Reader's Digest

Let’s Consult Spell-cheque

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Why do Brits and Yanks write some words differentl­y? Because for his uniquely American dictionary, 19thcentur­y lexicograp­her Noah Webster tweaked some terms to match our pronunciat­ion—colour lost its u, centre became center, and defence switched to defense. Not all of his proposed alteration­s made their way into our books: He wanted to change tongue to tung.

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