American spelling

Pub opening hours in the past – e.g. 10–3 and 5.30–10.30 on weekdays – provide a real pitfall for unwary American writers setting stories in the UK but nothing compares with Dan Brown's re-siting of the American embassy in Paris in the egregious Da Vinci Code.

Elizabeth York's Inspector Linley detective stories have many examples of that, Alie.

When I retired, 'Pay Attention' was being replaced by 'Listen Up'

Has anyone noticed the number of novels written by Americans and set in Britain, where they 'pass' pretty well....
...........until someone refers to a 'row house' or goes to 'wash up' before eating?

Bags There is no reason why lite should be cheaper to print than light. Printing wouldn't be charged by the letter.

Couldn't they just be called synonyms?

I was ticked off by my children yesterday for talking about a stroller. I think it's a much nicer word than pushchair - it conjures up an image of a bit of gentle ambling instead of the hard graft it so often is!

And ascended in lifts, not elevators.
Rubbers were something you used to erase mistakes
Trousers were held up by braces and stockings by suspenders!

I think my niece referred to her "bangs" yesterday

And caught trains at the railway station, where we drank coffee with milk not a flat white.

And watched films, not movies.

I remember when we went to shops not stores.

My American friend understands me - she lived in Wales fore 2 years. Her husband often does not and also has to have English translated for him when they watch British TV programmes. We once got our lines thoroughly crossed when I was trying him to give him driving directions in a dark and stressful situation. (You have to say "back up" for instance if you want them to go into reverse)

As a just a bout-life long "Wing Nut" (West Wing fan if you don't know) I am always amused when people are described as being pissed - to mean angry (pissed off to us I assume) and I have this mental picture of them several sheets to the wind! (simple pleasures I know)

I don't find any problems reading American novels. I seem to adjust to colour/color and honour/honor etc after the first few pages.

Perhaps the spelling differences are minimal, annodomini, but the vocabulary and usages aren't. The usual example given is "She was mad about her flat." in UK English this would mean "she was very please about her apartment" in US it would be "she was angry about her puncture".

American spelling is as correct as ours. Historically speaking, the language crossed the Atlantic before dictionaries standardised spelling. The differences are minimal and mutually comprehensible.

So long as people know what is meant, spelling hardly matters on margarine (foul stuff) or yogurt, in my opinion.

I don't really care one way or another but the question was asked and that's what I think.

Cheaper to get stuff printed is what I'm thinking. May be wrong. There's also the possibility of them being seen as modern and catchy.

I don't understand what you mean by the point of using nite and lite being because they have fewer digits, thatbags. What point?

lite and nite have fewer digits. I think that's the point.

I thought ruble was the correct spelling of the Russian standard monetary unit. I've only ever seen it spelled ruble.

American spelling on products made for the UK market is not acceptable.

AlieOxon Since the word is pronounced roobl, it is perfectly logical to drop the o; it also accords with the transliteration. However, rouble is also used as a variant in the US.

American spelling on American products is perfectly excusable. However, I do object strongly to spelling such as lite (on low-fat products) and nite. What is the point?

I can't stand American spelling on toys and games aimed at UK children. If they're going to sell their product here make sure that words like colour are spelt correctly.