A Grey Area

Spelling isn’t always black or white: take the word grey, which can also be spelled gray. In Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK, grey is preferred, while in the Philippines and the US, gray is more common. One exception is greyhound, but why? While gray and grey come from the Old English word for the shade, græg, the speedy canine’s name comes from the Old English grighund, with grig likely meaning ‘female dog’.