"Colour" or "Color"

[AFriendlyFace]

Hi all!

 

We were having a debate about this recently in the Domaholic's Forum, so I thought it might be fun to "definitively" (what could be more definitive than a poll after all? ) find out what the majority of members preferred.

 

My choice is "Colour". I've always thought the "ou" spelling looked more formal, complete, and all around nicer.

 

What do you think?

-Kevin

 

**Hurries to get helmet before Sharon sees this post **

[Bondwriter]

This is only a UK VS. US issue. My spell checker is set to either according to what I write. In business, I tend to go for UK spellings, because that's the language used by others. Some of my stories are US English, some British English. It's just a question of consistency. If you go for colour, you've also got to go for humour, pavement, lorry, kidney pie, mint sauce, the Queen, etc.

 

By the way, as someone reminded me in another thread, this comes from the Norman/ French spellings used in Britain -- colour comes from couleur--, and the Americans (Mr. Webster) simplified it in the early 19th century.

 

I didn't vote in the poll. I don't mind either. Camy, Nexis or Irony's colour is great. CJames, Steve or Nick's color is equally great.

[colinian]

I like colorful polls. They are fun.

 

Colin

[BeaStKid]

Since Indians usually follow British English, I prefer colour. But then, if I'm using a computer language, then I have to use color.

 

I don't mind using any...

 

The BeaStKid

[Menzoberranzen]

Having been born in Canada and considering I live in London, I want to say colour. Except that four years at an American university has utterly beaten the tendency out of me, so I often write color instead.

 

Menzo

[Graeme]

Colour is the preferred option for me because that's what I grew up with, though I have been told that schools in Australia will accept either spelling. The preference is for the UK spelling, but there is so much American influence in Australia that the US spelling is deemed acceptable.

 

In a story, it would depend on whether it is set predominantly with a USA focus. If so, I would use American spellings. Otherwise, I'd use the UK spellings. I have a handful of short stories that are set in the USA and these use American spelling. I can get away with that because my editors are American and they'll correct any mistakes I make

[old bob]

I prefer "colour". Its more "english"

At least, we Europeans have to stay together

[sat8997]

**Hurries to get helmet before Sharon sees this post **

 

Oh you are so in trouble, young man.

 

Sharon

[Benji]

I prefer "colour". Its more "english"

At least, we Europeans have to stay together

 

 

......You use whatever your brought up with I guess, it doesn't make any difference to me, although I might add when I first noticed "colour" I thought it was a spelling error.

[Ieshwar]

......You use whatever your brought up with I guess, it doesn't make any difference to me, although I might add when I first noticed "colour" I thought it was a spelling error.

 

And when I saw 'Labor' instead of 'Labour', I thought that was a mistake!

 

I prefer Colour!

 

Ieshwar

[rknapp]

As has already been pointed out, this should prove to be a very colorful thread.

[D Writes]

I don't know as I use both the spellings. Colour for school and official work, Color in my stories and in forums etc (that's what's set in my computer)

[Liddy]

Do you have any idea how much you confuse us poor foreigners with discussions like that :wacko: . Whenever I wrote colour I'd go back and change it color, thinking it was wrong and whenever I wrote color I'd go back and change it to colour...

 

...so which SHOULD I use? (Especially if I don't know if the other person is British or American (I learned Australians don't care . Aussies rule. *runs to not get lynched by everybody else*)

[rknapp]

Do you have any idea how much you confuse us poor foreigners with discussions like that :wacko: . Whenever I wrote colour I'd go back and change it color, thinking it was wrong and whenever I wrote color I'd go back and change it to colour...

 

...so which SHOULD I use? (Especially if I don't know if the other person is British or American (I learned Australians don't care . Aussies rule. *runs to not get lynched by everybody else*)

 

Color is the correct spelling

[Benji]

Color is the correct spelling

 

 

......Don't labour too much over it!!

[Andy]

Color is the correct spelling

 

 

Not what the vote says

 

 

*Andy is English, and so likes his extra U's in words*

 

 

The above in OTT english is *Anduy ius Engluish, Aund Suo Likues Huis Extura U'us Iun Wourds.....*

 

 

Ahem..

[Krista]

Color.

 

Even if it's losing in the votes it doesn't make it less "correct." And, if you have Firefox Spell checker, you will see that COLOUR is underlined in red (which is a color).

 

 

Krista

[Graeme]

Even if it's losing in the votes it doesn't make it less "correct." And, if you have Firefox Spell checker, you will see that COLOUR is underlined in red (which is a color).

Not for me I use an Australian English dictionary....

[glomph]

I held forth on this in the Domaholics forum, so I won't rehash that here.

 

When I think of "labor," I think of work. "Labour" to me is a political party. Otherwise, when given a choice between work and a party, I'd choose the latter.

 

when I first noticed "colour" I thought it was a spelling error

 

You mean "errour."

 

What I really can't get used to in Britspeak is the use of plural verbs with collective nouns, z.B.: "NBC are announcing their new programme lineup next week."

[Lugh]

what i want to know is --- does it really matter?'

 

I mean we all know that color and colour both MEAN the same thing...

 

Honestly I think that if the story is "American" then use color, if it is "any-of-the-other-countries-that-speak-English-other-than-American" then use "colour".

[Graeme]

When I think of "labor," I think of work. "Labour" to me is a political party.

And just to complicate thing, in Australia labour is work, while Labor is the political party....

[Ieshwar]

*Andy is English, and so likes his extra U's in words*

 

 

The above in OTT english is *Anduy ius Engluish, Aund Suo Likues Huis Extura U'us Iun Wourds.....*

 

 

Ahem..

 

And if Andy was from USA,

 

If yo're from SA, yo sholdn't se extra '' in yor words.

 

 

Ieshwar

[colinian]

Color.

 

Even if it's losing in the votes it doesn't make it less "correct." And, if you have Firefox Spell checker, you will see that COLOUR is underlined in red (which is a color).

Krista

 

The Google Toolbar spell checker accepts both color and colour.

 

The MS Office spell checker accepts color or colour based on which language dictionary/dictionaries you select.

 

Colin

[TheZot]

Yeesh, such a debate. Time to break out the bike sheds!

 

I think the important thing is to pick either US or UK spelling and stick with it consistently. And that means more than just color or colour -- it means all the other variant spellings. If you're going for colour you want memorise and aluminium, if you choose color then it's memorize and aluminum. There are a dozen or two of these, so it's probably best to set your spelling checker to US or UK and trust it when it complains.

[Graeme]

...so it's probably best to set your spelling checker to US or UK ...

*cough* or Australian....