IELTS Spelling: British or American?

This is a very common question that my students keep asking, and here is the answer.

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Pelawat, what spelling is it best use in IELTS, British or American? This is a very common question that my students keep asking, and here is the answer. But first... What is the difference between US and UK spelling? There are words with differences in spelling - 'color' (American) vs 'colour' (UK), 'labor' vs 'labour' and so on (see the non-exhaustive list at the bottom of this email). Depending on where you learnt English, you will be accustomed to one of the variations, and the other one will seem foreign to you. As a general rule words like 'generalize, prioritize, socialize' that are spelled with a 'z' in the US, are spelled with an 's' in the UK - 'generalise, prioritise, socialise', etc. What spelling should I use in IELTS, US or UK? IELTS accepts both US and UK spelling, with just one rule - you shouldn't mix them. When I say 'mix them', here is what I mean: Case 1: Mixing different spelling within the same task Imagine you're writing your essay and you've used the words "colour" and "emphasize". The first word has the UK spelling and the second - US. This is considered to be mixed spelling and you should avoid it. Case 2: Mixing different spelling within the same skill You've written your Writing Task 1 and you've used the word "prioritized" (US spelling). You have then written your Writing Task 2 and you've used the words "labour" and "colour" (UK spelling). This is also considered to be mixed spelling and you should avoid it. What spelling should I use in the Reading test? Luckily, in the Reading test you don't need to worry about choosing US or UK spelling - all your answers should be copied directly from the text, and so whatever spelling version the text is using, you will be using the same. Can I use different spelling in different IELTS Parts (e.g. UK in Listening and US in Writing)? Your score won't be affected if you use UK spelling in one part of the test, such as the Listening test, and US spelling in another, such as the Writing test. Different IELTS parts are marked by different examiners. Listening is clerically marked and your answers are compared to a list of correct answers. If the word can be spelled in more ways than one, all of them will be on the list of correct answers. You won't be marked down for using US or UK spelling on the Listening test. Writing is marked by a different, highly trained examiner and so if you have been consistent with your spelling in the entire Writing section (including Writing Task 1 and Task 2), if you didn't mix US and UK spelling, your score is safe. What words are spelled differently in the British and American English? Here are some words that frequently appear in IELTS texts, topics and answers: British (UK) vs American (US) colour vs color neighbour vs neighbor labour vs labor centre vs center metre vs meter litre vs liter dialogue vs dialog travelling vs traveling offence vs offense licence vs license prioritise vs prioritize specialise vs specialize Download a list of spelling words Download a complete list of words spelled differently in the British and American English here.

Pelawat, are you worried about your writing? We are here to help, because there is no way you can assess your own writing. We are experienced human experts - not AI! This is important because in the real IELTS your writing will be checked by trained human examiners, according to marking criteria that AI checkers simply CAN'T replicate. To make fast and reliable progress you need feedback from a human IELTS expert, who will go through your work, point out mistakes and tell you how to improve. Submit your writing for correction, get rid of your mistakes, and get a much higher score in your exam!

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