UK vs US styles
Confused about what is US style and what is UK style? Unsure as to when you should use one or the other? Let's dig in.
UK and US styles (AKA BrEng and AmEng respectively) describe the style in which a piece is written.
There are three main aspects that separate UK and US style: spelling variations, punctuation conventions, and grammar.
But before diving into each of these elements, I first want to address when these styles should be used because there is often confusion over this.
Generally speaking, the style used should reflect the target audience of your book, not its setting. So, if you have written a book set in 1980s New York but intend to release it through a British publisher or predominantly have a British market, the writing would be best written in a UK style.
Similarly, if you have a piece set in 1920s London but want to see it on your local Brooklyn bookshelves, US style would be the best choice.
The reason for this is largely familiarity. If readers see familiar words and phrases, it makes reading just that bit easier, which increases the chances of a sale (and a fan).
Now we know the why, let’s look at the what.
Spelling variations
This is the most well-known difference between UK and US styles and a source of debate (or resentment from some older relatives!).
The main spelling differences (with UK style in italics and US in bold) are:
‘-ise*’ or ‘-ize’ (realise* or realize; organise* or organize)
‘-yse’ or ‘-yze’ (analyse or analyze; paralyse or paralyze)
‘-our’ or ‘-or’ (favor or favour; color or colour)
‘-ce’ or ‘-se’ (defence or defence; pretence or pretense)
‘-re’ or ‘-er’ (centre or center; theatre or theater)
‘ae/oe’ or ‘e’ (foetus or fetus; archaeologist or archeologist)
‘-ogue’ or ‘-og*’ (analogue or analog*; catalogue or catalog*)
(* indicates both spelling variations are accepted in the respective style.)
In general, the US style tends to omit extra letters and simplify the spelling of words where UK style keeps the extra letters (which often come from word root origins, not just crazy linguists accidentally adding letters and pretending they were always meant to be there).
There are some nuances to spelling variations. For example, ‘license’ is the accepted spelling for the word whether it is a verb or a noun in US style, but in UK style ‘license’ is the verb (to license something/someone) and ‘licence’ is the noun (a driver’s licence).
This is before we get into the use of different words! What are pants to you: trousers or underwear?
Punctuation conventions
Which of these looks right to you: A or B?
A
‘Hey Anne’, she turned to see a man wearing a blue jumper and red trousers running down the centre of the road towards her. ‘Anne, it’s me, Jonathan!’
B
“Hey Anne,” she turned to see a man wearing a blue sweater and red pants running down the center of the road toward her. “Anne, it’s me, Jonathan!”
Both are right and both are acceptable in their respective styles. A is in UK style (single quotes for speech, comma outside of the closing quote) and B is in US style (double quotes with the comma inside the closing quote).
Bonus points if you noticed the centre/center difference, too.
Grammar
This is the least talked about one, but it is important to help ensure a clean readthrough for your audience. To give an example:
In the UK we study at school; in the US we study in school.
There are more: do you live on or in a street? Do you play football on or at the weekend?
There are dozens of variations that make up UK and US style (I haven’t even touched on Canadian or Australian) and knowing which style to implement will help you connect with your readers.
Provided you are consistent in your style, readers will get engaged with a good book regardless of style.