Color vs. colour – what’s the difference?

English spelling can be challenging. The pronunciation of words is rarely straightforward, and the way they’re written can be surprising or even befuddling. Then again, some words have multiple spellings. Are you wondering whether the correct option is color or colour? Keep reading to find out.

How to spell it correctly: color vs. colour

The answer to this question depends on where you are, but both spellings of the word meaning ‘hue’, ‘shade’ or ‘tone’ are accepted. In American English, we would spell it as color, while in British English it is colour.

Why do some words have many spellings?

For historical reasons, some words have different spellings in the various varieties of English and even more pronunciations. Other varieties come from, for example, Australia or South Africa (colour) and Canada (color). Remember to choose and follow one spelling convention in your text.

General differences: BreEng and AmEng

As a rule of thumb, British spelling adopts the longer versions of words, for example: humour, flavour, etc. – compared to American versions: humor, flavor. Britons also opt for using an ‘s’ in words like specialise, recognise, etc., with Americans opting for ‘z’: specialize, recognize. There are many more spelling differences like this to look out for – and they don’t always follow a noticeable pattern.

Now you know that both spellings are correct, let’s look at example sentences.

Color or colour – now it’s all clear! Examples from literature

Her hair is the same color as Carol’s, but done in a cold wave all over her head.

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood (1988)

I see platforms crowded with people wearing drab Western clothes, with spots of bright colors: little children wearing pink and yellow, red and peach.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989)

As it emerges from the drop of water the white light has been split into an array of colours.

The Invention of Science by David Wootton (2015)