The future is gray for British English

How american spellings are taking over the world

British English may have come first, but around the world, the American way of spelling is now far more popular. A recent examination of these two variants of the English language show that publications now largely use the American version, swapping words like ‘centre’ for ‘center’ after the 1880s.

According to the data, this shift was further strengthened around the time of World War I – and as the language evolved, even the British have ditched the spelling of some words for their trans-Atlantic counterparts.

‘1913 marked a turning point in the usage of the British spelling, as the American alternative became more frequently used in literature,’ the post explains, in regards to ' center.'

‘ This was just a year before the beginning of World War I, which many view as a key period in America’s rise to superpower status.’

Around the same time, use of the spelling ‘airplane’ spiked dramatically over ‘aeroplane,’ and continued to dominate through the century.

‘After World War I drew to a close, the American term overtook its British counterpart in frequency of use in literature,’ the post explains.

For many years, British English maintained its hold on ‘honour,’ grappling with the American version for years as the two flip-flopped in popularity around the world.