e" is so regal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I guess I'll try and be more consistent and spell it "grey" then. But "gray" is prettier. See for some reason I find "grey" more pleasing to look at. Go figure?....:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 This is too funny. Regal? More pleasing? I don't know. "grey" conjures up images of dull, flat landscapes--think urban snow, grey concrete bridges, and overcast skies. "Gray"--well, the patina of pewter, a choppy lake, the dark, dramatic sky just before the snowstorm, silver streaks in my hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hathersage Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 On a related note, I've heard that Canadian spelling is a blend of American and British spelling. So, they don't always follow British spelling. But in the case of grey they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 This is too funny.Regal? More pleasing? I don't know. "grey" conjures up images of dull, flat landscapes--think urban snow, grey concrete bridges, and overcast skies. "Gray"--well, the patina of pewter, a choppy lake, the dark, dramatic sky just before the snowstorm, silver streaks in my hair. LOL! I'm the same! It's like seeing a cup half empty or half full. But your descriptions match what I envision when I see the different spellings of the word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockermom Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I've always used grey (also theatre as well...). They're the spellings I learned as a child and some teachers gave me flack about it when I was young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Are you in the States then? And how do you spell theatre? Surely it isn't spelled "Theater?" That's a new one for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I sometimes see theatre used when referring to attending a play, and theater when attending a movie. As I was typing this, my spell checker is automatically underling theatre in red and telling me to spell it theater! Other British/American differences I can think of relate to -or and -our such as:colour/color and favourite/favorite. I found a website that lists other common differences http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Interesting! Thanks for that. It explains why I'm confused about how to spell medieval/mediaeval! There ARE two spellings! And I didn't know that "learnt" is acceptable. Though I think leareded for learned has to be a mistake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 greeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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