{"id":1842,"date":"2020-11-14T10:07:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T09:07:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.englishforums.com\/blog\/?p=1842"},"modified":"2020-11-14T10:07:32","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T09:07:32","slug":"favorite-or-favourite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/favorite-or-favourite\/","title":{"rendered":"Favorite or favourite: What's the Popular Usage?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Both the UK and the US use English as their native language. However, both countries have different takes on the spelling of the word favorite. The difference is a bit subtle and is mostly seen in spellings, pronunciation, and sometimes in the meaning of words.\u00a0<\/span>
\nEnglish standards used in the United States are referred to as American English, and those used in the\u00a0 United Kingdom are referred to as British English. How does this relate to favorite and favourite?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Which is correct, favorite, or favourite?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Favorite and favourite are both correctly spelled. The difference comes in regards to the spelling standards you are using or in which region you are in. Favourite is preferred in British English, while favorite is preferred in American English.\u00a0 How did this difference come to be?<\/span>
\nThe Americans speak English because they were colonized by Britain. As a result, Americans used favourite in the 1600s until the late 19th century when its use reduced drastically.<\/span>
\nDuring the 1600s,\u00a0 many dialects from different regions of Britain had settled in America. This leveled the English language, making it a bit different from the varieties used in Britain. However, a fairly uniform type of\u00a0 American English became popular in the mid eighteenth century.<\/span>
\nA famous English lexicographer known as Noah Webster played a major role in molding the\u00a0 English language into the way it is in America now. Noah Webster tried to get rid of the unnecessary letters in words; this is how the difference between words like favorite vs. favourite, color vs. colour,\u00a0 favour vs. favor, and many more came to be. The difference also came so that people of the same region can better understand and have a common language.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it favorite or favourite in Canada?<\/b><\/h3>\n

We have already noted that favourite and favorite mean the same thing. Both are the correct spelling; the only difference is the former is British spelling, and the latter is American spelling. So what about in Canada? How do they spell the word since English is their main language too?<\/span>
\nFrom as early as the 15th century, both British and French voyages had already started scouting and setting up colonies in North America – including present-day Canada. By the mid-1800s, Canada was completely under British rule, so they use English as their main language.<\/span>
\nWhat’s more, although Canada is closer to America, they have not been influenced to switch from British English to\u00a0 American English. The main standard of English used in Canada is British English. Therefore, they prefer to use <\/span>favourite <\/b>instead of favorite.\u00a0<\/span>
\nCanadians use British English standards not only in spelling favourite but also in other forms of publications, articles, spellings, and ways of speech<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does favorite mean?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Favorite and favourite have varied meanings as the following parts of speech:<\/span><\/p>\n